What do birthing cows, treat-dispensing trolls, and character development have in common? They’re all part of the wonderfully weird world of BARK, where making great dog toys requires a surprising mix of creativity, engineering, behavioral science, and best of all, unhinged creativity. Recorded live from the SUPERZOO 2026 show floor, this special episode goes behind the scenes at BARK to explore the creativity, science, and obsession behind some of the brand’s most memorable and joy-inducing products.

Show Notes

Learn more at https://bark.co/.

Check out BARK’s new Licksters enrichment system: https://bark.co/products/licksters-toy

Searching for more? https://bark.co/pages/barkbox-changed-my-life

Read more about what went down at SUPERZOO 2026! https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/keywords/429-superzoo

(And stay tuned for more episodes from the show floor coming soon!)

Episode Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to SUPERZOO 2026 & Meet BARK

01:34 – Bertha the Birthing Cow & BARK’s Weirdest Toys

03:36 – Designing Dog Toys for Two Audiences

07:30 – How BARK Turns Weird Ideas Into Play

10:20 – Licksters, Enrichment & the Future of Dog Toys

14:02 – Where Enrichment and Play Collide

15:28 – Why Dogs Actually Want to Destroy Their Toys

18:01 – The Surprising Science Behind How Dogs Play

22:21 – Inside BARK’s Massive Toy Design Machine

25:35 – Blood, Sweat & Treats: Bringing a New Toy to Life

29:21 – Meet the Weird and Wonderful Characters of BARK

31:50 – Putting Dogs First—and Loving Every Minute of It

32:56 – Pet Parenting Around the World

Jordan Tyler

Jordan Tyler

BARK is all about play, but it's never been about playing it safe. The 15 year old companies built its identity around designing products that are functional, thoughtful, and sometimes just plain weird. Oh, and they have a dog centric airline at super. So Derek and I got into everything from his own dog's preferred play styles to the science behind why Dogs Destroy the things we buy.

Jordan Tyler

Where the line between enrichment and play is starting to blur, and some exciting new products BARK launched at the show. So, how exactly did a birthing cow become a fan favorite dog toy? Let's find out.

Derek Rippe

My name is Derek Rippe, and I am the vice president of product design at BARK.

Jordan Tyler

Fabulous. And as the vice president of product design, I think the most appropriate first question that I should ask you is, what's your favorite BARK toy?

Derek Rippe

We literally do thousands of toys, so it is hard. But someone asked me this earlier today at the booth, and I think she's definitely she's definitely my favorite right now, which is Bertha the Birthing Cow. And I think it's because we have such a long history. If you're not familiar with Bertha. She is a plush cow who has a calf that bungie's out of her.

Derek Rippe

She's great for tug. Two Squeaker crinkle. Super cute. She was her Mother's Day day a couple of years ago, and it was one that internally at BARK. For years the concept lived on a hard drive, and it was this internal thing of like, should we do it? Should we not do it?

Jordan Tyler

Is it too weird...?

Derek Rippe

It's a weird like... And then finally we were like, roll the dice, let's do it.

Derek Rippe

And literally before the show, I spent hours in my hotel room drawing up like, you know, we're doing mini Bertha's. She is now our darling. And so there's, like, pumpkin spice Bertha and Space Bertha, and she's just the right amount of, like, weird and cute. That just hits my own personal vibe.

Jordan Tyler

Love that. I love that. Is that also your dog's favorite toy?

Derek Rippe

I have two dogs, so I have a 140 pound bull mastiff and a 30 pound French bulldog. The irony is the bull mastiff could care less about toys just once, like food or whatever. Dirty stick in the yard. And then the youngest, the French bulldog. His favorite toy is actually one of our Star Wars toys. It's a little plush Grogu we did for The Mandalorian movie.

Jordan Tyler

Nice.

Derek Rippe

And that thing is, like, destroyed. And like, Grogu has one ear and is, like, dirty.

Jordan Tyler

He's looking rough.

Derek Rippe

But you can tell it's his teddy bear. Like, he he takes that baby everywhere and just lays with it. So yeah. It's real. It's real heartwarming.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, I love that. The thing that I love about BARK and what you guys do is you allow the fun to be shared.

Jordan Tyler

But also, like, you can appreciate this toy because you appreciate it. And maybe your dog doesn't like it as much as you do, but it brings you a lot of joy. And like the dogs had, just happy to play with you.

Derek Rippe

Oh, absolutely. It's like designing. It's the weirdest job because you're designing for two audiences, and the core of it is like play style, safety features, all for dogs.

Derek Rippe

Aesthetically, it's like, how do we speak to the humans now? And I really love that part of the job because you get to be Zeitgeist-y, you get to be weird. We've all seen like a million, like corduroy mooses. So it's like, let's make something fun and interesting and you totally hit on it. Where we do know that thing to where if you open a box or you see a toy and it sparks nostalgia and you or you laugh like that micro emotion that your dog picks up on just makes it like that makes the it's game on for play.

Derek Rippe

And they love that so much.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, they feed so much off of our energy and our stress to that extent really, that when you can have like really bring that shared like joyful excitement to the home, I love that.

Derek Rippe

It's an experience. I think we're always like, make an experience, why not make a memory?

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. And that's really what I feel like you guys are now, right?

Jordan Tyler

You know, maybe when you first started it was Subscription Box and that was like really the onus. But now, I mean, what, 15 years later, you guys have built it out to really a lifestyle brand.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. It's it's been a journey. When you said 15, I was like, oh my gosh, that's crazy. Yeah. From where we started out with the subscription and it was very, you know, open source product and it was about convenience and our love for, for dogs.

Derek Rippe

I mean, this industry is built on emotion and the emotional appeal or attachment we have. And then, you know, as we grew and we found other channels like retail or outside of toys, there's treats and there's dental and there's accessories and oh my gosh, no, we have an airplane, airplanes. We have an airline.

Jordan Tyler

Because why not?

Derek Rippe

Yeah. Why not BARK Air?

Derek Rippe

And a lot of, you know, along that way we decided to kind of take those learnings and really crafted this DNA and house. We started doing all of our own design and we've rigorously, you know, worked on like our safety lab in China, which I'm going to go see next week is the coolest thing ever. It's like deleted scene from Willy Wonka where there's Metal dog jaws and colorful machines, and they're squeaking toys over and over again.

Derek Rippe

And the pole tests and word nerds about dog safety. And I think that that's kind of like, is just saying, like, over the years, we became what was like an offering to something that was, we got really nuanced about how serious we were about that experience and how we delight the human and the dog. And what else is your dog need?

Derek Rippe

And there's times we take swings and we're like, you know what? We're not the right person right now to make X. Yeah, we learned that.

Jordan Tyler

Hey. And that's fair.

Derek Rippe

That's totally cool.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. It's okay to admit that something falls outside of your wheels wouldn't fit within your portfolio because you're staying true to what you guys have built and what people expect from us, too.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, putting something out there and being like, well, now we're an expert in this. Like...

Jordan Tyler

It's like, wait, what?

Derek Rippe

Yeah, we do this. That's not our vibe. And but that said, I feel like we're always inspired by dogs, too. And we're like, okay, I had this moment with my dog. I was feeling this. Have we all thought about making this part of the experience easier?

Derek Rippe

Let's look into that. So I'm at the nexus of all of that at BARK.

Jordan Tyler

Oh, it sounds like a crazy, beautiful, scary place.

Derek Rippe

It's a busy place, but it's great. Yes.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, yeah. So I know we were we were talking about designing for two audiences, and I just kind of curious how you innovate, like, what's top of mind for you as you're looking at a new design or as you're considering maybe a new offering?

Jordan Tyler

Is it maximum fun? Is it like you said, is it is it really for the dog first and the human comes after? Or like what's your thought process there?

Derek Rippe

It's like... it's definitely a spectrum. And there's times where we or like, you know, we're going to be weird for weird sake. And so we do like, conservatively, thousands of new toys and designs of year.

Derek Rippe

Huge shout out to the BARK design team, because they are the Santa elves that are just like always on.

Jordan Tyler

Killing it.

Derek Rippe

And they're like, they're killing it. They're so full of like, amazing ideas, strong, you know, engineering sense and design know how. And there's definitely times where we will make stuff because we want it to be this like marketing beat or something that's like a callback to something in the site, guys.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. And so we love that conversation we have with our fans, our subscribers. We also have fans on social media and so forth. But then

Derek Rippe

a lot of times we think about the dog experience. And so whether it's like an enrichment toy, like the new Lexus that we're debuting right now, it is a multi-part or a tug toy we are thinking about.

Derek Rippe

It's not a product, but how is the dog interacting with it? How is the human potentially interacting with them? How are you guys building a ritual or memory or bonding if it's like a new dog or a new puppy? And so that kind of, that kind of really inspires the products. We look at, like, what isn't out there?

Derek Rippe

What should be out there? Yeah. And one of the things I love about BARK, especially as a creative, is it's a real like, let's try it, let's take risk, lets, you know, maybe this is a good idea. Maybe this is a funny subject matter, like, let's do it, let's do a birthing cow. And then you're like, hey, TJ, Max, it's all over TikTok.

Derek Rippe

Cool. That worked out.

Jordan Tyler

I love that.

Derek Rippe

But it's a good playground and it's it's playful, which is nice.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, I love that that, you know, the framework changes kind of depending on what, what it is you're trying to do through the toy or the treat or the offering or whatever it is.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, yeah, it's, there's I think there's a lot with enrichment that we're doing right now.

Derek Rippe

So I definitely have to shout out the Licksters toy that we're debuting or sharing with people at this show. So it actually came out last week, and I the more I look at it and we're doing some like toy testing with dogs who stopped by the booth, which I love. So if you're SUPERZOO, you walk by the booth and you have a dog, you know you can play with our new toy, which is this little rubber blue troll with two holes inside of them, and he's unscrewed apart.

Derek Rippe

So he's a little bit like a Lego or like a kid's toy. And inside is a cavity. We have treats that go inside, puck shaped treats that are, you know, the primary flavor profile is peanut butter Beatles. It's probiotic. It's calming, functional. Functional is great. We know functional is so important. It's a toy that we it's all about the enrichment, the engagement, the stimulation and the calming for the dog.

Derek Rippe

And so a lot of people are like is it a distraction toy? And I'm like, well, distraction makes it sound like...

Jordan Tyler

Like a bad thing!

Derek Rippe

Like a bad thing. Like you don't want your dog around you. You don't want your dog. So what I tell them is it really is stimulating and engaging for the dog. Yeah. And we've seen dogs go crazy over it.

Derek Rippe

Dogs will spend on average 40 minutes engaged in this thing, which is tremendous. Yeah, I think the competition's 20. They're using such like brain power and instinct while they're looking to. It's it's definitely this instinctual thing. You think about how dogs, the most amazing creatures in the world, spend a lot of time, you know, where they could be engaged.

Derek Rippe

They're based on human schedules, just kind of their interactivity. And so having something that satisfies, you know, whether it is needing to calm down, needing to occupy them, you will, as a human get 40 minutes of free time. So do with it as you will.

Jordan Tyler

I'm just going to be sitting on the ground just watching him eat it the whole time.

Derek Rippe

Oh. It's fascinating. When I was testing these things with my dogs, I was just, like, on my belly with, like, a stopwatch, and I was like, okay, okay, look at him go, okay. He's like, spinning it. He's like bopping it around. It's great.

Jordan Tyler

He's still going. He's still going.

Derek Rippe

Still going. Well, you got a champ. And what's really fun about this toy, too, and I've been telling people is it's actually great as a standalone product, but then it's also the first iteration in this modular system we designed.

Derek Rippe

So the toy character, we have other toy characters that you can mix and match, and when you do, it unlocks different features and functions. We've got, you know, suction cups and smear grooves and things like that and new treats. So you can you can customize the experience, which I love. We're going to give you the tools for you to make your dog's optimal enrichment experience.

Derek Rippe

Because I think a lot of times we say to, you know your dog better than we ever will. Yeah. So even with the subscription service, which is great, when we onboard you, we're like, look, dogs are like 30 million individual creatures. You know, your dog, what do they like to chew? How do they like to play?

Derek Rippe

Let us give you the the goods for you to be part of that, for you to kind of own that experience.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. You don't need to change what you're doing. We actually have tools that will fit right into that. You're doing a-

Derek Rippe

No square pegs.

Jordan Tyler

Exactly. Yeah. Do you think there's a line between enrichment and play anymore or. I feel like the two are really just like melding together.

Derek Rippe

They really are. I think when I look at the landscape of products and what I think of as kind of like toys or play products, there's still a lot of things that or very play focus exclusively. And I think there's stuff like, you know, some of the fetch and some of the tug and some of the thrashing, like, those are great.

Derek Rippe

There's a lot more toys these days that do incorporate the treats, the snuffles, the burrow, the kind of, how do you how do you marry consumables with toys to create that experience, which is so important for dogs? It's definitely a trend in the industry. It's interesting to see how everyone's tackling it individually and how we're all kind of contributing.

Derek Rippe

Fun ideas. But it's definitely what we're seeing a lot more development of. And even a BARK, you know. Well, the toy team will come up with amazing ideas for like, the holidays and the business team will be like, okay, can you put tree pockets in it. Can you like, like how do we get like a snuffling element?

Derek Rippe

Because I think that's important to consumers now. Like they they want that marriage of toy and treats.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, yeah yeah I just think it's so interesting. And I talked to, I went to Interzoo in May and I talked to a woman that

Derek Rippe

How was it?

Jordan Tyler

Oh my God, it was crazy. But it was so much fun. But it was so crazy.

Jordan Tyler

I had no idea. Everybody was like, yeah, it's it's like three, three x the size of Subaru Zoo. And I was like, no, it can't be. It was. Yeah. Yeah, it totally was. It was so much fun. But I was interviewing this woman that designs toys, and she was telling me that, you know, dogs don't want an indestructible toy.

Jordan Tyler

They want to be able to destroy it. And so another trend toy trend that I think is kind of interesting is like the toy in a toy and like you destroy like the soft outer part and you suddenly have a new toy to play with on the inside. I think that's so cool. That was actually one of the things when I joined Bart was kind of a bit of our hallmark at the time.

Derek Rippe

Consuela the Cactus and, surprise and delight is a buzz phrase we use a lot internally. And, I think it's so great. We still do a lot of it where if your dog tears through something, we went there to be a bonus inside. And I think that's important for consumers because a lot of times you are, you know, sensibly buying something that's just going to be destroyed quickly depending on your dog.

Derek Rippe

And, we are constantly trying to make things that address that, but it is the impossible. Yeah. Because, you know, the physiology of dogs is so different in dental health and proclivities. My giant dog will not destroy something. My little one will rip a face off in, like, five minutes. Yeah.

Jordan Tyler

That's so funny. I wonder too, like like the science of play.

Jordan Tyler

Like when it comes to dogs enjoying toys. And there's so many different ways that they do so, like we call our dog a defloofer, we give him a plush toy, and all he wants to do is rip a little hole in it and then slowly, oh yeah, take all the fluff out and put it all over the rug.

Jordan Tyler

And then he just wants to carry the, you know, the husk of a stuffy around for forever. My husband, I joke every year for Halloween that we're going to make a stuffy graveyard in the front because we have like 20 plus husks of stuffs that have just been completely defloofed.

Derek Rippe

Just take all that polyfill and make a couch out of it.

Jordan Tyler

And I'm like, I've started to save it because I crochet and I make little thingies. And so I'm like, well, this is perfect. I want to buy filler anymore. Great, great. But what do you think in terms of like how different dogs play? Like like, do you guys research stuff like that?

Derek Rippe

We absolutely do. And I think the, I think on paper, like when I, if I go to a party and people like, what do you do?

Derek Rippe

And I'm like, I make dog toys. And it's like the cute, fun, quirky, you know, like, who's that guy? And

Derek Rippe

and the reality of like designing dog products or dog toys, even at a place as fun as BARK is like, you know, it is a mix of dog psychology and physiology and safety and engineering and character design and illustration and graphic design.

Derek Rippe

And it... you have to like, put all of that together. And with I think for me, one of the most fascinating parts is studying dog behavior and why we do have play styles like tug and fetch and thrash and, you know, a lot of times, I mean, a plush dog toy is basically a surrogate for a dead animal, like, you know, we did a duck.

Derek Rippe

We called her Becky Breaknecky because when a dog thrashes a toy, it's like it's trying to break the neck. The squeaker is meant to be the death cry of like a chipmunk. You know,

Jordan Tyler

I don't think that a lot of parents realize that, but that's 100% what's happening.

Derek Rippe

And so when we design things, we're like, we know that

Derek Rippe

sometimes it's funny to have like, the latte, but I think, like, the dog would much rather have like the tactile fur and something that has limbs because it is a very primal thing.

Derek Rippe

Our beloved companions are not out there hunting anymore. So, so these kind of serve a place for them and even just kind of the dental cleaning of gnawing on things like, it's funny to see a lot of the stuff that we do or fascinating, I should say, and kind of draw that parallel to, to wolves to, you know, all of those play styles are still there.

Derek Rippe

We're just kind of giving you the PG version of this.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. This is a safe space.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. This is not the NSF like graphic click one. We're making a cute bunny.

Jordan Tyler

That is so funny. But I do think that a lot of parents don't realize that, like, those instincts, they're they're hunting, killing, you know, instincts. And you can emulate that through a toy.

Jordan Tyler

Absolutely. But it does take an understanding of of dog psychology and behavior and how they think and what they actually want out of playtime.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. It's and so many factors, like when you look at breeds and breeds who have traits that have been encouraged over the years and, you know, the, the, the little dogs that like terriers that just love to kind of thrash things, they love kind of like small squeaky things.

Derek Rippe

And, you know, other big dogs that are like herding dogs, the dogs, the, the, the dogs that, you know, fetching is like hunting, you know, is all these things. And, and you can kind of guess when you look at some dogs, like, okay, I think I know what your vibe is. I think I know it's like in your DNA, and then they'll always surprise you.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, yeah.

Derek Rippe

I've met a lot of just, like tiny little monsters before. Monsters in the best way, and big, obsolete teddy bears. Right? I, my mastiff, is just like furniture. Like he's the sweetest, like, hippo potato, gentle guy. And... But when I was living in Brooklyn and we'd walk down the street like moms would, like, cross the street with their kids, you know, everyone would be like the sandlot dog.

Derek Rippe

And then the dog nerd me would be like, “That was an English Mastiff, not a bull mastiff.”

Jordan Tyler

Get it right, don't get it twisted.

Derek Rippe

Let's not start rumors here in Cobble Hill. But yeah, there's a, there's there's so many different ways to play. And I think we just have so many factors in our brains as we're designing things. And it takes a moment.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, I came from the world of kids toys before as I was jumping into BARK and was like, okay, what is this? But once it clicks and this is also just like, kudos to the team. You know, you know, just how to satisfy, like the large super dogs that we have on the TTC business or the, you know, at retail, kind of the small dog pack ups, like we know exactly the bits to put in.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah for sure.

Jordan Tyler

So how do you like how often do you guys release new stuff? Because I feel like, you know, it's a subscription box. So it's recurring. You obviously have a really large portfolio to like pull from, but it does seem like you guys like do new stuff all the time.

Derek Rippe

We're like 7-Eleven.

Jordan Tyler

It's amazing!

Derek Rippe

Like, it's, it's amazing.

Derek Rippe

It's, there's always a lot of great opportunities. And I think as the, the, there's, there is a fandom for the brand, which I love because it's,

Derek Rippe

you know, incredible. So it grows every year. We release every month we have our subscription boxes. So it's a new theme for what we call a classic, which is just like the plush toys BARK Box Super Tours for the more durable dogs, the more like heavy tours.

Derek Rippe

So we have product that we developed and release every month for that. On top of that, we have all the all the cart stuff for add the box, which if you're a subscriber, you will know this. This is where we get weird and experimental. So if we have funny, weird, crazy, kooky ideas, we'll test it out there. If we are like, here's a really amazing idea for a new rope ball enrichment thing, we'll test it out there.

Derek Rippe

So you're going to get the best of BARKs experimental brains there. And then every every season at retail at at Target and Walmart and PetSmart, and so many other retailers, we have, you know, custom development. We had non-exclusive product out in the marketplace, I think over 40,000 doors.

Derek Rippe

It's wild. My mom will still send me like photos of BARK toys that she sees in the wild.

Jordan Tyler

Did you make this!?

Derek Rippe

She's like, oh, you made this, didn't you? It was like, it's like the Costco advent calendar, which is amazing. I love the Costco advent calendar. So I have it on copy, like copy paste. No. I'm like, yes, mom. Yes. So cool.

Jordan Tyler

Don't you love it?

Derek Rippe

Let's do it.

Jordan Tyler

That's amazing.

Derek Rippe

Jordan Tyler

Oh my God, I did not think that was going to be the number that came out of your mouth. I couldn't believe it was the one that I saw. So...

Jordan Tyler

Holy crap.

Derek Rippe

I saw it and I was like, I'm bad at math. And then I did it again and I was like, oh, oh, we're just really... we're just really great at design.

Derek Rippe

And so right now we're actually working on we work pretty far in advance.

Derek Rippe

Jordan Tyler

Wow. Okay. I mean, you kind of have to do it that way, right? Because you're constantly churning out new stuff. You got to be on the ball.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, literally on the tennis ball.

Jordan Tyler

Literally. Yeah. I didn't mean to make that pun.

Derek Rippe

Well, it's hard for us not to think puns, too, because that's the other part of the job. Totally. I'll just look around and be like, oh, if I had to turn a dog a celebrity into a dog name, I'm like, okay, I know exactly what I do.

Jordan Tyler

That's amazing. So I'm curious, like, what? What has been like the most rewarding launch that you've seen, that you've had your hands in, whether it's a toy or or a new product in some other. Right, something that you were just really proud of.

Derek Rippe

Oh my gosh.

Derek Rippe

This is this is like where I faltered out. It's like when someone asks you your favorite color and you're like, even though I know it's obvious. Yeah. All in diplomatic answer.

Jordan Tyler

You can take more time to think about it if you want.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, I think, I mean, not just calling you back to Licksters, but I will say that that is one that I'm extremely proud of because, it was a it was a really long project and it was a very intentional one and really great team involved everywhere from like, Zach, who is our innovation lead, who's like the main designer on it and you know, Haley and our consumables team.

Derek Rippe

So it's toys and it's treats and it's all of our vendors and it's testing and it's getting all the people at BARK with dogs, you know, it's reaching out at night and saying, oh my God, I got this toy from China. We got these treats from Nebraska. Can you please test this on your dog this weekend? You know, write down all of these things in the spreadsheet, email it back to us.

Derek Rippe

It was a real all hands on deck. And, you know, there was a lot of going back to the drawing board and a lot of frustrations, but also a lot of wins. And I think what I'm feeling in the moment is just this past week alone, seeing it finally go out into the world and the graphics and the marketing and the, you know, we made it across the finish line and we've got results that we couldn't have even hoped for, like the goals that we were shooting for, we surpassed and the crunch times that we had.

Derek Rippe

And there was some real crunch time that where it's like, we need to expedite XYZ from this country right now. We it's a we did it.

Jordan Tyler

Yes, absolutely.

Derek Rippe

There's been a lot of other really great partnerships and weird, fun toys and things over the years, but I think this is the one where just the blood, sweat and treats that went into it, I'm like, it hits it hit, it hits extra.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. Yes, a little bit, a little bit more. I'm still exhaling from it. I think that's what I'm feeling too. So yeah.

Jordan Tyler

Well it sounds really cool. I can't wait to see it. I saw little advertisements about it. I haven't like, dug into it yet. You know, this show is so psycho crazy.

Derek Rippe

There's way too many things to look at. It's it's almost like your brain shuts down when you walk down an aisle because it's everything and it's new things and everything you've already seen all at once. And then just throw like a bunch of dogs and cats and strollers and you're like, okay.

Jordan Tyler

And then there's like, bunnies and strollers around, and I'm like, how am I supposed to not get distracted right now?

Derek Rippe

I'm every time I leave the booth for food, I'm secretly on the hunt for, like, I'm convinced there's a booth around here that's going to have, like, the baby kangaroos and hold a python.

Jordan Tyler

Wait, there it is. I think I saw the global and it was like, oh, I'm going to find you again. I saw no, my Carrie our recruiter told me yesterday that she saw kangaroo on the floor.

Jordan Tyler

Okay. So if you go to it's probably in like the farm and food section where like the reptiles and the fish are as well.

Derek Rippe

Okay. Well, I know what I'm doing on my like, lolly gathering on the way back to the BARK booth. Let me know. Yeah, let me know because I will also I also need to make my way over there.

Jordan Tyler

Well, what else? We talked about Lickster... Licksters?

Derek Rippe

Licksters. Yeah.

Jordan Tyler

Got it.

Derek Rippe

Licksters, and then I think the toy is actually the Trickster, so either name works. Amazing. Yeah, you got it right.

Jordan Tyler

I love that you named them all like and give them names. Like, it's not just like a product name.

Jordan Tyler

It's like, this is a guy. And then you call them this.

Derek Rippe

We have names for all of our toys. Some of them were named after BARK employees. There is not a Derek toy. What? I do not know why you have to know somebody to make that happen, but...

Derek Rippe

Wait... Wouldn't you be the one to know?

Derek Rippe

Well, I'm just going to slip it in. It's going to write it on play someday. We do put all of our dogs Easter eggs and things like. You ever see a naughty or nice list? Those are all BARK dogs. Yeah. But, yeah, every toy, every toy really does have a name. We think of them as more of, like, IP than just things.

Derek Rippe

And we're currently, like, working with some really amazing people from, you know, my past life and kids stuff to flesh that out a little bit more. But, Ollie the Octopus, Consuela the Cactus, Buddy the Bigfoot, Bertha the Cow. Like, they're coworkers. They're like family. Like we refer to them by name in shorthand in so many meetings.

Derek Rippe

And it is weird, I guess seeing it from your eyes, I'm like, oh...

Jordan Tyler

No, but it's amazing. It's weird and like, the most amazing, wonderful way ever.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. We are weird, but we can also read the room. And a lot of times it's just so fun to see the people who wouldn't normally crack a smile, just, like, vulnerable and dorky and happy because they're also meeting just like the utmost dog nerds, dog obsessed people.

Derek Rippe

When you also come by the giant octopus booth, you're going to see so many people wearing BARK t-shirts like rolling on the ground with dogs. And I think it's like, we're really excited to meet your dogs. They have humans too, but like, we're really just here to meet your dogs.

Jordan Tyler

But here, here's the thing is, like, that's what I'm here for.

Jordan Tyler

That's why I'm in the pet industry. Yes. Right. Like, I also recognize that I need a job in a career and all of that. However, I'm here because I... if I see a dog and I'm mid-conversation with you, I'm going to go pet that dog. I'm so sorry. Like, that's what I really care.

Derek Rippe

Priorities.

Jordan Tyler

That's what I care about.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. And I think carrying that through the brand, like I think all pet brands try to do that. But it's one thing to say that you do it and another thing to literally put dogs first.

Derek Rippe

Oh, to the point of like, it's cringe, but we have no shame. I think when I look back and like, it's really one of the best moves I've made in my career, and I've done a lot with toys and kids content and illustration and animation, a lot of things.

Derek Rippe

And for me, you know, every day I get to be with like the coolest people, making the weirdest things, and I get to work with my, my dogs and like, you know, YOLO, like jackpot. Love it.

Jordan Tyler

What more could you ask for? Yeah, I love that... Yeah, I guess I could ask for a few more things.

Derek Rippe

I mean, no, you know... I really hope that, you know, we take this road show back to Interzoo because, it's I think it's also so fascinating to see.

Derek Rippe

And I'm actually going to go to Pet Fair Asia in China next week. It is fascinating to see what people around the world, what that emotional connection looks like, like, I feel like I know the the domestic landscape, but, you know, how people bond and interact and humanize and incorporate animals into their families and their day to day in other countries and cultures is just like, I love it.

Jordan Tyler

It's eye opening.

Derek Rippe

So good.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. And like inspiring too, because like, I think sometimes we can just get wrapped up in the way that we do things and like, it's like parenting, right? It's like there's one way to do it and it's my way. And it's like, no, there's actually a lot of ways to do it. And there's they're all pretty decent and there's a lot of wrong ways to do it as well.

Jordan Tyler

But there are a lot of good ways to do it.

Derek Rippe

It is funny to see people like pet parent like each other. Yeah. Or be like, “Well, actually in this collar...” and you're like, you know every I what, I love the scene. You know everyone's dog is different if you're doing it right. They're happy.

Derek Rippe

And to be honest, like for the most part they're happy because they're just showered and love and affection.

Jordan Tyler

Because you love them and you spend time with them. And that's really all they want.

Derek Rippe

I feel like I need to go back to the hotel and like zoom, call my little brachycephalic dogs right now. Daddy misses you.

Derek Rippe

It's too hot here in Vegas. Otherwise I'd bring you. Yeah, I do, I do appreciate all the people that have shoes on their dogs that you know, because the sidewalk is so worth it. Yeah. It's just I have never lived in such a hot hellscape personally, but. So I never had to think about it.

Derek Rippe

When I... I live in Connecticut now, but I just on the outskirts of the city.

Derek Rippe

But when I was living in Brooklyn, I feel like I as I was like, oh, pet parents are crazy. I would be that person who'd be seeing somebody walk their dog and I touch the concrete and be like, I would never say anything. I would silently judge them, but it it just made me aware of all those things of like, how far away is like the nearest, like, drinking fountain for your standard poodle that's not wearing shoes in August.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah, yeah it is. It's just, it's a different, it’s another consideration. And it is funny how judgmental we can be because it is so much like parenthood or it feels to us so much active.

Derek Rippe

Yeah, we are protective. But, you know, let's come back down from the clouds.

Jordan Tyler

Yeah. Reality check.

Derek Rippe

Yeah. Focus on your own lawn.

Jordan Tyler

Everybody touch some grass. It’s going to be okay.

Jordan Tyler

But no, what you guys do is so fun. And obviously, you're catering to pet parents in the truest sense that you can and that all of us are unique. And that means all of our dogs are unique, and that means we're all going to kind of want our own thing. But you guys have the variety to deliver to, like, whoever wants it, which I love.

Derek Rippe

We I think one of the things I always think about, and I think we unofficially think about as a company is like we're dog people. We get it, like, we know the tribe. And it is very individual. And that's why I think we're set up from a business standpoint to be like, you know, your dog come, come into this partnership relationship we have as the ambassador because you know your dog so well, and we're going to work with you to meet your individual needs.

Derek Rippe

And whether the highs, the lows, like we're dog people, we get it. Yeah, we get we got you and we got you, too.

Jordan Tyler

Great pet product design, especially when it comes to toys, doesn't just run on vibes. Maybe it does a little, but it also takes a deep understanding of the animal, the human on the other end of the leash, and a willingness to put yourself out there. A huge thanks to Derek and the team at BARK for taking time out of an absolutely chaotic SUPERZOO to sit down and share some of the stories behind the toys and the thinking behind the play.

Jordan Tyler

Thank you for tuning in to the Barking Mad Podcast. If you'd like to learn more about BSM partners, please visit us at www.bsmpartners.net.

Jordan Tyler

Don't forget to follow us on your favorite leading podcast platform. And if you found today's episode useful, share it with a friend.

Jordan Tyler

And we'd like to thank the very loyal good boys and girls on our podcast team: Jacob Parker, Cady Wolf, Neeley Bowden Lewis, Anna Guilfoyle, and Ada-Miette Thomas. A special shout out to David Perez for the original music. See you next time!