In 2001, while Weisman and her then 8-year-old son Dylan were watching a video, he began rubbing the pant leg of an old pair of lycra-cotton maternity shorts Sharon was wearing. Dylan, who had difficulty sleeping and exhibited classic symptoms of hyperactivity, kept rubbing and saying the silky material "felt good." Kiddingly, Weisman said to him, "Whad'ya want me to do? Cut up my shorts and make you a pillow?"
The next day, Weisman crafted her shorts into a pillow and that night for the first time in eight years, Dylan, cuddling his new pillow, slept through the night.
Weisman's youngest son Garrett soon requested his own pillow, and within a few days neighborhood children visiting the house began fighting over the "snuggle pillow" and asking for their own. With $200 and help from her friend, Valerie Perri Lipson, Weisman started sewing.
"I knew I had stumbled onto something," recalls Weisman, who now lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I truly believed it could help children since it helped my child. I was determined to try to help others and sometimes you have to just take a chance."
Today, Weisman is CEO of Snuggl'Up Inc., a company incorporated in 2002 with Lipson and two other partners which manufactures and distributes thousands of soft, squishable hypoallergenic and fragrance-free pillows every month.
From New Jersey to California, SnuggL'Ups are in high demand. Kids of all ages seem to flock to the lycra-nylon blend pillows, which may be purchased online through www.snugglup.com, at retail stores, and through organization fund-raisers. "They are meant to remind people of the blankie they would hold as a child. To provide a feeling of comfort and a mother's love," Weisman said.
"It's different than a real pillow," said Emma Weiss, 4, of Voorhees, who, along with her sister, Ilana, 7, has a collection of SnuggL'Up pillows. "It helps you sleep. I don't have bad dreams now because I have it."
Weisman's mother, who was in a car accident late last year, had hre own SnuggL'Up at the hospital during her recovery. "I just wrapped my arms around it and went to sleep," said Bernice Gothard, who now lives in Maple Shade. "It's wonderful."
Weisman's pillows have garnered significant attention, winning the 2004 iParenting Media Award, and on March 3 they will be featured on a Turner Broadcasting Station television show.
Celebrity clients have also embraced the pillows, according to Weistman. Customers include Andy Garcia, Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Weisman, however, is taking her unexpected success and using it to give back to the community. SnuggL'Up donates a minimum of 20 percent of its retai sales to non-profit organizations including such groups as the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Gilda's Club and the Jewish Family & Children's Service of South Jersey.
"My dream was always to help children in one way or another," said Weisman. "You just never know where the inspiration is going to come from an idea, but it teaches you to follow your dream and never look at anything as too small or too insignificant."
