Joe Pellettieri – Wild Business Growth Podcast #228: Big Mouth Billy Bass, Toy Choreographer

“Take me to the river. Drop me in the water.”

-Big Mouth Billy Bass

An iconic line from an iconic fish. Made possible by this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Joe Pellettieri. Joe is the Inventor of Big Mouth Billy Bass. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 228: Joe Pellettieri – Big Mouth Billy Bass, Toy Choreographer

Joe Pellettieri, the Inventor of Big Mouth Billy Bass, joins the show to share his journey from being interested in product management to designing some of the most legendary singing and dancing toys. Hear where the idea for Big Mouth Billy Bass came from, what other songs were considered, what made it a hit, the little tweaks that make or break a product, and who made Big Mouth Billy Bass starstruck. This episode covers everything from singing fish to dancing hamsters. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What first sparked Joe’s interest in designing toys
• Where did the head turn come from for Big Mouth Billy Bass
• How did Joe get the licenses for the songs
• What was the first indication Big Mouth Billy Bass was starting to take off
• How do you find opportunities to improve your product
• What toys had potential but didn’t work out
• How do you handle the high pressure of the toy industry
• Is Joe able to eat fish to this day

Connect with Joe on YouTube @JoeP5300 and Twitter @JoePellettieri.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Indiana University
  • [0:35] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:45] Connect with Joe on YouTube @JoeP5300 and Twitter @JoePellettieri
  • [3:08] Isiah Thomas
  • [3:41] 1981 Indiana Hoosiers National Championship
  • [3:57] Did anything from Joe’s time at Indiana University‘s Kelley School of Business foreshadow his career in product development
  • [4:35] Professor Thomas Hustad
  • [4:46] P&G (Procter & Gamble), Kimberly-Clark, General Mills
  • [5:01] M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration)
  • [5:24] What first sparked an interest in designing toys
  • [6:12] University of Kentucky (UK)
  • [6:52] Entrepreneur
  • [7:04] At what point did Joe start working with Gemmy Industries
  • [7:18] Dominick’s Finer Foods
  • [8:47] Carlton Calvin – Wild Business Growth Podcast #204: Toy Trendspotter, Co-Founder of Razor

• The Big Mouth Billy Bass Story
  • [9:43] Sea what I did there
  • [10:02] Where did the idea for Big Mouth Billy Bass come from
  • [10:37] Email
  • [12:18] What was it about Bass Pro Shops that triggered the idea
  • [12:44] Walmart, Target
  • [12:54] Cracker Barrel, Spencer Gifts, KB Toys
  • [13:23] Shoutout, Dana & apple butter!
  • [14:00] Where did the head turn come from for Big Mouth Billy Bass
  • [14:43] Harry D. Ape
  • [14:59] “Take Me to the River” by Al Green & Talking Heads, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin
  • [15:17] What other songs did Joe consider that didn’t make the final fish
  • [15:52] JAWS Theme
  • [16:08] “Rock Lobster” by The B-52’s, “Sea Cruise” by John Fogerty
  • [16:24] How did Joe get the licenses for the Big Mouth Billy Bass songs
  • [17:38] Licensed Music
  • [17:52] Frogz, Dancing Hamsters
  • [18:35] What was the sales strategy for Big Mouth Billy Bass
  • [18:42] Word-of-Mouth Marketing
  • [18:45] “Try Me“
  • [19:05] Marketing Budget
  • [19:27] Kmart
  • [19:35] What was the first indication Big Mouth Billy Bass was starting to take off
  • [19:50] NFL (National Football League), MLB (Major League Baseball)
  • [20:43] When did Big Mouth Billy Bass start gaining national media attention
  • [20:52] People, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
  • [21:32] Thanks, Joe!
  • [22:05] What makes a toy go viral
  • [22:12] Podcasts
  • [23:30] Kung Fu Hamster
  • [24:21] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Inventing Singing & Dancing Toys
  • [25:21] Abbott and Costello, Pop Culture series
  • [25:28] James Brown
  • [26:37] Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Rodney Dangerfield, I Love Lucy, Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams Jr
  • [27:02] “Hamster Dance“
  • [27:10] Mini Hamsters
  • [27:39] BK Whopper Commercial
  • [28:09] How do you find opportunities to improve your product
  • [28:49] Excel
  • [29:41] W232 Venture Ideas
  • [30:14] Smartphone
  • [31:00] How do you be and stay creative
  • [31:35] Hardcore History, Tides of History
  • [32:51] 2/40 next time!
  • [33:12] Mac McClung

• Toys That Didn’t Quite Make It
  • [33:35] What toys had potential but didn’t work out
  • [33:40] Pig Wigs
  • [34:19] What went wrong
  • [34:28] Peppa Pig
  • [34:48] Elvis
  • [35:27] This Is Elvis
  • [35:40] Hound Dog
  • [35:51] Elvis
  • [36:57] Sorry, Joe!
  • [37:13] What’s the protocol for a toy that doesn’t live up to expectations
  • [38:03] How do you handle the high pressure of the toy industry
  • [39:39] Modules
  • [40:01] Patent
  • [40:18] So flattered
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [40:41] What Big Mouth Billy Bass pop culture reference struck Joe the most by surprise
  • [41:03] Is he able to eat fish to this day
  • [41:20] Is he able to listen to the songs
  • [41:28] “Rhymes” by Al Green
  • [41:39] What’s the funniest story Joe’s heard about Big Mouth Billy Bass
  • [42:31] How did he celebrate the Indiana Hoosiers 1981 National Championship
  • [43:18] Showalter Fountain Fish
  • [43:46] Connect with Joe on YouTube @JoeP5300 and Twitter @JoePellettieri
  • [44:38] GALILEO Clip
  • [45:31] What are Joe’s Final Thoughts
  • [46:25] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling extra nice
  • [46:45] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [46:47] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [46:48] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [46:53] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

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Thanks for listening to Joe Pellettieri on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And do your best Big Mouth Billy Bass impression with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!