Million Dollar Puppet

"The Million Dollar Puppet – The mascot that was worth more than the company" dissects the rise and fall of Pets.com, the poster child of the dot-com bubble. In 2000, you couldn't turn on a TV without seeing their sock puppet mascot. They spent millions on a Super Bowl ad and bought a float in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Business writer Jennifer Cole analyzes the fatal flaw: The business model didn't work. Shipping heavy bags of dog food cost more than the food itself. They lost money on every sale but tried to make it up in volume. "The Million Dollar Puppet" chronicles how the company went from an IPO to bankruptcy in just 268 days. It is a cautionary tale about prioritizing brand awareness over profitability, showing that being famous is not the same as being a viable business.