Sinkems were invented in 1995 by Yvonne Mattera, inspired by her son, Ricky, who was 2 ½ years old at the time. Ricky was the first toddler to "sink the boat" from cut out shapes. The concept of making toilet time a fun game through using Sinkems shapes proved to be a great tool for motivating Ricky to toilet train. Soon after, Yvonne designed the shapes, characters and packaging for Sinkems and brought the product and concept to market. The concept of making toilet training a fun event through using Sinkems has proved successful for thousands of Mom's and Dad's and their children.