Product Update
Is Pop Up Chess Set Still in Business? (2026 Update)
Is Pop Up Chess Set from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Pop Up Chess Set today.
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The Pop-Up Chess Set is one of those pitches people remember years later just for the object itself: a paper and card chess board that folds flat and pops the pieces back up in exactly the position you left them. The short answer for anyone checking in now is yes, it is still being sold.
The Short Answer
The Pop-Up Chess Set is still in business. The product, created by paper engineer David Hawcock, remains available through the publisher's own website as well as toy retailers and online marketplaces, in both a full size and a pocket travel version. It is one of the more widely stocked products to have come out of the Den in recent series.
Being carried by third party toy and game retailers, not just a single company website, is a good sign for a physical product like this: it means retailers have found the item sells well enough to be worth reordering. Novelty gift items are notoriously prone to a single Christmas of strong sales followed by a quiet fade, so continued retailer interest years after the original broadcast is a meaningfully better outcome than a typical Dragons' Den novelty product achieves.
The Pitch
The Pop-Up Chess Set was pitched in series 20, episode 4. According to our index, the ask was £40,000 for 20 per cent of the business. The design itself was the star of the pitch: made entirely from paper and card, no plastic, foldable flat for travel or storage, and able to be closed mid-game and reopened later with every piece popping back into its exact position.
The reaction in the Den was strongly positive. Peter Jones called the creation brilliant, saying he was genuinely blown away and describing it as exceptional, and reports from the episode describe the Dragons competing with each other over who would get to invest.
The Deal
With multiple Dragons keen on the product, the founder secured investment on the terms sought in our index, a strong outcome for a novelty product that could easily have been dismissed as a one-off gimmick rather than a business with real repeat sell-through potential.
A design this distinctive, genuinely useful and visually striking at the same time, is unusual, and the Dragons' enthusiasm on the day reflected that.
What Happened After
The product has since expanded into a small range, including a pocket sized version aimed at travellers, and continues to be marketed explicitly with its Dragons' Den appearance front and centre in its branding. It has also picked up recognition as one of the standout pitches of its series in entertainment press retrospectives.
Being stocked by toy specialists and general retailers alike, rather than depending purely on direct sales, suggests the product found a genuine niche with gift buyers and travellers rather than fading after its initial broadcast bump.
David Hawcock's background as a paper engineer, rather than a typical toy company founder, is part of what makes the product durable commercially. It sits at the intersection of a gift item, a design object and an actual playable game, which gives it appeal to several different kinds of buyer beyond just chess enthusiasts, and that broader appeal is likely part of why it has kept finding new retail homes since the broadcast.
Common Questions
Is the Pop-Up Chess Set still in business? Yes. The product is still sold through the creator's own website as well as a range of toy retailers.
How much did the Pop-Up Chess Set ask for on Dragons' Den? Our index records the ask as £40,000 for 20 per cent of the business, secured after a strongly positive reception from the panel.
Is the Pop-Up Chess Set made from plastic? No. It is made entirely from paper and card, designed to fold flat and pop the pieces back into position when reopened.
Where Things Stand Now
Here is the recap. The Pop-Up Chess Set pitched in series 20, episode 4, asking £40,000 for 20 per cent, and secured a deal after a strongly positive reception, with Peter Jones among those calling it exceptional.
If you came here to check whether the Pop-Up Chess Set survived its Dragons' Den appearance, it did. You can still buy both the full size and pocket versions today, through the creator's own site and a range of toy retailers.
Where to buy Pop Up Chess Set
Still selling as of 16 June 2026. Check today's price and availability.
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See the full Pop Up Chess Set deal breakdown and term sheet →
