Hush! Puppy, a startup based in Starkville that uses a 3D-printed attachment to make silencing your cowbell simple, is back on campus after a two-year hiatus.
Garrison Walker is the CEO and founder of Hush! Puppy and the program coordinator for the Mississippi State University Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach. Walker started the company in 2019 while he was a student at Starkville Academy. He said that the original team thought of the product because they wanted a silencer that would allow you to prevent unwanted noise from coming from the customer’s cowbell.
This niche product uses a magnetized 3D-printed silencer to prevent unwanted ringing when someone is walking, driving or displaying a cowbell. Walker said that it is a reusable and for-purpose product, meaning no more stuffing socks or other random objects into a cowbell to prevent it from ringing.
Walker brought his product with him when he entered MSU and joined the Famous Maroon Band. He sold Hush! Puppy to the band throughout 2021 and 2022.
One of those students was Braydon Jakins, an aerospace engineering senior in the Famous Maroon Band. As a freshman, he was given a silencer.
“My experience with them has been fantastic,” Jakins said. “I still have the same one from four years ago and it works like a charm.”
He said that he uses it during every football game and when he is driving home for summer break.
In 2019, many of the original founders have left Hush! Puppy to pursue other products after finding that the profitability and time constraints were a heavy burden. However, Walker stood by his product and waited for a time when he would be able to start the company again.
Now a graduate and employee at the MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, Walker helps others take their business to the next level daily. With that experience, he decided that it was time for Hush! Puppy to try again.
When thinking of where to start selling, Walker said he decided to go where he knew he had been successful: the Famous Maroon Band. After reaching out, he got some great news: MSU President Mark Keenum would give every band member a free Hush! Puppy.
Hayden Joiner, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, now serves as the chief operations officer at Hush! Puppy. He said the silencer’s design has improved since 2019.
“I improved the way the magnet is integrated,” Joiner said. “Previously, it was pushed into a slot on the side of the plastic body, which sometimes causes issues over time. Now, the magnet is incorporated during production, making the design more streamlined and durable. We also softened the edges to create a more user-friendly product. These updates make the new Hush! Puppy the best cowbell silencer on the market.”
Walker said they plan to add their product to local retailers in Starkville. His goal is for it to be sold in MSU Barnes & Noble and Davis Wade Stadium.
Joiner said he wants to grow Hush! Puppy by launching an online storefront. While Hush! Puppy only has a small assortment of products, an online store would give customers a customizable Hush! Puppy experience.
“Customers can choose from a variety of colors and dog tag designs to make their Hush! Puppy truly unique,” Joiner said.
Currently, Hush! Puppy does every part of the production in-house. Walker said that, in the past, they have tried to expand outside of that, but it was too costly. However, in the future, the company plans to try to work with local 3D printing businesses to see how to expand the business. Joiner also said that he wants to work with cowbell manufacturers directly to create a package deal, including a Hush! Puppy and cowbell together.
Jakins said that Hush! Puppy’s narrow customer base is very satisfied with the products.
“I would suggest them to my friends and family,” Jakins said.“My mom and Dad both have one for their cowbells.”
