The best invention ever? Two 14-YEAR-OLDS have come up with a brilliant way to stop ice cream dripping down cones
The 'Drip Drop' is an entirely edible solution to the common problem
WE'VE all tucked into an 99 on a sunny day - only to end up irritated by sticky ice cream dripping down the side of the cone onto your once-clean fingers.
But two 14-year-olds have come up with a solution so clever, yet so simple that mess caused by melted ice cream could be a thing of the past.
Sam Nassif and Oliver Greenwald from Denver, USA, invented the 'Drip Drop' when they were just 10 years old - an ingenious saucer made of thick, sturdy wafer, which slips perfectly onto an ice cream cone to catch any rogue drips.
Speaking to about their invention, they explained: "One day we were walking past an ice cream shop in our Denver neighbourhood and we saw these two little kids with drippy hands and messy clothes from their ice cream cones.
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"We then noticed how their mom used a handful of napkins to try to clean them up. This image stayed in our minds and a few minutes later suddenly we both turned to each other and had the same thought: something should be done about that problem!"
Since coming up with the idea, the smart pair, who have been best friends since they were in nursery, came second in a statewide invention contest in 2011 - and were granted a patent for their unique product last year.
And this year they've had even more success - wowing the judges on US show 'Shark Tank', which is similar to the UK's Dragon's Den, where they beat 50,000 applicants to appear on the show
The boys are the youngest budding businessmen to ever pitch to the Sharks without the help of an adult - and they were undoubtedly a hit, scoring a deal on the show.
The Drip Drop Cone, which comes in different variations featuring an array of sauces and sprinkles, is now in the testing phase of its development - but hopefully it'll be available to solve our hot weather woes sooner rather than later.