HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- After more than a year of masks and social distancing, some people are going even further to slow the spread of germs. At the beginning of 2020, Mark Apelt had a discussion with a friend about eating birthday cake after someone blew out the candles.
The birthday tradition left them feeling squeamish about germs. So the pair spent the night coming up with new, safer ways to carry on with the tradition.
The result? The Blowzee.
Birthday boys and girls simply blow into the open end to activate a battery-powered fan which then helps blow out the birthday candles.
"All the joy without the germs," Apelt said. "You still get all those wishes. You get to make the wish and blow out the candles the same way without blowing those germs all over the cake."