From Dorm Room to Mass Retail: The Kangaroo Hanger Story

USA Today

9 hours ago

Most people never think twice about hangers. They're flimsy, they break, and they rarely do their job well. But for Angus Willows, that frustration sparked a bigger question: Why hasn't anyone tried to make them better? His answer was the Kangaroo Hanger, a patented hanger that is simple, durable, and made from 100 percent recycled materials in the United States.
'I didn't set out to start a hanger company,' Willows says. 'I set out to fix something simple that millions of people use every day.'
A Dorm Room Beginning
The idea started when Willows was a college sophomore. 'I found myself staring at my closet, frustrated by cheap hangers that bent, broke, and couldn't even hold a shirt properly,' he recalls. He began sketching designs, cutting prototypes out of cardboard in his dorm room, and testing ways to hold collared shirts without buttoning them.
'When cardboard wasn't enough, I used a small 3D printer I kept under my clothes rack,' Willows says. 'I printed each hanger in halves, glued them together, and refined the design hundreds of times.'
Determined to protect his work, Willows bought a Patent It Yourself book and drafted his first provisional application by hand. 'I spent everything I had just to pay a lawyer to review it for a few hours,' he says. 'That's how the Kangaroo Hanger became a patented product.'
Going Viral and Scaling Up
Like many startups, funding was the hardest part. 'Injection molds are expensive, and I didn't want to bring in investors who might push for cheaper materials or lower quality,' Willows explains. With just three months to make it work, he turned to TikTok.
'I had never posted before, but I committed to posting every day,' he says. On day 40, one of his videos went viral, gaining more than 7 million views. The very next day, another video reached 17 million. 'That was enough to fund the first mold and start production,' Willows says.
Today, the viral TikTok product has over 200 million organic views and 650,000 social followers across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Sustainable by Design
What sets Kangaroo apart isn't just clever marketing; it's a clear commitment to sustainability. 'We make our hangers in Wisconsin from 100 percent recycled materials,' Willows says. 'That keeps plastic out of landfills and cuts the carbon emissions that come from shipping overseas.'
The fashion industry already produces 92 million tons of textile waste annually. Choosing recycled hangers and eco-friendly closet organization tools like Kangaroo helps reduce that footprint. 'People can feel good about using them because they're better for both their clothes and the planet,' Willows explains.
From College Idea to National Retail
Willows' hangers are now sold in thousands of Walmart and Target stores nationwide, with more retailers on the way. 'Seeing them on shelves feels surreal,' he says. 'But it proves that if you keep it simple, durable, and sustainable, people respond.'
Looking ahead, Willows and his company, Zickers LLC, plan to expand into the wider home organization space. 'Kangaroo isn't just about a hanger,' he says. 'It's about showing that even the most ordinary object can be reinvented.'