Joy Mangano

Grew Up... as a bright, imaginative child. Joy loved creating unique games and inventions with her half-sister, Peggy. But Joy’s world was shaken when her parents divorced, shattering her stable home life. Though she was bound for college, Joy wound up staying in her hometown to look after her parents and help with her dad’s auto business.

Living... with too many people. Joy’s small Long Island home now houses her two kids, her ex-husband, her mother, and her grandmother. Things get even more cramped when her father gets a third divorce and moves into Joy’s house too.

Profession... airline booking clerk. But it’s far from Joy’s dream job. She hopes to one day create an invention that will change the world and make her rich. But, she’s too busy picking up extra shifts to brainstorm any new ideas.

Interests... who has the time? Joy is too busy looking out for everyone else to leave any time for fun. When she does get a rare night off, she unwinds with her best friend Jackie. And she’s also been known to get sucked into the soap operas her mother watches all day.

Relationship Status... divorced. Joy fell in love with a romantic Venezuelan singer named Tony. But while their marriage eventually fell apart, the two ended up making better friends than spouses. Tony proves a loyal ally as Joy jumps into the business world.

Challenge... launching a successful business. Joy’s latest invention is a brilliant one: a self-wringing “Miracle Mop” that is super-absorbent and can be easily cleaned. But bringing the mop to life is an uphill battle. Joy has to raise money to manufacture a prototype and then find a way to sell the odd-looking mop to the public.

Personality... creative, patient, resilient, and persuasive. Joy is incredibly patient with her trying family, constantly sacrificing her comfort and happiness for them. Although she’s sometimes distracted by the minutiae of her day-to-day responsibilities, Joy will fight tooth-and-nail for something she really wants. She may not know the ways of the business world, but she uses her persuasive skills to improvise her own path. Joy is a fighter in every since of the word. As she warns her daughter, “Don’t ever think the world owes you anything because it doesn't. The world doesn't owe you a thing.”