A decade ago, Wendy Robbins was troubled by a $10,000 credit card debt. So she and a partner came up with a money-making idea: a brass scalp massager called the Tingler, which she claims “gives you goose bumps from head to toe.”

They took the invention to Fred Segal, the trendy clothing store in Santa Monica, where “the woman running the store told me to get out,” she recalled.

Eventually, the woman relented, and received what Robbins thought was needed: a relaxing massage. Then she ordered 144 of the contraptions.

The rest, as they say, is history. Originally put together with toilet parts purchased at ACE Hardware, the Tingler brought in more than $5 million in sales.

Now, Robbins, 40, is appearing with TV talk show host Kelly Ripa on a new reality program called “Homemade Millionaire.”

“Isn’t that crazy?” she said of the show, set to debut Nov. 19 on cable channel TLC in at least six weekly installments. “My fingers are crossed that the series gets extended.”

Similar in format to “America’s Got Talent,” the series features novice inventors competing for a chance to pitch their inventions on the Home Shopping Network. Robbins’ role is to coach contestants.

She’s also busy with her latest venture: a book publishing company. Hers is the first title: “Why Marry a Millionaire? Just Be One! And While You’re at It, Change the World!”

“What I want to do is celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” said Robbins, who now is a long way from worrying about a $10,000 credit card debt what with residences in Taos, N.M., and Bel Air.