As we have entered the production period, there are less updates to share overall, but I wanted to share where we are with everything. While some things are made here in the US, some items must be sourced overseas and thus have longer production/arrival times. Their Lunar New Years holidays are also coming up, and my production partners take 2-4 weeks off at that time. Here are the current production updates and time estimates as of now (they may change in the future).
Latt-ray plush sample. I am so sorry for the disappointing news once again that the sample is not completed. I have been routinely asking my contact for more info, and as of a few days ago, her exact words were: "Sorry for waiting, everything goes slower than before because of the holidays" and also I believe their company was especially busy toward the end of 2024. Since they only have one designer, I am pretty they prioritized 100% confirming my other plush bags (more on that below) before they went into full production for the nearly 1000 plush overall. I really appreciate your patience and understanding on this as this will be my 4th year working with them, and they've always come through with quality. But to be completely honest, I'm bummed, too!! I want to see the creature, haha. Because of this delay, I believe the earlier the bulk order could get to me is May.
The 4 other plush bags. Initially, we had hoped they'd be completed before the Lunar New Year, but they will continue production once they return from their holiday. My current estimate is that they'll arrive to me by April as planned.
Lanyards and (collab-exclusive) pouches. I estimate these arriving to me in March.
Enamel pins. I estimate these to arrive March-April.
Sticker sheets and magnets. These will arrive to me this month. I'll show pictures then!
Now for some photos! First, I wanted to share the final pattern for the inside lining of the Latt-ray bag as well as the pattern for the collab-exclusive pouches. I had never showed the final pattern so here it is (with some watermarks on it ^^"). And as mentioned above, I wanted to share what my production partner and I solidified from the 4 original plush bags. While all the samples were done before the campaign, I had to go through the process of verifying each, one last time, especially for Matcha and Rye-sopod. There's no change to any of the overall design, but before a manufacturer produces 100s of an item, it's important to go through and make sure you're on the same page. For Rye-sopod, I had to verify that the card slot held cards securely since my sample was loose. And it's probably hard to tell from the photo, but they resolved this! And same for the Matcha sample - they ended up adding a reinforced edge (that nearly matches the color of matcha's cheek on the other side) to the card holder on the back side so ensure cards were a little more secure, while still being loose enough to fit a couple in there. This was actually a feature of my first Matcha sample, so I had them add it back to the final one. Thank you all so much for your support, and I'll be back soon with pics of the magnets and sticker sheets (and fingers crossed for the latt-ray <3).
Hope you're staying safe and doing okay at the start of this year!! Nicole
The survey deadline has been extended to 12/20! Riot and I will be available all week to help answer questions and troubleshoot. Thanks for being patient with us! At the moment, we are shooting for mid-May fulfillment! This means that cards should be charged around mid-April. Orders will be locked on the 20th, so if you change your mind, you can still edit your pledge until then. If you can't find your survey, this link should lead you there!
We have also resolved the issue with the sticker sheet pricing! If you're still having trouble, just send us an e-mail and we will look into it for you! Sorry for the scare!
Pre-Order Store
The Pre-Order Store is now live!If you missed out on pledging in the original campaign, you can place your order here! Your order will follow the same production timeline as original backers. The Pre-Order store will close on 9:00pm ET December 19, 2024.
Canada Post
We are keeping up with Canada Post's strike. Recent news says the postal workers may be off of strike as soon as next week. Since fulfillment is not expected until May, we don't expect this to cause any delays. If for some reason, we are still not able to ship to Canada Post in May, we will ship using UPS.
The Pre-Order Store is now live!If you missed out on pledging in the original campaign, you can place your order here! Your order will follow the same production timeline as original backers. The Pre-Order store will close on 9:00pm ET December 19, 2024.
SURVEY UPDATE Surveys are in the process of being reviewed and will be sent out over the next few days.* If you backed this project, this is where you get to choose your Hurtsies and modify your pledge! You can also add on items. IMPORTANT: If your payment previously failed after the campaign ended you will not receive a survey. You MUST resubmit your payment to receive your survey.
*Full disclosure, I did not realize that a review was required for the surveys too, and mistook it for the smoke testing. I value honesty so I'm gonna take full accountability for my own blunder! I had everything set up and ready to go but neglected to submit for review because I thought that's what smoke testing was for. >< That ain't anyone's fault but my own, so I'll adjust timelines however I need to account for my mistake. We will be placing orders for bulk this week, so it's important we know how much of each design to order. <3
Thank you all for your patience! I delayed surveys because a lot of backers expressed concern with choosing a plush before they had a good idea of what it looked like. That’s a sentiment I can totally get behind. So I wanted to get a good sample image for each design before sending out the final surveys. It’s important to me that I provide a great product for all of you. These samples still need minor tweaks, but to stay on track with the original schedule as best as possible. I will continue to update y’all, and look forward to getting the samples in hand so I can provide more photos and videos!💖
I’m going to go through each of the Hurtsies, changes I made, and final revisions. Before starting, most of the samples will have color revisions! My manufacturer will be sending a color book with the samples so that we can change them to a more accurate color without all the guess work. (Factory lighting makes it hard to communicate the perfect shade!)
Please keep in mind! I will be able to provide better photos and videos once the samples are in hand. For now, please allow some wiggle room for photo angles and factory lighting. Let’s get into it! 😝
Grimsley (The OG!) Interactive Feature: Removable Guts
The original Hurtsie! Grimsley features a zipper on his tummy, with removable intestines (actually a cute pink scrunchie and headband!)
Nibbles Interactive Feature: Removable Brain! Nibbles has a zipper located at the top of his head, with a removable brain coin purse inside.
The location of the zipper was moved up so as not to distort the shape of the head. The original placement had the head looking a bit flat up top. The brain, rather than being a stress ball, will be made into a coin purse. Due to the scale, getting the shape and detail correct was difficult. The small coin purse allows more detail and also more functionality. This way a real stress ball could be inserted into it, or other small items.
Revisions for Final Sample
Slight adjustments to facial embroidery (see: blood spatter on face.)
Brain is in the process of being revamped entirely.
Padding in ears.
Mishmash Interactive Feature: Doubles as a backpack! Mishmash has two storage compartments: a large pouch in his head, and a smaller compartment in his body.
Mishmash’s base pattern differs slightly from the other Hurtsies so that he looks more squishy and floppy when he hangs around on your back! His legs are a bit longer so they can dangle, but can be posed to mimic the sitting pose of the other Hurtsies. In this photo, he is posed head-on.
Wiggles Interactive Feature: Brain Worms! Wiggles has a zipper located at the top of her head, with three plush worms inside. The worms double as little fidget toys, with a fun spiral design to whirl around your fingers.
Like Nibbles, we raised the zipper placement to keep the head shape from distorting. Not many other changes need to be made to Wiggles except for adjustments to her color!
Revisions for Final Sample:
Color revisions (belly fabric + embroidery fabric.)
Padding in ears.
Grave Robbert Interactive Feature: Removable Bones! Grave Robbert has a zipper located on his belly, with a set of removable bones, as well as a headband in the shape of a spinal cord!
NOTE: We have not yet received the latest sample image of Grave Robbert. Our biggest challenge has been his mask marking. Due to the position and size, there is a bit of puckering with the stitches due to close proximity with the seams.
Revisions for Final Sample:
Adjustments to face marking to reduce puckering around mask.
Head shape and size adjusted to match others.
Headband will be longer with less exposed elastic.
Riffraff
Interactive Feature: Removable Stomach Riffraff has a zipper located on his belly, with a removable stomach pouch inside.
Our little sugar fiend is basically good to go, aside from color revisions! We changed his facial embroidery to match his hyper attitude after many suggestions from backers! Revisions for Final Sample:
Color Revisions to body and embroidery thread.
Hair adjusted to match original character.
Mumble Interactive Feature: Removable Bandage Headwrap + A Bandage Ear!
Mumble’s zipper is located on his back, disguised as a claw mark. In his zipper pouch, he has an additional bandage head-wrap. His long ear can be wrapped around him (like a mummy!) We have been making slight adjustments to his bandage placements. I will be able to provide a better selection of photos when the samples arrive at the home office!
Revisions for Final Sample:
Color Revisions
Gruff
Interactive Feature: Zipper Mouth (with hidden teeth and tongue!) Gruff’s silly little mouth opens up to reveal a long tongue to roll up and tug on and four cute teeth!
Gruff has been one of the more difficult designs, but I love him in all his silly glory! Unfortunately, due to the size of the plush, we couldn't really do the removable teeth, so we leaned into the zipper mouth! He functions much like Mishmash for storage. To resolve the teeth issue, I designed a cute little toothy charm freebie to go with his design for backers. A pink design is available as an add-on, but a candy corn-themed design will be included with Gruff. <3
Gruff also has similar issues as Grave Robbert in regards to his marking, so we are working for a resolution to that!
Revisions for Final Sample:
Color Revisions
Revising Tongue & Mouth Shape
Here's a full view of the journey each sample went through (not including Grimsley!) Grave Robbert and Gruff are still in their ugly duckling phase, I fear! But they'll turn into beautiful swans here soon, or maybe more like, radioactive geese.
Here is our revised production timeline. Please note that this timeline may change pending any delays to shipping that are out of our control.
UPDATED PRODUCTION TIMELINE
Surveys Deadline: TBD (Ideally 12/15/2024)
Pre-Order Store Closes: 12/16/24
Order submitted to Manufacturer: No later than 12/27/24
Order Shipped from Overseas ETA: Approx February-March
Quality Testing: March-April
Hurtsies Fulfillment ETA: Mid-to-late May
GPSR LAW We have had inquiries regarding if GPSR will impact our backers in the EU. While it isn't clear yet, we are in the process of getting a representative established for us to avoid any potential issues with shipping Hurtsies to the EU.
What to Expect After Surveys:
Don't worry! I don't plan on disappearing on y'all. I plan to make monthly updates (at least!) from now until the plushies are shipped out. These updates will include photos of plushes, behind-the-scenes like designing packaging, etc. Y'all have put your trust (and hard-earned money) into this project, so I fully intend on being present and bringing you along with each step of this journey! If at any point, you're feeling nervous or kept in the dark, just send us an e-mail or hang out with us in the community tab!
And on a final note, I probably sound like a broken record right now, but thank you all sooooo much for your support! I have been avoiding crowdfunding projects for a long time now because, let's face it, as a single human, they're super scary. I really appreciate the grace and kindness and excitement that all of y'all have shown me as I figure out how to do all of this. I've been learning so much, making notes on what I can do to improve next time, and I hope I can continue to iron out my process so that I can continue making silly and unique projects to share with all of you!
I hope all of you are having an excellent holiday season, and that you're eating plenty of delicious sweets, wherever you are!!!
If you have any questions, please contact me at help(@)munespice(.)com (without the parentheses, preferably with your Backerkit confirmation # found within your Backerkit order history so I can help you more easily). I will try to get back to you within 3-5 days. Thanks!!
Some updates for backers & preorder store customers:
For folks who backed the campaign and completed the survey: Surveys will be locked in about 48 hours from now. While you can't change your pledge from the campaign, you can still add or remove add-ons added from the survey period or change designs for pins/lanyards. Important: Cards for funds added within the survey will be charged this Friday, December 6th while the surveys are still fresh on everyone's minds. You will still be able to change your shipping addresses in the months to come. Thanks!!
For folks who backed the campaign and did not complete the survey: Reminder to please complete the survey! If you backed my campaign, you can find your survey here: https://creature-cafe.backerkit.com/
For preorder store customers: The preorder store was closed and all funds were processed! There were a couple failed payments - I will be manually retrying to charge them this Friday (December 6th), not sure if Backerkit has tried automatically.
News regarding manufacturing/sample:
Regarding the Latt-Ray sample: I do not have an update - my manufacturer is still working on it TT-TT I have been working with this company for..about 3 years and I trust them to take the time they need to make it to my vision. They often take more time and care during the first prototype and get back to me with V2.0 or V3.0 quicker. I will update you all as soon as I have a photo to post. I know folks were waiting before completing the survey - I may open preorders at later date where you can add the Latt-Ray to your Backerkit order for the campaign price/combined shipping (may still be an increase in shipping cost depending on the order). Thank you for your patience!
Regarding manufacturing process: Because y'all did great completing the surveys, I went ahead and placed the bulk order for Breb, Matcha, Pancake, and Rye-sopod bags a few days ago. Woo! These are the items that will take the most time, so I'm happy it's started. I will place the bulk orders for pins, lanyard, etc over the next couple weeks since those items will take much less time. And I will place the order for Latt-Ray when the sample is complete.
During this manufacturing stage, updates will come a little slower since I will have less to share overall. But I promise I am around ready to share any news for ya. Thanks so much for your patience and for your support during it all!!
Nicole/Munespice
P.S. If you are receiving this notification and you did not pledge to the campaign/order in the preorder store, it is because at some point you opted to follow my project. Thanks for that! No need to worry about surveys/etc if you didn't back the campaign <3
All surveys have been sent to Backer emails! Please complete the survey by December 1st. If you did not receive the survey and you backed the campaign, you can request to send another survey to yourself here: https://creature-cafe.backerkit.com/
Preorder store is open for folks who did not back the campaign - it is available until November 25th. Please note this is like buying from an online store and funds are charged within 1-2 days, though your address can be changed before the order ships sometime (currently expected) in the spring. :)
Thank you again!! Nicole/munespice
PS - There was an issue where UK folks could not select their country. This should be resolved now. Reminder that UK folks will pay shipping/VAT closer to when items are shipped through my website: munespice.com.
For folks who didn't get a chance to back the campaign: I got the preorder store up and running over here! The preorder store is for folks who did not back the campaign and would still like to preorder the items. The freebie postcard is not included in preorders, but the prices are still the campaign prices. The estimated shipping for preorders is April 2025. Preorder store will close Monday, November 25th @ 9PM PT.
For folks who did back the campaign: Surveys are coming soon! I have the surveys all created, but Backerkit is currently reviewing my work to double check everything is all good. Once they are approved, I will send a smoke test of the surveys, meaning to just a small, random group of backers. After that, all the surveys can go out! I still estimate the surveys to go out by the end of this weekend, but will once again update y'all when they're out.
Woohoo! Thank you so much!! Have a great rest of your week. Nicole/Munespice
Thank you so, so much from the bottom of our hearts for your constant support for our silly little cows!! 🐄
We've unlocked all stretch goals save for one, which was roughly €70 away from being unlocked! This is a relatively small amount to cover, so we'd like to announce that Sailor Moo's sticker set has also been unlocked, meaning ALL stretch goals are officially available!! 🥳🎉
So, what's next?
Everyone will get charged for their pledges within the next 24 hours now that the campaign has ended.
If your payment gets declined for whatever reason, BackerKit will keep retrying your pledge payment over the next couple of weeks, so please keep an eye out so that you don't miss out on your rewards and any goodies that comes with it!
It takes roughly 2 weeks for everything to be fully processed on our end, so we estimate to send out the surveys starting around November 18th! We'll make an update accordingly once we've sent out the smoke tests first, and then follow it up with the remaining surveys! Right now, it's basically just a waiting game until everything has been processed properly by BackerKit! 🥰
There will also be a pre-order period for people who missed out on the project but still wanted to get something, which will be done directly via BackerKit!
Mini FAQ
We wrote a mini Q&A update not long ago, but we'd like to add them to this updatet as well so that everyone can revisit this page! If there are any other questions, feel free to leave a comment and we'll get back to you ASAP!
🐄 How do I specify which characters I want?
The survey will give you all the options! For example, if you pledged for one plushie, you'll be shown all 4 available options and select whichever one you'd like. It's very easy and will include visuals for ease! Otherwise, you're free to contact us if you need any help. 😊
🐄 Can I add more items to my pledge when I'm filling out the survey?
Yes, you can!
You're free to add however many items you'd like to your initial pledge. Everything is unlocked, so all items are available for you to choose!
🐄 When will we get charged for shipping costs?
You can pay for the final shipping costs once you've been sent the survey!
🐄 Will these products become available in your shop?
Yes, they will eventually become available in our shop once we've fulfilled and shipped out all pledges!
🐄 When will the first plushie prototypes be shown for Moocha Latte & Sailor Moo?
Depending on how fast things get fully processed by the payment processing platforms and we get the funds, we estimate the first plushie prototypes for these two characters to be around mid to late December.
This can fluctuate depending on our manufacturer, but based on our previous experiences with them for Cherry and Cotton, we consider this a good estimation!
That's all!
Like we've said many times, we appreciate every single one of you who supported us in any shape or form: pledging, spreading the word, words of encouragement, it all means a lot and we're happy to be able to bring to life these cute items and see them be adopted by so many lovely folks. Thank you so, so much to everyone!!
We hope October has been treating you well, and that November will be even better. We'll see you again in the next update! ☕🍂 In the meantime, if you'd like to see more cuddly critters, feel free to follow us on social media or visit our online shop!
We also have a newsletter you can subscribe to where we occassionally send updates re: restocks, new launches, (eventual) future convention schedules, plus we always add a little cheeky, subscriber exclusive discount for you to enjoy with every update! ♡
This will be final update during the campaign since it ends tonight!! It will end at 9pm Pacific Time - about 11 hours from now.
What's next? In the 24 hours after the campaign ends, Backerkit will charge payment methods for pledge totals. If payment does not go through for whatever reason, Backerkit will automatically retry over the next couple weeks. It takes about 2 weeks for everything to go through on my end - and all this needs to happen before surveys can be sent - so I estimate surveys (to select pin/lanyards designs, add things, pay for shipping) will go out the week of November 11th. I also hope I will have the Latt-ray sample before then!
Thank you all so so much!! I'm beyond happy about how this campaign turned out! Nicole
As we near the end of the 'Day n Night' plushie project, I wanted to answer some questions I've been asked about many times! Please read thru it 🩷 If your question was not addressed below already, feel free to reply/comment on this post with any questions you have! 💭
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Q: When will Swirly's sample be done? A: I'll share the detailed construction soon and get feedback here for the process! However because of a mishap with my Apple Pencil during the campaign, the blue-print construction process for Swirly was slightly delayed. I'm working hard on her now, but I am deeply sorry for the delay with her sample due to my old Apple Pencil breaking. I have since gotten my replacement stylus though so she's finally back in the works!
Q: Will the plushies from the project be available via your shop for preorder? A: Only SOME of the UNLOCKED plushies will be available for preorder on my shop after the campaign is over (specifically Yue will most likely not be available afterwards and if he is, it'll be extremely limited like, 10 or less extras kind of limited). I'm not entirely sure of the quantities yet of the others, but they will be very limited too! If you have your heart set on a certain plush I'd recommend getting them through the campaign to guaranteed, secure yours.
Q: How much will the plushies be on your shop? A: They will rise in price via my shop to $45 + shipping instead of $42 + shipping.
Q: Will we be able to add extra plushies to our pledge after the campaign ends via Backerkit surveys/add-ons? A: Yes! Backers of the project will have the ability to add extra plush friends to their pledges/orders afterwards as add-ons! In this case the plushies for existing backers' add-ons will remain $42.
Q: If we don't unlock Valentine the large, pink floppy cat through this current 'Day n Night' plush campaign, would you consider bringing them back in the future for a separate Backerkit project/campaign? A: While I don't plan to bring all locked plushies back for possible future projects, I do plan to bring Valentine the cat specifically (the big pink floppy cat plush) back in the future for their own dedicated separate campaign, with maybe some extra floppy similarly-styled stretch goal friends, if we don't unlock them in time for this current project. Stuffing and the mini plushies will not be making a comeback if we don't unlock them during this project.
Q: When do we pay for shipping costs? A: You will get an address survey and subsequently pay for shipping costs around when the plushies are almost ready to ship out, after the campaign ends.
Q: When are we going to be charged for our pledges? A: Right after the campaign ENDS (ends October 29th) you will be promptly charged for your pledge.
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Thank you all sooo much, endlessly with all of my heart, for helping me acheive my most successful campaign ever by far! i'm humbled, flattered, and beyond grateful to everyone who made it possible and to Sugary Carousel/Moon for the collab and support! 🩷 I feel very blessed to have your support everyone ;; THANK YOU! 🩷 Let's end this campaign in the last week of it on a strong note!
We have just over a week left of the campaign, and thanks to all of you, all of our stretch goals have been unlocked, hooray! In review, all of the original bags/pouches, pins, the 2 lanyards, sticker sheet, and magnet have been unlocked. We also unlocked the free Breb wrist lanyard for all Brebs and the Latt-ray bag! These bags can be added as add-ons to pledges, and the sample will be coming soon (though, as I have mentioned before, I don't think the sample will be completed before the campaign ends).
I didn't have too much else planned for the campaign because if there are additional funds, I am hoping to invest those to make cute touches to the packaging! So what's next? Over the next week, I will be sharing more posts on social media showing the creatures. Reminder that the campaign ends on October 22nd and that funds from the pledges will be collected by Backerkit at that time.
Thank you so so much for all of your support! I am excited to keep updating y'all about these guys <3
