*PLEASE READ* All Final Samples! 🎉 Surveys Locking Soon, Charge Date, & FAQ! [05.20.25]
Hello everyone!
I’m so happy to announce that all of the clothing samples are finally complete! It’s been a long time coming, but we’re officially ready to move forward wit...
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Critter Valley
26 days ago
April Check-In! 🌱 Samples, Surveys, Tariffs, & More [04.28.25]
Hey every critter — it's time for another check-in!
We have a lot to cover today, so before we dive into the updates I just want to take the time to express my thanks and gr...
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Critter Valley
about 2 months ago
Let's Catch Up! Clothing Updates & Other News 🌱 [03.28.25]
Hey there critters!
It's been a bit since our last update! Let's catch up with what's been happening since we last checked in ✨
🌱 Outfit Updates
Cinder's outfit is complete...
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Critter Valley
3 months ago
Timeline, Survey, and Outfit Updates! 🌱 [02.19.25]
Hello Critters!
It’s been a while since our last check-in, so let’s catch up on what’s been happening!
Our move went well, but we were without internet until yesterday. Even ...
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Critter Valley
4 months ago
ALL Plush Prototypes Are Now Complete! 🎉 Final Plush Prototype Photos [01.23.25]
Hello everyone!
I've been working diligently over this past week to get photos taken and edited of all of our lovely critters, and they are now complete and ready for you to...
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Critter Valley
4 months ago
Plush Prototypes are Complete! 🎉 [1.11.25]
Hello every critter!
We were away for a bit longer than planned, but we are now back with big news!
🎉 All the plush prototypes are officially done! They’ve been shipped out...
I’m so happy to announce that all of the clothing samples are finally complete! It’s been a long time coming, but we’re officially ready to move forward with locking surveys and charging cards for any remaining balances.
BUT FIRST, let’s take a look at all of the final samples and available add-ons!
🌱 SIGNATURE OUTFITS & CLOTHING
Without further ado, here's all the final clothing samples! As a heads up, you can click/tap any of the images to see more photos of the outfits/clothing ❤️
🌿 "Clover Fawn" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Frasier Fox" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Briar Wolf" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Willow Cat" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Rowan Raccoon" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Honey Rabbit" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Juniper Coyote" Signature Outfit
🌿 "Cinder Opossum" Signature Outfit
⭐ And as a reminder, any of our clothing items can be purchased separately! You can choose between our bundles or pick individual pieces to build your own wardrobe. ⭐
🌱 CRITTERFOLK PLUSH
Just as a quick recap, here's all the final plush samples too!
🌿 Clover Fawn
🌿 Frasier Fox
🌿 Briar Wolf
🌿 Willow Cat
🌿 Rowan Raccoon
🌿 Honey Rabbit
🌿 Juniper Coyote
🌿 Cinder Opossum
🍄 Questions about the plush & clothes
❓ Are the plush poseable? 💬 No — the plush don’t have any inner armature for posing! Any poses you’ve seen were done by simply twisting the plush into position or using rubber bands.
❓ Can the plush sit? 💬 Not at the moment! The plushies currently don’t have the ability to sit, but this is something I might try to work into future versions!
❓How soft/firm is the stuffing? 💬 We think the stuffing is a perfect balance — not too soft, not too firm! When brand new, the plush may feel a little on the firm side, but we have found they soften substantially after some snuggling! They hold their shape well too, but remain easy to squish into clothing.
❓ Do the plush fit Build-A-Bear Clothes? Do Critterfolk clothes fit Build-A-Bears? 💬 Critterfolk are smaller than Build-A-Bears — about 13" tall versus 18" tall — so the clothes aren't interchangeable between the two.
⭐ Plush & Clothes Manufacturing Disclaimer
Even though these plush and clothes are being mass-produced, keep in mind that each one is sewn by hand. This means the plush and clothes you receive won’t look exactly like the prototypes shown, but they’ll still be in excellent condition with no defects. Every item will have its own unique little quirks, which makes them even more special and one-of-a-kind! ❤️
🌱 UPDATED STICKER DESIGNS
I’ve also made a few updates to the stickers! No big changes were made to the artwork, I just did some tweaks to the colors & designs to better reflect the final look of the plushies.
🌱 Other Add-Ons
And as a reminder, here's the two other add-ons we have available!
🌱 Survey Lock Date & Card Charge Date
Now that everything is finalized, I can officially announce the dates for when surveys will be locked and cards charged!
⭐ Survey Lock Date : June 3rd ⭐ Card Charge Date : June 5th
I thought a lot about these dates! With the upcoming holiday weekend and the end of the month approaching, the first week of June felt like the best window. This gives everyone about two weeks to finalize their orders and get finances in place!
❓ I want to change my campaign add-ons. How do I do that? 💬 You can access the campaign add-ons page and change your selections through this link.
❓ I need to change my card. Where can I do this? 💬 If you need to update your card information, you can do it on this page of your survey!
❓ I may be moving soon. What if I need to change my address? 💬 No worries! Addresses do not lock at the same time as surveys. We won't lock addresses until right before fulfillment begins and we will let you know that date as it comes around!
❓ I thought I already paid — why am I being charged again? 💬 Back in November, we only charged for the cost of your selected pledge and any campaign add-ons. The June 5th charge will cover shipping costs and any additional items you added during the survey!
🌻 Pre-Order Store Q&A
❓ When will the pre-order store close? 💬 We're planning to close the pre-order store on June 3rd, the same day surveys lock.
❓ I thought I pre-ordered, but I can't find my receipt. What do I do now? 💬 You can try recovering your pre-order through this page! If that doesn’t work, email us at [email protected] and make sure to include any emails or names you might’ve used so we can help you track your order down!
❓ When will I be charged for my pre-order? 💬 Pre-orders will be charged on the same date as surveys, which is June 5th.
🌼 General Q&A
❓ Will the plush be available after the survey and pre-order store closes? 💬 Yes! If you miss the pre-order window now, all of our plush, clothing, stickers, and washi tape will be available to purchase later in the year.
❓ When will you be shipping internationally? 💬 We’ll start shipping to most countries in Winter 2025. Unfortunately, the EU will likely need to wait until Spring 2026 due to their new toy regulation, but we’re working hard to make them available to everyone as quickly as we can!
❓ I ordered only stickers — when will my order ship? 💬 These small orders will ship first! If your order only includes stickers, washi tape, or a pin, it’ll ship as soon as we get these items in hand. Keep an eye out for early address lock notices if this applies to you!
❓ I need to cancel my order. Where can I do this? 💬 We process cancellations and refunds anytime through our support email [email protected]!
Okay, whew! I think that covers everything! I'm genuinely so happy with how everything turned out and hope you are too! I won’t make this update any longer than it already is (oops), so I’ll wrap it up for now!
Over the next two weeks, I’ll be posting reminder updates to help keep the important dates fresh in everyone’s mind. I also plan to host a couple of livestreams if I can! We’ll play dress-up with the critters, answer questions, and hang out for a bit together!
Once again, thank you all SO MUCH for the support so far! It really means the world to me! 🥺❤️
marlow and the critters! <3
As always, if you have any questions about your order or survey can email us at[email protected]! (If you've emailed and haven’t received a response yet, I’ll be catching up on any emails tonight!)
If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97
In one of the update comments I think someone posted a link they made (or someone else made) where you could try on the clothes with various plush bases. If it's still available could someone repost it, please? I know it might not have the most up to date details, but it still helped to visualize which outfit I liked best.
Hey every critter — it's time for another check-in!
We have a lot to cover today, so before we dive into the updates I just want to take the time to express my thanks and gratitude to all of you. You have all displayed so much patience and understanding thus far and it truly means the world to me.
It’s clear we’ve blown past my original projected timeline, and things have felt a little up in the air these past couple of months. I did my best to predict how long everything would take, but unfortunately, my calculations were off — and for that, I can only apologize. Part of this update will be about explaining the reasons behind the delays, so you have a better idea of where we’re at and how things will move forward.
I always try to put on a brave face, but honestly, this project has been a big test of my personal grit and endurance. Between tariffs, sample delays, and the general scale of the campaign, I'll admit that the stress got to me over the past couple of months. Despite all of the prep and research I did ahead of time, some things you just can't fully prepare for, and the uncertainty of it all was a bit paralyzing. It was difficult feeling out of control and like I didn't have clear answers to give, so I just instinctively pulled back to take some time to ground myself. It's always been important to me to be level-headed, so this pause was necessary for me to find that inner balance again.
During that time, I also did more research, spoke with my peers and manufacturer, and mapped out a fresh timeline! Things feel much more sorted out now, and I hope the rest of this update will bring you some renewed reassurance about the campaign. Once again, thank you so much for sticking with me! Now, let’s get into the big topics of this update!
🌱 US Tariffs and How They Affect Critterfolk
I want to start with the biggest elephant in the room for all creators right now : US tariffs.
After talks with our manufacturer, our representative reassured me that the tariffs will not affect our order.
Based on our shipping method and the agreement we made months ago, our export company will cover the tariff costs, not us as the importer. Of course, I’m still holding onto extra funds just in case something unexpectedly changes, but for now, I’m accepting this news as a big win!
That said, even though we aren't being directly affected, we are feeling ripple effects caused by the tariffs. Many bigger businesses, those who will be affected by the tariffs, are racing to get their shipments out before the tariffs begin on May 2nd. We can't compete with the demand of these bigger businesses, so that has been slowing down both our plush production and clothing samples. Progress is still happening, but at a much slower pace until the beginning of May.
🌱 Clothing Sample Update
All of the remaining clothing samples are nearly complete! As a reminder and fresh update, here's what the outfits look like :
Everything’s finished except Juniper’s Pine Forest Sweater. Originally, it was completed, but after some testing our manufacturer alerted us that the type of fabric used is extremely prone to pilling, so we made the joint decision to change the base fabric to something else. The new fabric choice can be seen in the image above and while it does lean a bit more green in hue, I think it will still work!
Right now, we’re just waiting for our sample copies to be completed (one for us, one for the manufacturer’s reference) and shipped to us. I’m hoping to have them by May 10th, so we can finally close and lock surveys!
🌱 Plush Production Progress
If you remember from our last update, we placed the plush order at the beginning of March!
We ran into a hiccup where some fabric was not in stock, so we had to wait for the fabric factory to produce more before we could begin production. Aside from that, the embroidery work is now in progress and should wrap up by the end of this week. It won't be too much longer until our critters start getting sewn up!
🌱 New Estimated Timeline
With all the delays and obstacles, it’s time for an updated timeline. Please remember this is merely my best estimate, and while I hope we face no more challenges, the timeline is subject to change at any time.
🌱 Lock Orders & Charge Cards : Mid to Late May The exact date for locking orders and charging cards has not yet been set, so please keep an eye out for our next update!
🌱 Place Remaining Bulk Orders & Production : Late May to Late July After the surveys have been locked and the funds collected, we will begin production on the remaining items! We anticipate production to take 2-3 months.
🌱 Plush Transport Overseas : August - Mid September Once production is complete the plush will ship to me! Large shipments typically take 1-2 months to arrive.
🌱 Receive Plush & Quality Checks : Late September Once we receive the plush we will proceed to grade the plushies & clothes. This may cause an initial sense of delay, but we greatly value the quality of the plush you receive! Depending on the volume of plush, this may take a few weeks to process.
🌱 Shipping Plush to Backers : October The time we will start shipping out your rewards! Depending on the volume of plush pledges, this may take up to 2 months to process.
I know this new timeline is very different from the original, but I promise the extra wait will be worth it! I’m doing everything I can to keep things moving as fast and as carefully as possible. If anything changes, I will be sure to update you all as it happens!
🌱 Survey Lock Date & Card-Charging Information
Like I mentioned earlier, we don’t have a set date yet for locking surveys and charging cards, but we’re close. You can expect those to be set sometime in mid to late May. I’ll send another update once we have a firm date!
❤️ Once again, thank you all so much for your support! ❤️
I don’t recall if I’ve explicitly said it yet, but this is my first campaign, and I’m so grateful for all the love, patience, and support you’ve given me so far. It’s already been such a journey of learning, self-discovery, and so much more for me so far. I’m always a little nervous to share my struggles, since the fear of failure and disappointing others still lingers in my mind, but I know that setbacks like these are just part of the process! Sometimes things happen that are completely out of our control, and the best any of us can do is focus on what we can control and keep moving forward.
Thank you all for giving me the space to grow through this! If even a few of you can find inspiration from my journey, that honestly means more to me than anything else.
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As always, if you have any questions about your order or survey can email us at[email protected]!
If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97
Sorry if this has already been answered but, after the backerkit is done with, completely, will the plushies and outfits be for sale anywhere else? Or is it just this campaign?
It's been a bit since our last update! Let's catch up with what's been happening since we last checked in ✨
🌱 Outfit Updates
Cinder's outfit is complete!
Pardon the outdated sample photos used on the left — they’re just to show how the cardigan can be worn open or buttoned up!
Also as a fun fact: We're working with another factory just for Cinder’s cardigan! Our main factory doesn’t have the special machines used to make buttonholes, but luckily they have family ties with a clothing factory that agreed to let us use their machinery! This partnership has been a huge help and could open up more fun clothing possibilities in the future! 🌈 ✨
Juniper's outfit is also finished!
We swapped the shorts for a lighter color! I think it looks great and will be a nice compliment to the other clothes in our collection.
Willow’s outfit is still in progress… I wish I had better news, but accidental misprints on the dress have caused more delays.
That said, I love the new color balance of the dress! It’s light and bright, but not too saturated. We also had the split added to the collar of the shirt! We only have a few tiny fixes left, so I’m hopeful this will be the final round of edits 🤞
🌱 Survey & Charge Date Update
Since Willow’s dress isn’t finished yet, we can’t lock surveys or charge cards just yet. I originally estimated we’d be ready by the end of March, but the misprints slowed things down. The good news is though that Willow's dress is the last thing we are waiting on, and once we have that complete we will be ready to proceed!
I know the final stretch is always the hardest, but I promise it’ll be worth it! 🥺 We’re sooo close to the finish line! And as always, I’ll keep you all updated and let you know as soon as we have a firm survey lock and charge date. Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding thus far, it truly means the world to me! ❤️
🌱 Plush Production Has Started!
I decided to go ahead and start mass production on the plush! The samples have been complete for quite some time, and I'm purchasing plenty of extras for our storefront and future events, so I felt confident in confirming quantities now so the plush could get started.
Right now, they’re planning fabric cuts and securing all the necessary materials! I hope to share more behind-the-scenes photos as we move through the process — I've always wanted to see how it all comes together and I'm sure many of you do too!
We are also working to obtain the proper safety standard accreditations for worldwide shipping! By the end of production, all of our plush and outfits will have CPC, CE, and UKCA certifications. This is big for us and means we’re on track to open up shipping to more countries, including Europe & surrounding areas, later this year!
🌱 We have a new support email and website!
As a little side project, I’ve been working on a small website for Critterfolk! And with that, we now have a brand-new support email to match our fancy new domain. No worries if you use our old email by accident — everything is set up to forward automatically to our new address!
From now on though, you can reach us at [email protected] for anything — whether you need help with your order, have a question, or just want to reach out!
And if you’d like to check out the new website, visit critterfolk.com! It’s just a simple landing page for now, but there’s plenty more to come in the future!
🌱 That's all for now folks!
As always, if you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email us at [email protected]!
If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97
