Hello gentle robot enjoyers,

Sampling of the Soft Circuit items has been coming along! All of what I'm about to share may already look familiar if you're in the Short Circuit Discord. Join on up over there to get a first look at all related developments. 💚 Basically the second I receive updates from my manufacturing partners, or as I work on artwork, I get excited and spur-of-the-moment share in the Discord. X)

The supplier of our official Byte has come through with a first look at a Python prototype!!

Above is an unedited photo. The body of this lengthy comrade is almost spot on right out of the gate. The bulk of the adjustments needed are concentrated on and around their face, but this is such a promising first attempt that I'm certain we'll get there.

Here's their adorable noggin with my edits - this is what we're aiming for.

With the dark gray and light gray of the jaw reversed and the mouth embroidery upside-down, I think those pieces of the pattern got straight up swapped! Beyond fixing that and bulking up a few areas, the biggest adjustment is to the snoot length and shaping; I'll keep picking at this guy as long as it takes to nail that, up to and including modeling a 3D reference for them if necessary. As a greyhound person, I absolutely know it's all about the snoot. ;3

Most of the changes on the body are just detail placement, replacing some heavy embroidery with embroidery-lined fabric applique, and adding in a few missing details. Otherwise they pulled it off amazingly and I can't wait to drape this absolute noodle around my shoulders.

We're at 52 Python orders presently! With the amount of other add-on purchases we've gotten so far, I've lowered the goal of orders needed to unlock bulk Python production to 70 units. That means we just need 18 additional orders to make them real for everyone, and I'm feeling confident that we can reach that!! If anyone you know would be into acquiring a tubular robot dragon of their very own, please feel free to slip the Pre-Order Store in their general direction~

The two delightful guest art keychains, Byte Bites and Robot Dog Dreams, are now physically in my possession and they turned out great!

The labels on Byte Bites are even more legible than I'd hoped - you can fully read the "nutrition facts" on the back! - and quite well printed. The PVC candy bar portion is somewhat bendy and squishy, which I find incredibly pleasing.

Dog Dreams came out a nice size, the holographic side catches the light beautifully, and they arrived with protective film on both sides. If you missed out on either of these, they're still available in both the add-on section of your survey and the Pre-Order Store.

Last but certainly not least, a few weeks ago I sent off files for the remaining pins to my manufacturer. Given that the Water and Earth Lines have established colorways, these should look more or less as expected, but as always I want to give you all the opportunity to see photos of the real deal in the metal before you make your final selections.

General reminder that if you backed the campaign proper, please fill out your surveys as soon as possible!

We're currently hovering at 89% completion. If we could get just a few more handled, I can begin ordering bulk quantities for many of the items, which in turn would allow me to fulfill the orders without a plush much sooner.

If you stuck it out to the end of this update, I'm excited to share with you that I have three fresh projects currently in early development, all intended to run as part and parcel of wonderful creator-lead group events! 

The project I'd like to highlight tonight will be my contribution to TRIBUTES.

Planned for this November, TRIBUTES will feature projects designed by a line-up of veteran enamel pin artists, dedicated to video games that hold personal meaning to them. Click on the banner above to explore some the early teasers!

I will be participating with Gears of GAIA, a love letter to the Horizon series - perhaps unsurprising to many of you, given my predilection for the intersection of nature and technology. Due to the wild cause and effect of life those games are also responsible for the manner in which I met my wife and wound up living across the ocean, so it was perhaps the inevitable choice when I was invited to participate.

The sketches currently visible on the teaser page are very preliminary and subject to change! I'm still deciding how far to push the circuits, as I look forward to breaking gimmick on these, but the end result will certainly have some overlap with the design sensibilities I employ for Short Circuit. If anything about that tickles your interest, pop on over there and give the teaser a follow for further updates.

That's all for now - thank you as ever for being here and supporting small independent artists!!

Hey robot realizers,

Regular reminder that you can join the Short Circuit community on Discord for more updates and shenanigans. ♥

THE TIME IS UPON US!

The Soft Circuit survey set up has been approved by Backerkit and the Smoke Test is now LIVE! This means that 5% of you wonderful folks had the survey to select your campaign rewards hit your inbox. (A day later than expected as the flu laid me out earlier this week, but done did grab some much needed rest and then got things finished up!)

If you're among the initial handful Chosen by the system, please fill them out asap so we can ascertain if anything looks amiss. If you do spot a problem, reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns - otherwise, go forth and pick out your lil guys! Once the majority of this first wave has been completed without issue, surveys will be released to all remaining backers.

Four (4) Additional Reminders:

• Shipping will be calculated and added to your total later on (eta around August), and will be charged along with any additional add-ons purchased at that time.

• If your initial pledge payment failed and still needs fixing, you can update your card details via the survey. If it successfully charges in August, you'll still be good to go to receive your goodies.

• Pay-Over-Time backers will automatically receive surveys after your final payment is made.

• The surveys going live will mean that folks who backed the campaign proper may join in to help unlock the Python plush!!

If we do not achieve 75 orders of Python by August, the item will be cancelled and you will not be charged for them. But if we do manage it, then a three foot long, six winged cuddle buddy will be moving to bulk production and wiggling their way into your homes!!

And of course if you missed backing the campaign proper and want to participate in the Python Summoning and/or grab some pins, bandanas, keychains, the Byte plush, and so on: you can do so via the Pre-Order Store!

Looking forward to seeing what bots and friends you pick out, and excited to get more momentum rolling on securing Python~

Thank you as always for being here, and have a fantastic weekend all!

Hey robot enjoyers,

Thank you again for being here! If you'd like even more Short Circuit, feel free to join our community on Discord. 💚

Now that we're a week post-Pintopia and your inboxes have likely calmed down a bit, here's a more detailed overview of what's next:

By now your card should have been charged for your initial pledge payment. It appears that 34 of you had failed or errored card payments on Backerkit's first attempt to collect funds. That's perfectly okay, and happens - especially with large event such as Pintopia where multiple charges pinging a card appear suspicious to some banks - you have time to fix this!

To assure the smoothest experience possible, please do try and correct your payment within the next week!

Some helpful links about how to do so:

🔗 Why payments fail & how to fix them
🔗 How to update your payment method

Thank you for being on top of this! Receiving payments in a timely fashion helps me keep the production of all our lil guys moving as expected.

I am working away at the backend of the campaign, and I plan to send out surveys on the 26th of February (one week from now). Smoke tests may go live a day or so before then, I'll holler in this space when they do!

If you're new to the Backerkit experience: the survey is where you will make choices to confirm which pledge level and campaign add-on rewards you would like to receive, and then you will have the option to add additional items to your order if desired. During the survey you will also fill out your shipping information, so I know where to send your rewards. The cost of any additional add-ons and shipping will be charged later on.

This information can be edited at any time up until surveys lock - and your address locks separately, so you are able to adjust where your goodies are headed up until fulfillment itself!

Pay-Over-Time backers will receive their surveys automatically once their final payment has been made.

If you backed my first Short Circuit or Spooky Circuit campaign, you may be accustomed to seeing shipping charges estimated up front when filling out your survey or making a purchase through the pre-order store. This time, that will not be the case - shipping will be calculated after all prototyping is complete, and charged with any additional add-on costs when it comes time to place the final bulk orders!

I use weight-based shipping profiles to determine these costs, and while I have an approximate range of what to expect for some of the new items, I cannot accurately complete these until I have prototypes of everything on hand to weigh. If you'd like an early estimate based on your location, please refer to the chart on the main campaign page or feel free to reach out to me at any time.

Timeline wise, as also noted on the Story page, I've added a lot of padding to account for our first foray into plush! I commissioned the Byte prototype back in early November and we're currently awaiting our third and hopefully final round of fiddly little edits. After I've seen them in person to confirm the details, we have up to a few months bulk production time, and then over a month of shipping to me (plush orders are physically much larger than pins and travel by sea).

The Python prototype was also paid for a few weeks ago, and we should get a first look at them sometime after the Lunar New Year (most suppliers are located in China and take a much-deserved break during this time)! Their potential prototyping time was also accounted for in the original estimate of February 2027.

Anyone who ordered only some of the smaller items, such as pins and stickers, can expect earlier fulfillment (likely August-September 2026). The plush-sized bandanas will ship to me with our soft robot friends, as they're being handled by the same supplier, so are on the same timeline as the plushies in general.

If you missed out on Pintopia but still want to grab some pins, bandanas, banners, keychains, magnets, plushies, or stickers -- you're in luck! The Pre-Order Store is open and offers individual selection of many of the items funded by the campaign, along with the opportunity to help unlock the Python plush.

Backers of the campaign proper will have the chance to help unlock Python and add more items to your orders during the survey, so sit tight for another week!!

Now that we've got the administrative update out of the way -- a few of my amazing suppliers shipped out samples to me just prior to going on break for the Lunar New Year -- so onward to fresh pictures!!

The banner sample arrived in person first, which I'm delighted to say looks just as excellent as expected.

Then a day later, I was surprised with pin sample mail!!

So naturally, I loaded up the banner even more~

This is everyone other than Softwere, Else, and Octave (I'll be having them sampled as well once my pin manu is back from break!), plus some duplicates (put two Mini Pause and two Northern Lights Honeypot on there for fun), accidental variants (green and gold ear Nibble), and sample-only variants that never got mass produced (the Fire and Water versions of Leaf), so this is about how full the banner would be with the current complete collection.

While taking photos, I made a couple attempts to show off the material. It seems sturdy and is very smooth to the touch!

Like any fabric, it is possible to put a run in it while shoving the pin posts through if you're not gentle. I'd recommend over cork board (safest) or carefully putting pressure on either side of each post with your fingers (emphasis on the carefully part of that approach, of course). I accidentally dinged it a bit because I did my stabbing over couch cushions - I should know better! But it's been hanging up for a few days now and seems to take the weight of hella pins in stride, so I'm pleased with the quality.

Pin mail also means we finally get to see the complete Northern Lights samples with their epoxy layer added, so here's a closer look at them:

And of course, a first proper look at Heap in that colorway!!

Mini Pause looks even more adorable than I could have anticipated, and the level of detail on such a small pin blows me away --

Really just, itty bitty??

Another fun aspect of the newest pins: the Void Line bot-boards feature black star clutches, so Light was given matching yellow versions -- and then the Northern Lights alternates have cute little blue hearts, because I could not help myself. (Yes I absolutely need to do a Transistor variant in this colorway in the future regardless, because these really are too perfect for that.)

And then TODAY: the updated bandana sample arrived, and YES the sizing and placement of the component space works perfectly now!!

Absolutely DELIGHTED with them now, they're perfect.

Same breezy satin material, same delightfully gigantic size -- but now with the perfect pin interface, as intended.

That's all for now, you'll hear from me next when survey smoke tests are out! The majority of folks who expressed interest in the Python plush did also back the campaign for other items, so I'm excited to see how our purchase-to-unlock progresses once surveys go live.

Have a fantastic week! 🐺🐉💜

Hey powerful bot summoners,

Short and sweet as I very much need to get into bed, but I didn't want to turn in before hollering a resounding THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your support!! Every pledge, comment, and share has meant so, so much, and I'm endlessly grateful that these lil robots resonate with so many of you! <3

I'll write up a lengthier post about what you can expect next in the days to come, but first and foremost: even though the time for pledge level combos has been tucked away, many of the individual items from the campaign are now available in the Pre-Order Store!

(IMPORTANT: TO AVOID ULTIMATELY PAYING EXTRA SHIPPING, IF YOU BACKED THE CAMPAIGN DO NOT USE THE PRE-ORDER STORE. You will have the opportunity to add more items to your pledge during the add-on portion of your survey!!)

As promised:

You'll notice that Python has been set up as a "purchase to unlock" item!

This will also appear in the add-ons of your surveys, which should go out in two weeks time, once Stripe has finished processing your initial pledges. (Backerkit and Stripe should begin attempting to charge your cards over the next 48 hours or so! If they error for any reason, don't panic! You will have time to fix this.)

More on all that later. For now, once again, y'allemaal are AMAZING for blowing away all our other goals, and I would not be surprised if Python were soon to follow. c; It's incredible how many Bytes, bot-board pins, bandanas, and more will be brought online and headed to cozy homes.

Have a wonderful night! 💚💚💚

Hey bot enjoyers,

The results of your Design Some Goodies robot choices are underway!!

Play certainly isn't within these units' intended range of functionality, but the Short Circuit robots all run a bit contrary to their intended designs in delightful ways -- it looks like Malware and Mozzy learned the importance of fun for its own sake, and are engaged in a rousing game of tag!

The above design will be inked and colored in the same visual style as the Hash & Heap and Byte & Python illustrations, and will be a choice available for both transparent vinyl stickers and acrylic magnets from the add-on section.

General reminder of ALL the new options on offer in there, since I know items added later in the campaign wind up with less overall visibility!

Moving right along to where our funding's at: the Northern Lights colorway goal has been firmly unlocked--

--meaning ALL pins and stickers presented in the entire campaign are now unlocked and available, including Python reprints!

The ONLY design presented that still needs brought online is Python's plush. Otherwise if you were waiting to confirm a particular item would make it through, rest assured all choices are secured!

Which brings us to our last update: based on your responses to the Python interest poll, I have lowered the goal for their plush from 23k to 21k. If we blow away all expectations in the next couple days, maybe we'll get there! - though realistically, I'll likely be setting them up as a "purchase to unlock" item in the add-ons and pre-order store, as mentioned in the previous update.

If you haven't chimed in on the poll yet and have genuine interest in acquiring this noodly friend, please do so! To rehash, due to their high unit cost the lowest I can offer Python for is €75 (through Backerkit - their retail price will be €80), so please keep this in mind when responding.

And as we're closing in on the final two days of Pintopia, I'd like to take a minute to highlight a few more artists whose projects might catch your fancy!

If you're here on my campaign, there's a maths% chance you do in fact appreciate a good robot, and Aimee designs absolutely delightful robots. Her Tiny Robots are adorable little board filler units that I really look forward to installing in my collection!

Jordaan, a reconnecting Chickasaw artist, is an excellent person who has designed another round of beautiful critters for Spirits in the Waves. The raccoon and salmon are my personal favorites, but also be sure to peep the ridiculously cool three dimensional bridge detail on his giant octopus pin.

Ken of Challenge Coin Critters draws animals with such an attentive eye for highlighting different species' features and stylizing them into a perfect golden age of animation homage. He's a hard working artist who's also concerned with the durability of his creations as wearable flair rather than display pieces - and with over 60 designs unlocked, there's a creature for everyone in here!

To round off this installment of shout outs, Alesia of Robot Dragon Studios has designed the tooth-achingly adorable Buster Frankencorgi, available through her campaign in a variety of forms: plush, pin, and hairclip. (For folks wanting something smol but still huggable - there's a keychain plush, too!)

Thank you as ever for being here and making our dreams real! Let's see what we can pull off in the last two days!!

--oop, in the time it took me to write this post, it looks like Backerkit's automated 48 hour blasted went off. Apologies for the double inbox presence, hahah. ⏳ Have a great night folks!