Oh, dear wanderer...it appears you have lost your way. Many grim and twisted tales lurk within the depths of this dark woodābeware, for they are not for the faint of heart.
The Dark Wood is a set of enamel pins inspired by the dark and twisted side of our favorite European fairy tales such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and more. Happily-ever-afters have been abandoned in favor of poisoned apples, sharp thorns, and wicked schemes.
All backers will receive a free shiny gold sticker of The Dark Wood logo!
Early Bird Gift
Backers who pledge within the first 48 hours of the campaign will receive a free gold foil poison apple vinyl sticker with their order! This sticker will also be available as an add-on for backers who missed the early bird window.
Returning Backer Gift
Returning backers will receive a red foil crow vinyl sticker with their order - Thank you so much for your continued support!!
This sticker will also be available as an add-on for backers who do not qualify as a returning backer.
I am pleased to announce that I am cross-collaborating with Abysmal Kaiju's Psychopomps for this campaign! Kaiju and I have collaborated to bring you these awesome and spooky enamel pins inspired by the Jeoseung Saja from Korean folklore.
People who back both campaigns will receive these two pins including the chain connecting them!
How it works:
Pledge for The Dark Wood enamel pin campaign at any physical ENAMEL PIN tier.
Pledge for Abysmal Kaiju'sPsychopompscampaign. Please see her campaign for how to qualify.
Receive each of the above pins for free - as long as both projects reach their funding goal!
Welcome to Pintober! ā a celebration of creativity and collaboration from a diverse group of artists collectively running enamel pin crowdfunding projects from Oct 21st through Nov 1st.
Freebie Cross-Collaboration Pins āBack 3 or more Pintober campaigns and get a free sweet treat mini-pin from each of the artists you have supported! š¬š¬š¬
The Dark Wood features 8 main pins, each based on a different fairy tale character, genderbent of course because we all love pretty boys~!
All pins will use hard enamel with gold plating and have my logo stamped on the back, 2 pin posts, and rubber backings. Locking backs are available as an add-on for $1 per pin.
Standard vs. Premium Pins
This campaign includes standard and premium designs. Standard pins are normal pins, no or minimal effects, where premium pins are sometimes bigger and/or have special effects, which may include chains, pin-on-pin layering, pendants, and/or screenprinting.
The remaining pins in the Dark Wood pin set will be unlocked through the stretch goals outlined below. Check back often to see what has been unlocked!
Cinderella pin note
The Cinderella pin counts as 1 single pin (even though it's 2 pins attached together) so if you wish to get that pin, just select 1 premium pin! :)
Upon funding the initial set, 3 new stretch goals have now been added!
New Small Pins
The below 6 pins have been added to the campaign, to be unlocked at 2 new stretch goals! Backers voted for the order, and the top 3 were The Goose, The Rose, and Sea Snakes, so those will unlock first at $19,500.
You have the option of adding additional pins, or other items to your pledge for The Dark Wood. There are two ways to purchase add-ons:
Option 1) Purchase add-ons during the campaign when you make your initial pledge. Available add-ons are listed in the add-ons section of the campaign page. The cost of these items will be added to your base pledge level cost.
Option 2) Choose a pledge level during the campaign, and wait until you receive the post-campaign survey, during which more add-ons will be available. You will be charged first for your base pledge level from the campaign, and then again a 2nd time after the campaign for add-ons purchased during the survey.
Please be aware that purchasing add-ons may incur additional shipping fees.
Additional main set pins - $23-$33 ea.
You may purchase additional enamel pins with your order. Standard designs are $25 each and premium designs are $35 each. Early bird & higher tier backers get discounts for additional pins.
Small pins - $18 ea.
The small pins (Skull Apple, The Crow, & The Wolf) are available as add-ons for $18 each.
Vinyl stickers - $4 ea.
You may purchase additional logo stickers and add Skull Poison Apple, Crow, & Wolf stickers to your order for $4 each.
For The Dark Wood, I have enabled BackerKit's Pay Over Time feature! This means that for pledges that cost over $150, when you check out for your selected pledge and add-ons, you have the option to select Pay Over Time to pay for your pledge in 4 equal interest-free payments over the course of 4 months, instead of it all in one lump sum.
Please note the following if you select Pay Over Time:
Your rewards will not ship unless you have paid for all 4 of your payments in full.
Partial payments are not eligible for a refund. For more information on refunds, please check the disclaimers section or the FAQ.
You will not be eligible to fill out your survey until you've paid for your pledge in full. Once you pay in full, you'll receive a survey invite automatically. I will do my best to make sure I order enough product to account for potential gaps in item counts.
Shipping for The Dark Wood will be charged AFTER the campaign and is not included with your pledge. Shipping is estimated and charged after you fill out your post-campaign survey.
Please see a table below for estimated shipping costs. These are subject to change.
UK Backers
If you wish to pledge to the campaign and you live in the UK, I'll be using a combination of BackerKit and Etsy for your order. Please read the below instructions for how to pledge if you're in the UK.
Once the campaign is complete, you'll receive a survey through BackerKit where I will collect information about what rewards you want to receive. I will not collect your shipping address at this time.
Once you complete the survey, I will message you directly via email confirming your rewards and how much your subtotal will be. Please make sure your BackerKit email is one you have access to and use often.
I will set up a custom reserved Etsy listing for you.
Once I'm ready to ship, I will email you a link to your custom listing for you to purchase. Etsy will collect VAT and shipping costs.
You will not pay for your reserved listing until the project is ready to ship around March-April 2026.
**Buyers are 100% responsible for any additional tax or import fees incurred upon reception of their package.**
EU Backers
I deeply apologize for this, but at this time, due to the confusing laws surrounding EU imports, I am unable to accept pledges from anyone within the EU. I'm so sorry, and I know that this will come as a disappointment to repeat backers from the EU.
You may look into proxy services that will reroute your package, but sadly I cannot ship directly to the EU at this time.
Thank you for understanding, and I'm sorry for any inconveniences this may cause.
October 21: campaign launches
November 1: campaign ends
~November 15-30: surveys sent out
~November 30: survey submission deadline
~Mid-Late December: contact manufacturers and begin pin production
~March 2026: grading & other fulfillment processing
~May 2026: begin fulfillment and shipping (Also, international backers through Etsy will be charged around this time)
Last updated 2/4/2026
Please note these are estimates and changes and/or delays may occur. I will always keep backers informed of any delays during the course of the campaign.
Please take some time to look through these other amazing Pintober projects that I love! <3 If you back 3 or more you get freebies from each one you backed. ^_^
Hey there! My name is Rain, and I'm the creator of The Dark Wood!
I am an illustrator based in the midwest USA and my favorite thing to draw is pretty, sexy men~! I have been making pins since 2019 and it has become my favorite medium to work with for my art.
The Dark Wood will be my 10th enamel pin campaign, which is kinda crazy! I'm so delighted and honored that I've had enough support over the last 6 years to create so many fun pin sets that you guys keep supporting. I'm so thankful and excited that this gets to be my job, but I couldn't do it without you - so thanks for your support!!
I hope I get to keep creating beautiful men for you in the form of pins and other art for many years to come!
As mentioned above, The Dark Wood will be my 10th enamel pin campaign. I have 6+ years of experience funding and producing enamel pins on both Kickstarter and BackerKit.
Returning backers will know that even through hiccups during the campaign, whether it be manufacturer issues or personal life things getting in the way, I have always delivered gorgeous high-quality products in the end.
I promise you can trust me to follow through and deliver you beautiful pins!
Refunds must be requested within 30 days after the campaign's end date. I will not accept refunds after this cutoff.
Backers are given ample time to make decisions while the survey is active. Once your order is locked in, I will not accept any refunds or exchanges.
If your rewards arrive damaged during transit, please reach out to me with photos to see what can be done.
Surveys
Surveys will be sent out after the campaign's completion. Surveys are mandatory - this is where you will choose which rewards you want to receive and also where you will submit your shipping information. If I do not receive a survey response, I cannot send your rewards.
Forfeiture of rewards
Ample time is given for backers to submit their surveys to receive their rewards. If I do not receive a survey response from you by the time shipping is complete, you will forfeit your pledge and your rewards. I will not fulfill or refund forfeited rewards after the posted completion date.
Import fees
I am not responsible for any additional import fees or taxes that may be incurred during the shipping process for international (outside of the USA) orders. Backers are responsible for all import fees & taxes.
Grading
All pins are graded for quality assurance. Please note that all pins are handmade items and often have minor cosmetic imperfections (even those of A/Standard grade).
A Grade/Standard grade imperfections include but are not limited to:
minor surface scuffing on the enamel or metal plating
very small specs of dust in unnoticeable areas
minor/unnoticeable enamel underfill
minor/unnoticeable air bubbles
small specs of dust in soft enamel pins
fluctiations of color patterns in rainbow anodized plating
small air bubbles in epoxy coating on pins that have it
slightly offset screenprinting on pins that have it
Color & Size
It is vital to understand that all the images in this campaign are NOT photographs, but artist mockup of the pin designs. Due to manufacturing constraints, differences in colors of monitors between computers/phones/tablets etc, there likely will be variations between the images in the campaign and the final product.
Sometimes, I will need to make small changes to the pin designs based on manufacturer requirements. All changes will be conveyed to backers through updates.
Risks & Challenges
I have 6+ years of experience with making enamel pins so I don't expect there to be many issues, however there's always the possibility that unexpected delays can occur due to manufacturer mistakes, shipping delays, and/or quality control issues.
There is also the possibility that I may have to make small tweaks to the designs to maintain the integrity of the pins but there should be no major changes in overall design. I will always convey any issues that come up with backers through the updates section.
If I receive the pins and a design has a consistent flaw across majority of the pins, it will be considered standard grade for that batch.
If the flaw is something I consider major, however, I may have to reorder flawed pins which will cause shipping out rewards to be delayed. All this will be conveyed through post-campaign updates.
There is also the possibility that not all pin designs get funded. If this happens please understand that only the unlocked designs & items will be available as rewards. In the case the project does not get funded at all, you will not be charged and the pins will not be made.
PLEASE REMEMBER, I am only one person running everything, and sometimes Life Happensā¢ļø. Unexpected personal emergencies or other life happenings can come up and cause delays, so please understand that! Should any delays occur, I will communicate everything through post-campaign updates.
I will also give you all a gentle reminder that I am a real human being with feelings, so please try to remain kind & constructive with your communications with me. If someone becomes hateful in their communications with me, their pledge will be canceled & they will not be allowed to participate in any of my future campaigns.
