Hey guys!

There’s a little over a week left before the campaign ends. It’s gone so quickly 😵‍💫 But now is the time to celebrate — We are that much closer to the pins going into production! 🎉

My first announcement for you guys this week is that the Pudding design has been finalized with… the updated sprinkles, which won with a whopping 88% of the vote! 

Next, I wanted to poll you guys on another change is that I am considering. For Pancake Manatee — I’m thinking that maybe the highlights are overkill and an unessecary detail. Do you guys like this pin better with or without the highlights? Vote in the poll below! 

Additionally, as we are in the awkward middle stage of a campaign where I am getting a lot of cancellations, I’m holding off on announcing Buizel as unlocked despite us currently being past the goal, just in case it does go down again. I’ll announce that once we exceed it by a bit more, but so long as the end of the campaign is over $1750, he will happen! 

Lastly, I wanted to address the current US political climate regarding tariffs. This is a very… uncertain time for artists. For those of you who aren’t aware, enamel pins CANNOT be produced in the US due to the capability of the machinery to create counterfeit coins. So, your favorite artists get their pins, acrylics, plush, and many other products made overseas — mostly in China. Under the new tariffs, that will now cost more, by anywhere from 10-30% (again, we’re not entirely certain until we get clarification… ugh.) As far as that pertains to this campaign — I don’t plan on letting it stop me, but it’s possible that these regulations may cause shipping delays with the pins getting from my manufacturer to me. It’s also frustrating to plan a budget for production in a campaign like this, only for extra, unnecessary fees to be tacked on completely out of your control. 

I want to assure you guys though — no matter what happens, I’ll keep you posted and if any delays happen, I will post an update here letting you all know as soon as I do. 

Additionally, to anyone feeling overwhelmed, I encourage you to take a moment to unplug from social media and breathe. My escapism of choice lately has been Hello Kitty Island Adventure, highly recommend. 

All of this to say, take care of yourselves this week, Trainers! Here’s to crossing the finish line! 🍻

Much love,

Katze