I'm back with a progress update about Laisy, and about recent order fulfilment of pledges with Collab Pins! Without further ado, let's get going!
📦 Recent Fulfilment 📦
If you had a notification of a tracking number recently, then your order is on the way! All orders with items in stock, specifically Collab Pins, were scanned in at the post office, yesterday. It has been snowy where I am, so give the post a few extra days, but your Mothmen, pins and stickers should arrive soon! 🎉
I am stoked to announce that we have Mothmen flying to Italy, Poland, Australia, and even Latvia! It is a very warm and surreal feeling to be fulfilling orders almost all over the world (wherever safety tests permit us, currently). I look forward to the day when we can ship globally, but I won't let that overshadow the amazing accomplishment that this already is! I absolutely have to shout out BackerKit for making this an accessible and well-marketed platform to gain support and grow on.
Any orders that include Laisy or Dottie are in waiting and cannot be fulfilled, yet - but Laisy should be raring to go into safety testing over the next few weeks!
🌙 Laisy's Prototype 🌙
As Laisy's prototype design was getting down to the finer details, our manufacturing partner suggested that they mail the current prototypes for personal inspection and edit requests. After several weeks of waiting for customs and winter weather shipping delays, Laisy arrived! Naturally, I had hoped Laisy would be flawless, but I had just a few changes that were vital to make, before safety testing and final production. Laisy's prototypes look very close to complete, but there are just a couple of things holding the overall design back that have forced me to ask for additional changes. Below are some of the notes that I have sent back to our manufacturer. Once these notes are taken care of to the Plushpanions standard of quality that we are striving for, it's highly likely the Laisy will be ready for production soon!
The Notes Requested: 📝 Glasses must be removable, not sewn onto the face. 📝 Both the Night Sky Blazer and White Dress Shirt should have Velcro added to the under side of the wing hole, to allow for easy dressing/undressing. 📝 The map prop should have the string shortened and sewn to the back of the map, so the string is not easily lost. 📝 The props should have larger magnets, that match our current size and standard.
Top L: Laisy in their full outfit | Top R: Laisy's Wings | Bottom L: Krampus wearing Laisy's outfit | Bottom R: Laisy wearing Krampus' cloak!
As you can see, even though Laisy isn't fully ready for the spotlight, they are still adorable and we've had lots of fun trying different Plushpanion outfits and accessory combinations! Doesn't Kidd look distinguished as much as Laisy looks so cozy in Krampus's cloak? Laisy and their accessories already make a great addition to the Plushpanions family!
Also, a very important discovery was made mid-way through dressing Krampus in Laisy's outfit: We found that Kidd Krampus in a white collar shirt and blue trousers looks remarkably close to a famous baker and show judge... 🤔
Kidd Krampus in white collar shirt and blue pants, compared to a photo of famous baker, Paul Hollywood
📐 Organization Station 📐
On a more personal note, I have been taking the beginning of the year to re-budget, both personally and professionally. I am making great strides! I will be moving out of a storage facility this week, and making more room at home for Plushpanion storage. I took the budget for a continuous storage unit rental, and put it into new wire shelving, instead.
There is a transformation video coming out, soon, but for now you get the picture preview!
A photo showcasing the "Before/After" of the corner of a carpeted room. Before is a stack of 9 boxes, the After has the boxes, plus some more, staked onto wire shelves. The lower photo shows all three new shelves, full of boxes and bins.
There are still boxes to stack, label, and organize, but it feels like a whole new world already! Take a peek at some of my inspiration on the right, see if you spot anything you know! 👀
I would also like to pat myself on the back a little and say that the "WildnCrafty LLC" sign is from my very first vendor show, AwesomeCon 2024, in DC! I'll be celebrating a vendor anniversary of sorts, because I have been accepted back this year as a vendor, too. I'll list more shows WildnCrafty Designs x Plushpanions is currently scheduled for, a little later on in this update.
✨ What's New? ✨
There are a few new looks and patterns being massaged into new and current projects - you've already seen one in our title "Plushpanions Update" header image. I'll be exerting more effort when it comes to the imagery and the look of graphics and branding. A great example can be seen in the Fabled Friends Teaser Page!
🩺 I'm also excited to announce that our new Patients Program will be launching this year!
The Patients Program is for plushies with small to large imperfections, that are fixed up as best as they can be, and sold with an "adoption fee" (price) discount.
When it comes to manufacturing and delivery in large quantities, there is always product that arrives broken from shipping - even plushies!. Larger companies will either throw them away as "damaged inventory", regardless of the wastefulness, or sell them to you as-is, knowing it doesn't meet the standard they claim to represent.
Smaller businesses, instead, often take the time and put forth the effort to make every product count - and that's where Plushpanions comes in!
Chibi illustrations depicting two different images of cartoon Plushpanions. Left: An axolotl getting a band-aid from an elephent in a doctor's outfit | Right: A capybara vibing in a spa with cucumbers over their eyes.
Plushpanions that arrive with damages or imperfections will be mended to restore them as close as possible to their intended integrity - and will then be given a price to match their final quality. Patients will range from an A to a C grade, an "A Patient" being minor to invisible mending, and a "C Patient" having an unfixable feature, like a mis-sewn arm or embroidery mistake. This program stems from my love of the imperfect. As a kid, whenever selecting a plush on the shelf, I would always check to see if there were any with permanent imperfections and select that one to be purchased, thinking, this plush would be the last one to be chosen, if chosen at all, so it was the one that needed a home the most.
Adding the Patient Program has a secondary, but equally important, purpose which is to widen the range of affordability of our eco-friendly plushies, which is a win for everyone!
Further information and specifics about the Patient Program will be released in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!
💭 What's Next? 💭
While we slowly, but surely, wrap up the Eclipse Pals project, I am prepping for our next campaign, which is of course: Plushpanions Series 3 - Fabled Friends! As mentioned previously, the Teaser Page has been updated to include current prototype images and what to expect with the project. Head on over there to get a brief overview of what is in store for the campaign! We are shaking things up a bit with the format which is very exciting!
Additionally, the start date of the Fabled Friends campaign has been pushed to May 5th, 2026.
This delayed start comes after much consideration and internal reflection. The project start date being moved back is not only so that I can focus on properly wrapping Eclipse Pals, but it also gives me the time for Digby's prototype (along with any accessory prototypes) to be completed and in-hand to help spread the word on social media about the campaign! This also helps to ensure a fast production track, once the campaign is complete. Further details about the delay are included on the Teaser Page!
Character Card: "Digby Dragon"
Accessory Card: Digby wearing Oak Armor set "Oak Armor Set"
Prop Card: Plush backpack "Adventurer's Pack"
Prop Card: Magnetic red and blue potions "Potions"
🐲 Loving how everything is turning out?
Join the Teaser Pageto give Digby the best possible start on launch day, May 5th, 2026! 🎊
🎊 In the Works - Celebration Clothing!!! 🎊
I wanted to share a little preview of our first ever clothing-only production coming soon! Plush toys are often given as gifts to celebrate birthdays, graduations, special occasions, or just being your wonderful "you"! Which is why I wanted to craft an image-based clothing line centered around the idea of "Celebration".
An image speaks a thousand words, which is why I opted for image-only designs on the clothing. This also breaks down any language barriers, making the clothing accessible for anyone who wants to give their Plushpanion friends a little extra flair. With that said, here's the first look at some of the designs!
Celebration Clothing Collection: Progress Flag props, Rainbow T-Shirt, Cake T-Shirt, and a Confetti Blazer with matching yellow trousers and bow tie.
Magnetic Prop: Progress Flag
White T-shirt with embroidered rainbow
White T-shirt with embroidered cake
A "Celebration Suit" with a rainbow confetti blazer and matching yellow trousers and bow tie
My ultimate goal is to have everything complete by our upcoming Pride Festival show day, in June, or at least to have the flag and rainbow shirt completed. We may potentially do a quick blitz campaign here on Backerkit when these are closer to finalized, so keep an eye on your inbox for more updates!
🎪 Confirmed Events for 2026 🎪
Last, but not least, below is our current show schedule for 2026! 🍀 MARCH 🍀 AwesomeCon - DC | March 13th - March 15th
☀️ JUNE ☀️ Loudoun Pride Festival - Leesburg, VA | June 6th
Plenty more live show dates are still in the works!
If you're local and want to stop by and say hey, we would love to see you! 🩵
Right out of the gate, I'm thrilled to announce that the Laisy Luna moth prototypes (Regular and Special Edition) are in the process of being mailed to me for final checks! Normally, we would start safety testing right away, but with holidays wrapping up and all of Laisy's details, I want to confirm the plush in person before signing off.
More juicy details on the Luna moth's back-and-forth design delays below, if you're interested in a look behind the curtain!
❗🌙 Laisy Pre-Order Price Still Active! 🌙❗
Laisy Luna moth's pre-order price will end once the plush arrives, so if you've been following the campaign but haven't placed an order yet - now is the time!
The shop will read as "Closed" until January 2nd, but you are still able to place Pre-Orders.
Another fantastic announcement is that the collab pins were miraculously found! If you recall, these pins were ordered back in February, prototyped and produced throughout June, received by PrinceFizz in August, and then shipped out to me via Royal Mail in October. As time went on, we both found that the tracking of the pin shipment had never updated from "prepping order", and additionally, Royal Mail never responded to Fizz's snail mail inquiries. Then suddenly, on December 15th, the tracking updated to the next step of porting out to the US! As of today, the tracking reads "delivered", and I'll be able to confirm the good news 100% once I'm home from the holidays. Once confirmed, I will ship out all orders that are able to be fulfilled, that include a Collab Pin! 🎉
This is one of many heavy weights lifted off of my shoulders, to be able to deliver these to you, so we can all come a little lighter into the New Year!
🔭🌙 Laisy Production Details - Telescope! 🌙🔭
It felt like this day would never come, but I am so happy to say that... Laisy's prototype is virtually complete! I'm waiting for the prototypes to arrive for final approvals, since this is a very detailed plush, and then we will roll into Safety Testing and Production! I'm crossing my fingers that we hit Safety Testing during a slower part of the season, and hoping it will wrap up fast, which would lead into a quick turnaround of shipping out your mothy orders!
I wanted to share that there were many updates I almost made previously, but it became a lot of back and forth between the designer and I - and I only wanted to share concrete progress with you all. Specifically, what took a lot of over-communication was getting across the telescope design. This prop became a larger challenge than originally anticipated, by far!
Two "photos" showcasing the (L) intended look for the telescope prop and (R) Ver. #2 of the telescope prop.
(L) Version #3: Telesc. no embroidery, big blue oval on one side | (C) Ver. #4: Telesc. with embroidered details but dip in the top of front lens | (R) Ver. #5: Telesc. Longer version with all correct embroidery and scale
Switching from 3D to 2D caused some confusion at first, and in addition to that, it was difficult to get across the intended look of the mirrored image of the lens on each side. We also found out with Version #4 that when the top shape was attached, it caused the inward dip of the top of the front-lens portion of the telescope! After some testing and editing, the final result successfully shows the embroidery of the lenses on each side, reads "telescope" at first glance, while only losing about 10% of the more exaggerated cartoon features - which is difficult to maintain at a small scale, while also working passing for Safety. Overall, I am content with the result considering it is just one piece of the whole picture!
💫🌙 Laisy Production Details - Blazer!🌙💫
We came to realize that the telescope wouldn't be the only bump in the road, but the blazer, too. Specifically, the button styles were challenging to communicate, but we have finally arrived at some lovely yellow/gold buttons and cufflinks!
(L) Version #2: White fabric buttons with gold embr. outline | (C) Ver. #3: Complete gold embr. button | (R) Ver. #4: Yellow embr. button with gold outline
Originally, we were focused on closing the blazer while having a nice look. A cut of Velcro wouldn't have been long enough with the type of "close" wanted for the look of the blazer, while on the other hand a snap button was unlikely to pass safety. The manufacturer liaison had a great idea of a magnet close, which we made some edits to, to have a sleeker look. Then it was the uphill battle of the buttons... Originally a small, fuzzy, yellow button was used but I was finally able to convince them to use embroidery only.
Once the fuzzy button was discarded, we were able to version up the flat embroidered buttons. Version #2 of the buttons featured a soft fabric interior and gold outline, which didn't stand out well on the jacket, nor did the soft fabric process as a "button" upon feeling. Version #3 was a miscommunicated look, where gold embroidery overtook the entire button, rather than looking like the final intended look of Version #4 which has a bright yellow button, with a gold outline, which greatly contrasts the blue blazer!
If you notice the red line on Version #4, this is the area where the cufflink button will be moved to, as a final edit, to register as "cufflink" more easily. This will be one of my final checks, after the prototypes arrive.
🎀🌙 Laisy Production Details - Ribbons!🌙🎀
Another behind the scenes look I would love to give you is the ribbon selection for the props! Plushpanion props have a new feature, which is a small looped ribbon, so that when the props are tagged together it doesn't puncture the fabric at all. This helps keep props grouped together for shipping, vendor shows, and for wholesale orders to shops!
Check out the matched ribbon selections below:
(L): Map compared to blue cobalt ribbon | (C): Pencil compared to white ribbon | (R): Telescope next to navy blue ribbon
📝🌙 Laisy Production Details - Final Checks🌙📝
Lastly, there are just a few items left to confirm before safety testing, which are very particular. I've asked for the sleeves on the white shirt to be made bigger so that it's easier to pull the arms through.
Laisy's white shirt sleeve
As mentioned previously, I've asked for the cufflinks circle to be moved closer to the opening of the sleeve. And finally, in addition to the ribbons, we will also be adding a logo tag to the blazer - much like Monty's apron! This is so that if the clothing is seen separately from the plush, the brand can be easily identified.
Thus these are the items I will be checking, once the Laisy prototypes arrive:
✅ White shirt sleeve size ✅ Button on blazer sleeve placement ✅ Magnet check on body and props ✅ Blazer sewn tag logo
💀 Dottie Death's-Head 💀
Dottie had to be put on hold while Laisy was completed. From what I understand, one designer is tasked with specific orders so that patterns can be crafted more consistently and without stylistic error. What I mean is, if a second designer had picked up Dottie, we may have run into more inconsistencies and mistakes, rather than the best case scenario, which would be an immaculate pattern right out of the gate.
With all of that said... Dottie is on the way and it's really just her wings that require the most focus - so I have a good feeling about her production schedule!
I hope you're doing well and enjoying BackerKit's Holiday Market so far! There are so many amazing creators crafting cozy creations just for you ~ be sure to explore the flair board to find amazing holiday gifts for your friends, loved ones, or just yourself as a little treat!
Grab a Krampus cloak and bell necklace for your Monty or maybe a Mystery Sticker pack!
Plushpanions Holiday Palooza - 2025
🕯️ Monty Has Taken Flight! 🕯️
Some of you may have already found a funny little fella at your front door, and some of you that are a bit further away might be waiting just a little bit longer because... a whole eclipse of Mothmen flew out last week!
In your care package, you should have received a QR code to leave your review of Monty Mothman on www.plushpanions.eco - Reviews help small businesses grow, so please consider taking the time to let us know what you think!
If you lost your QR code, and would like to write a review, please email us at [email protected] ~ We look forward to, and appreciate, your review! ✍️
"Safe Travels!" | Left photo: Stacks of 19 boxes, "An eclipse of Mothmen!" | Right photo: Monty with his accessories and tags, "Monty in a box"
📮 Royal Mail Hullabaloo 📮
All orders that have Collab pins attached are still waiting to be fulfilled, unfortunately. Emails and calls were unable to reach Royal Mail, as it turns out they only resolve claims by snail mail. This inspired the image you see below.
Fizz is already on it, so hopefully we will hear from them soon, and they'll say... "Oh, here are the pins - they're on the way now"! 🤞
Snail Mail: Illustration of yellow snail mail carrier with blue and tan post outfit - carrying mail in hand, bag and shell.
🌙 Laisy's Blazer - Complete?! 🌙
You heard it here first, Laisy's blazer is just about complete! They only have to swap the embroidery color on the buttons, now. They are currently running into issues with their designer skipping notes, but they're working on adding some new designers to the team, so hopefully edit turnarounds will be a lot quicker, once that is settled.
We also had an update for the telescope, but it needs an entire retry, as it does not resemble the image I've submitted. The pencil has locked, and finally, we are just waiting for the white shirt sleeves to be a little less tight!
Left photo: Laisy's blazer open, showing the magnet corner | Right photo: Laisy in blazer, closed
💚 Current Projects from Swell People 💚
I wanted to shout out these current projects going on, check them out, below!
Happy November! 🍂 I hope your Halloween was fun, and that you're starting to be able to wear comfy cozy sweaters and breaking out some hot coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, soon! I come with the usual assortment of updates, both good, not-so-good, as well as some brand-new information, entirely! 👀
Buckle up, we have some items to cover!
🎄 Firstly, I would love to invite you all to BackerKit's first Holiday Market! 🎄
"Plushpanions": "Holiday Palooza" | Krampus hosting a little market stall with his reindeer brother, Reinhold
This unique event runs from November 18th to December 1st.
What makes this holiday market unique? Well...
🎁 No Funding Goal! - This is a shopping experience, thus there's no funding goal or "products-to-be", this is just a way to fill your friend and family's stockings with thoughtful items made by small creators, so it's a win-win!
🎁 Only Items That are Already in Stock! - Selling items that are already in stock, and ready to ship, means that items will easily get to you before the holidays, so there's no worries when it comes to gifting!
🎁 Flair Board Shopping! - Just like previous Pintopias, you'll be able to check out a Holiday Market Flair Board, to find other shops that may be of interest to you.
Early Birds ( Backers who make a purchase within the first 48 hours of the shop being open ) will receive a free Plushpanions Holiday Palooza 2025 sticker!
This sticker will only be released for this event. It features Kidd and his brother Reinhold, back to back, behind a "Plushpalooza 2025" sign! Imagine this "picture" as taken after a long day of selling and wrapping gifts at the holiday market.
Below is a sketch of the sticker to be - stay tuned for the full render, before November 9th!
Sketch of Early Bird sticker: Reinhold and Kidd sitting back to back, behind a "Plusha palooza - 2025" sign
Holiday Palooza Subtitle 2: "What's in the shop?"
Below is a sneak peak of what you can expect at the shop!
🎁 Mystery Sticker Bundles
From moths, to bats, foxes, and more, you can give yourself the gift of mystery, by letting us select three stickers for a discounted bundle of stickers! There are also theme-specific mystery bundles, like Moth, Animals, or Cryptids, so you can be sure you're getting your favorites!
Image of yellow mystery bag with a red bow and a big green question mark on it
🎁 Kidd Krampus and Monty Mothman Plushpanions
Keep an eye out for special holiday deals, specifically for this event! 🤫
Left: Kidd Krampus & accessories sitting in the snow | Right: Monty Mothman & accessories sitting in the grass
🎁 Newsprint Yule-Patterned Wrapping Sheets
These are printed with soy-based inks, so unlike your average wrapping paper, they are actually 100% curbside recyclable!
🎁 Eco-friendly matte stickers of cryptids, bats, foxes, moths and sloths
From Left to Right: Mothman "I chase the light, for I have none." | Black and Brown Fox bats | Luna moth
🎁 Eco-Friendly Wooden Keychains
These keychains are crafted from fast-growing maple wood, from managed forests.
From Left to Right: Fox keychain (gold chain) | Honduran White Bat and Brown Vampire Bat (silver chains) | Sloth (gold)
He came a long way, and got a little seasick, but he is in good spirits and is thrilled to be home with you, in time for the holidays!
Polaroid-esque graphic of 7 cube boxes, full of Monty! | "Monty's Arrival!" - "11/04/2025"
Please remember that if you've ordered Plushpanions other than Monty, like Laisy or Dottie, you'll need to wait for them to arrive, before your full order is sent.
This is so that orders don't get confused, and more shipping doesn't need to be charged. Please email [email protected], or open a BackerKit ticket, if you need any edits to your shipping address.
Monty will be shipping out this week and the next, I just have to give each one their designated health inspection, tagging, and dressing before bundling him up in a little box to send to you! 💚
📍 Collab Pin Update 📍
This is an unfortunate, but necessary, update. PrinceFizz has recently gotten back to me about the pins, and it appears as though the pins were never scanned into the tracking system of Royal Mail. I have never worked with this shipping service before, but from the information I have been given, the pins should have been dropped off around October 15th - however Royal Mail has been "Expecting" the package since the label was created. Fizz is contacting Royal Mail and hoping to locate the pins, and I will be calling them tomorrow. If the pins were never dispatched, I will have a backup plan in place to execute immediately - one of the perks of being an over-planner problem-solver!
✨ A little honest, small business moment, here: This is one of the more stressful aspects of being a small creator. You can plan everything as well as you can, however, events out of your control occur. There are elements that can simply fail, and it is also rare if you'll ever get the resolution you are hoping for. These hiccups are stressful, and sometimes even needless, but it not everything is within your control. The road gets even more bumpy as you try to partner with other people - it's just like it was, in school! 😂 You can never estimate who anyone is, their availability, communication level, or what they will go through in the near future - yourself included, but you become tied to the results, all the same. You have to reach the promised outcome. The most difficult part can be pushing through the previous negative experiences and trying again - but you have to try again, or there's no chance for growth.
You have to remind yourself to take it one day at a time, or else your candle will burn out, fast. With that said, once the skill is learned, you'll be all the better for it and can even hope to share that wisdom with others, to pave their path a little bit more than yours was.
Back to the crux of it... as of right now, I am unable to send out any Monty Mothman plush orders with collab pins included, as I cannot parse out items within a shipment. I will update here and on the Discord as soon as they are located. However, again, if the worst case scenario rears its ugly head, I will have a backup plan ready to go. My sincerest apologies to those who are looking forward to the collab pin, please know that I did my best with swift follow-ups at all stages, but be prepared for any scenario.
🌙 Laisy Update 🌙
The design behind Laisy's blazer has been a head-scratcher since the beginning. Originally I wanted a snap, however when crafting children's toys, there are only specific snaps that pass through safety - and the snaps that we tried, never worked as needed or would have tugged at the fabric aggressively, wearing it over time. Thus, and to no one's real surprise, we have turned to magnets! While this may interfere with some props, I do not think that issue will come up too often, and I am happy to have a child-safe and functional resolution, over throwing in the towel for an element of the original design.
Left: One updated tailcoat shape shown - "Tailcoats!" | Right: Both tailcoat shapes shown - "Tailcoats!!"
🎃 Dottie 🎃
There has been no direct Dottie update, however the request for the wings to be embroidered may indeed take a little while longer, since the designs are so detailed. This is a more than acceptable reason to wait, because the feel of Plushpanions, from tactile to soft, is intentional.
🐲 Bonus - Digby Update! 🐲
Lastly, as a bonus, we have a Digby Dragon update! This is our newest plush creation partnership, so there are some stylistic choices that we are working out - namely the amount of printed fabric, versus actual fabric with added embroidery, scaling preferences, and a few other items.
Digby Dragon - Left: No clothing/accessories | Right: "oak armor" tunic and pants
Considering this is the second iteration, Digby is pretty great! Mainly his hands need to be resized and detailed correctly, however he is very cute so far!
Don't forget to join the Fabled Friends launch party! 🎉 We already have 99 joined... who will be the 100th?! 👀
Thanks as always, and keep an eye out for the mini update on collab pins, coming soon!
I hope you're all doing well and that you're excited for the upcoming Autumn! It's still pretty warm where I am, unfortunately, but the leaves are indeed starting to change color. 🍂
I have a few updates for you, including the first Dottie iteration, some final fixes on Laisy (nearly there!) and a few more items on the shipping of Monty, namely our cross collab pins. I also have a more personal and journalistic update included at the bottom - it's highly recommended to read for any artist looking to make their own plush, anyone looking into starting to crowdfund, or anyone looking to grab some popcorn and read the ups and downs of being a small business!
🦋 Dottie's First Iteration! 🦋
We have waited a long time, and I am happy to say that Dottie is looking great! No costume yet, but I am always happy to nail down the full body design, first. Just one large change and one small to make: The cheek and hair need that funky squiggle, instead of Laisy's swirl, and the antennae should be shorter with a poofy longer yellow fabric used.
I have asked for the wings to be more embroidery-based than print, because one of the aims of Plushpanions is to be tactile and interesting. Not just something cute to look at, but a plush that is detailed and unique to hold and feel.
🌠 Laisy's Darn Blazer! 🌠
This blazer is taking a lot of back and forth, but the end result will be perfectly worth it! A lot, lot,of the blazer's design is ensuring that the front button is child safe - it's more difficult than you would think! As of now, all but two of Laisy's accessories are approved and it is just the blazer we have left to really tackle! 🎉
Here is a preview of some of the recently design-locked accessories - Laisy's glasses and the map! The pencil just needs an adjustment on one of the embroidery thread colors so I consider that basically complete, and the pants were perfect from day one!
🕯️ Monty is Setting Sail! 🕯️
Monty has officially casted out to sea! He has been for a little while, and now... we wait. 👀 After his arrival, orders with Monty only will be getting sent out - however there is one unfortunate caveat that I would like to be upfront with you about. If the collab pins don't arrive before Monty does, any orders that include the Collab Pin will be held from shipping until the collab pins are received. Shipping can only be completed when all items included in an order are packed.
Sadly, our lovely collab partner, ThePrinceFizz has not been feeling well as of late, and I only feel comfortable sharing this here, because he has announced as much on his own social media. This may or may not cause delays in receiving our Monty collab pins because, while Fizz was able to confirm when the pins were leaving customs (to arrive to him from the manufacturer) he has been unable to confirm yet whether they are on their way to me. He said that he would ship them to me as soon as they arrive so I presume that they are indeed on their way, but I cannot yet confirm 100%, and I wanted to keep you all in the loop. Please keep Fizz in your thoughts - and to just say here, please do not contact him in regards to the pins, as I am doing more than enough "kind pestering" for the lot of us. 😅
📬 A Personal Update 📬
I have a few new, and a few old things, that I just simply wanted to write down for those that may want to read. These musings might be helpful to those who want to pursue their own art, designs, or plushies - or they may simply be interesting to those who like to view the rollercoaster of running a small business, with popcorn in hand.
♻️ Printer, Cricut and Stickers.. Oh My! Firstly, I splurged for a new Epson EcoTank Inkjet printer as well as my very own Cricut Explore 4. This means that I can, and am, printing my own stickers! 🎉 This new equipment allows me to be more thoughtful about package branding and save on business cards, stickers, and the like. This comes with a whole new world of hassles, but also chances to learn. Mainly, about color profiles. Sometimes I forget that printing is a special talent, but it truly is, as there's only so much you can do with CMYK ink and you have to learn to speak to the software, and to the printer hardware to get anywhere close to your original digital artwork colors. All of that to say... I've been printing for days and I am only now getting close to the proper colors! If you're an artist, or even just enjoy printing at home, don't forget about everything that actually goes into printing - It's not just ink! 😅
To prep for the incoming sticker avalanche, I have already even purchased my own eco-friendly sticker paper, to align with my eco-friendly image. My current stickers are recyclable, and I wanted to find the same quality materials, but fully recyclable sticker paper is incredibly difficult to find. I have to consider 1. Where the paper comes from, 2. What the sticky stuff is made of, and 3. The final result of the two combined. What I mean is, sometimes paper is ethically sourced and claims to be 100% recycled and is 100% recyclable, but that often means that it needs to be specifically recycled, as to not gunk up an entire recycling machine! A lot of cities in the US still barely have recycling, let alone actual recycle sorting, so I like to be extremely conscious of this. Thankfully, EcoEnclose has their own Zero Waste liners! These are blank, curbside recyclable, liners (fancy word for sticker paper... or maybe instead, sticker paper is a common term for paper liners 🤔). Curbside recyclable is the golden standard because, it can indeed just be tossed in with your regular cardboard or paper recycling without having a negative effect to the machine! My newly handcrafted stickers will be used for fun products, as well as branded packaging.
🎉 Setup Update! Speaking of that, I am getting an upgrade all around! I am working on updating my event booth setup with a new color palette, that is still earthy but more joyful. With that, I have a new tablecloth, some grids to build vertically, higher quality print signs (that won't blow away in the wind 😮💨), and some fabrics that hang up to tie the whole thing together! I'll share photos after my next show, so you'll always know how to find me, if you come to one of my shows. The next event where you can find me is Nightmare Weekend Richmond, October 17th-19th. I'll be debuting a new "gacha game" to win some free Famous Slasher Popsicle stickers, so stop on by!
New booth sign!
📜 Refund from Joyus Toyus As you may, or may not know, when I originally decided to design my first plush (Kidd Krampus) I worked with a company called Joyus Toyus. This company is a company in the US that would communicate with manufacturers in China to create a plush product, varying for the need of each client. Unfortunately while working with them, there were repeated mistakes, delays, and an overall lack of full and satisfying communication that left me needing to separate from them and go to who we are working with now. There are a lot of details to this story, so if you would like to read more about the specifics, check out this article/update from the Krampus campaign at the link below: 🔽
Continuing; I feel a need to report on this specifically, because I have had more than one company/small business reach out to me, based on this specific update. These other parties have had issues with Joyus Toyus, as well, of varying degree. That is a separate story entirely (and one that I won't fully disclose for now), but what I really intend to write here is my personal update to you all, because while sometimes due to update silence, it may feel like I am not working hard for the Eclipse Pals, or Plushpanions, it is in fact the exact opposite. I am thinking about and working as hard as I can on Plushpanions at all times, but sometimes there are issues just outside of my control, and hiccups within the process - I just feel like I am hitting a fair amount recently, and I wanted to be transparent with you all.
Sometimes plush edits take a lot longer than anticipated, sometimes edits to a prototype get missed entirely in fabrication, and sometimes items get lost in the mail. I wanted to share this because when a lot of artists and small businesses only post their regular positivity, it feels like everything is on time and is going perfectly well, however that's just not how it is a lot of the time. I wanted to shed some light so that if other artists see this, and crowdfunders just as well, they know how much sweat, blood and tears goes on behind the scenes - literally and figuratively!
With that said, here is where a lot of my tears are going right now (back to the refund business): I requested my refund with Joyus Toyus in July of 2024, and they still owe me about ~83% of that refund. They don't make consistent repayments, they aren't communicative and they have not been working in true good faith with me to resolve the refund, though many opportunities have been given to them. But I digress. My story is like many others that got involved with them and I cannot recommend Joyus Toyus' "services". If Joyus Toyus reads this and is upset by the truth of the matter, please know that I would be more than happy to update this article with more positive news, once my refund has been paid in full.
Now you lovely Wild Ones, before you start lighting up the comments with helpful suggestions, please don't worry, as I am working on it myself with a full team of support on my side. 😊 Going through this is a long process, but one that I hope pans out, so that I am able to close the chapter personally and finally have those funds to put into Plushpanions once again.
Overall, I am hoping that this illustrates that the Krampus plush, even with an unprecedented roadblock that no one should have to face, was completed with full detail and effort to give you an outstanding and eco-friendly plush. The Eclipse Pals are just the same, all the time taken between updates represents corners not cut in order to give you a tactile and amazingly interactive plush companion that is out of this world!
I am really looking forward to our next adventure, with the Fabled Friends and that's all for now!
Oh yeah, don't forget to join the Fabled Friends launch party! 🎉 We already have 92 joined, so will you make it 93? Maybe we can reach 100 before October 1st! 👀
🎲 Fabled Friends! Plushpanions Series 3 BackerKit project, coming March 2026. 🎲
