Hey, Wild Ones!
There is a lot to cover, so let's catch up. We will be including all Plushpanion followers in this update, because it covers a few closed chapters of Plushpanions, as well as some newly opened ones!
✍️ In this update...
- We will finally be putting to rest the legal case with Joyus Toyus, our initial custom plush manufacturer (see this previous update, if you don't know about the headaches they caused us).
- Monty's magic powers!
- New bags for in-person shows and events!
- Laisy's safety testing should be completed any day now — unfortunately two holidays fell within their testing time which is the main cause of their safety delay.
- Dottie's progress details — chocolate bar sample images!
- Major website update!!
- L's personal health (don't worry, this is good news, but the main cause of such a long period without check-ins).
- Laisy giveaway, in honor of L's grandmother — 3 winners, Backers only. 🩵
As you may or may not know, Plushpanions ran into trouble right off the rip when we first started to make plushies! We tried to work with another US-based business, thinking that by working with a party that claimed to be "experienced" and "have connections", we would be better suited to meet timelines for shows, have successful communications about complex designs, and the like. Little did we know that this would end up causing us major headaches along the way, instead! If you're unfamiliar with what happened, check out our previous article/update on the situation,
here.
Summary At the End of The Article:
"
After launching the plush project (Kidd Krampus plush) in November 2023, everything went smoothly at first, but repeated delays, skipped edits, and communication issues began in March 2024. After months of frustration, I requested a refund in July 2024..."
⌛ Here's What Has Happened, Since...
When we initiated our refund request in July 2024, we gave a strict response date, due to breakdowns in communication in the past. Christopher Gann of Joyus Toyus did not respond well to our request, claiming "this is a substantial amount of money" ( yes, which is why we want it back ) and he did not work in good faith to reach an agreement, within a reasonable timeline, so we had to seek legal assistance.
While working through our legal team, Gann would often state that he would like to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible, and that he was open to a repayment plan, but when it came time to sign any paperwork in a necessary, timely manner, he would ghost us — then suddenly claim to have legal counsel. He claimed this twice, without any legal counsel ever reaching out to ours, or being able to name his counsel.
During this time, he would send $500 repayments at random, without any warning, reliability, or consistency. By the date of June 15th, 2025, he was still sending sporadic repayments. By that date, he had only sent 7 repayments, accounting for less than 15% of what was owed to us. Thankfully we sought legal help when we did, because it was a long and draining process, both fiscally and emotionally.
After months of red tape, we finally had a court hearing date scheduled for March, 2026. At this point, Joyus Toyus, having failed to work with us in good faith, had already defaulted on the judgement. We just needed to have the judge sign off on the final amount owed. When Gann caught wind of this ( because we finally found an address we could reach him at ) about a week before the hearing, suddenly he wanted to take care of everything in a quick manner. Initially he offered even less than the owed refund amount, always claiming to not know what was owed, even though receipts were sent after every repayment. We ignored this initial offer, as it was insulting. Then, a second offer was sent, which was more on par with what was owed, but did not cover legal. My counsel responded with the actual owed amount, and he complained that it was "much more than he anticipated".
In the end, we settled with an amount that was more than our refund, while coming a little bit under the full costs put into the process, when you consider legal fees. He would have saved more in the long run, by simply refunding us initially, or even on a signed and consistent basis.
You might wonder, why not take him to court for triplicate, and it is a simple decision on our end: nothing is guaranteed. Even if you get a large owed amount, then you have to collect, which is just more sweat, tears, and costs. Our counsel's advice was, money in the hand is always best.
Our loved one's advice was fantastic as well: He could skip town tomorrow, and you would get nothing. This idea really struck a chord with us because, nothing could be more true. That is why we agreed to settle, put it behind us, and use that energy to work on growing Plushpanions.
The settlement agreement has no limits on discussing the case, so we would like to take some time to summarize other businesses' situations with Joyus Toyus — these are from signed affidavits, but we will not share business or personal specifics, because they are not necessary. What is necessary is sharing these stories, so that it can shed light on issues that can arise, when you work with anyone you've never met before:
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Business A: Ordered plush toys that took well beyond their promised date to prototype and ship. There were constant delays and missed deadlines, that were promised by Joyus Toyus. Once the prototype was accepted, though still not in line with their original design or expectations, they were approved and shipped. These toys were originally ordered to be stuffed in the US, which is $1.00 USD per plush. Even though that was the order, the plush toys arrived stuffed from China, which should only cost $0.50 per plush. Additionally, only three boxes arrived! As of this date, that company has not been refunded the cost difference of the stuffing inconsistency.
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Business B: This business also experienced delay, after delay, and missed deadline after missed deadline. They also never received their original protype, and only ever received part of their order (380 received of 500), and additionally an approved embroidery feature was missing on the final product! At the time of writing this, they have not received nor been refunded for their missing and incorrect plushies.
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More Businesses:
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Others: Other creators and small businesses have reached out to us, based on our previous BackerKit update post, which is why we want to emphasize and write about everything we can with regard to this company. Other businesses deserve access to the information that we didn't have. When we were researching Joyus Toyus originally, none of these articles existed and thus our business fell victim to this poorly run, middle-man plush "service" — at a time when our business was just getting off the ground. We would also like to highlight that Gann Memorials, which was a previous business run by Gann, that seemed to have caused similar headaches for customers. You can read some reviews here, at Revdex.
🤔 So What Do You Do, Instead?
If you're a small business reading this, and wondering what to do instead, we highly recommend
working directly with factories. US and UK businesses will often be middle men for products that are mostly manufactured overseas, so why not just work directly with the businesses whose foundations are built on the process of plush making? It will take a mixture of research and time to find the right fit, but it is always worth it.
Look at their work, ensure their plush photos are not AI, shop around for estimates and search for reviews of each business to ensure there are no horror stories that follow. Review images are great, but sometimes they can be posted by the company, so unfortunately a lot of manufacturing is trial and error.
With all of that said, we are happy that this chapter has closed, and hope that no one else has to go through anything similar. However, if they find themselves in a similar situation, we wish them strength and patience.
We would like to switch gears drastically now, and start sharing some cute news!
A few days ago, we received the sweetest message from a Plushpanion adopter that we met at AwesomeCon, this year. What she shared with us absolutely melted our hearts, and reminded us why we continue to pour our passion into this brand!
She gave us permission to share her photo and story, so here it is:
Accessibility Description of the photo:
A screenshot from Instagram messaging shows a message received from a recent Plushpanion adoptee, that says,"Hi! I bought a krampus and moth from you at awesomecon a few months back. They were so cute and I fell in love instantly. Turns out my five year old daughter also fell in love with it when she saw it! She has been snuggling and sleeping with mothman and it's been helping her with her fear of the dark. Wanted to share how your plushies have been such a help to one of your youngest fans!". The photo shows a child in a teal outfit, snuggling a Monty Mothman plush, her face is covered with a green heart emoji.
We are also excited to share that new bags are in! Our very first branded bags.
These 100% recycled cotton bags include handles and a new drawstring to help keep your Plushpanion extra safe and cozy! These bags come free with every Plushpanion purchase at in-person events and shows!
We looked at bags for weeks before we found one that had the exact features we were looking for. We wanted you to be able to show off your friend, even as a little backpack, but also have them fit inside to be able to travel securely! The drawstrings make it so that you never have to worry about the weather when you bring your companion along, and the handles on top make it easy to grab and go!
🛍️ Laisy loves it!
Speaking of Laisy, their safety testing should be completed any day now.
Unfortunately, their safety testing dates fell between two major holidays for our manufacturer, which is the cause for the delay. They also have a lot of accessory pieces to be checked! It'll all be worth it, and Laisy will be flying home to you soon. More updates to come!🩵
🍫 Dottie is finally moving right along — embroidered wings and a chocolate bar, ahoy!
The color of the jumpsuit outfit is fantastic, but you can see the collar on the outfit doesn't quite match the original image, or the inspired jumpsuit, so that edit has been sent back. The chocolate bar also looks great, but we have asked for some bits of the lined embroidery to be removed, since it cuts through what
would be a bite of the chocolate bar.
🍬
They are still nailing down the yellow candy piece, and the mouth cover of the costume, but we are almost there.
We would also like to extend our sincerest thanks for your patience with Dottie. We were originally told that the prototypes for Laisy and Dottie would be
worked on simultaneously, but that did not end up being the case. We are actively asking for updates and will always let you know, as soon as we know, when approvals are met and pivotal steps like safety testing and production are initiated.
We have been taking a lot of time recently to freshen up our website!
🛒 Wholesale Shop
Initially, our Wholesale Accounts consisted of memberships and custom generated coupons, but now it's as easy as applying for a membership to gain access to the Wholesale Shop! There, bundles of Plushpanions can be purchased at the reseller rate. Wholesale Accounts are available to brick-and-mortar retailers only. Our first ever Wholesale Account was
Big Bear Coin and Collectibles, in Richmond VA, so if you're local to the Richmond Virginia area, be sure to check them out!
🗺️
Roadmap Page
Our Roadmap showcases Plushpanions' Crowdfunding Campaigns, Programs, and Ideas, all in one perfect page! It's a great way to see where we are, and where we are going, in this wild and crazy adventure.
Accessibility Description of the photo:
Illustration of chibi elephant in a doctor outfit, next to an axolotl with a bandage on it's arm. Next to text that reads: "Patient Program -- When Plushpanions travel from one place to another, whether by land, air, or sea, they can sometimes have accidents. Plushies can get scratches or tears, and rather than discarding them, we mend them. Each Patient is mended to the best of our ability, and their adoption fee is discounted, so they are still available to find their forever home. -- Soft Launch"
Accessibility Description of the photo:
Illustration of chibi capybara in a spa pool, cucumber slices on their eyes and a tengerine on their head. They have tea, and their head is resting on a rolled white towel. Next to text that reads: "Wellness Center -- Our Wellness Center is the perfect place to send your Plushpanion when they are in need of some rest & relaxation. Our center is a place that welcomes companions that need some extra care! This pampering program focuses on mending Plushpanions, rather than having them be discarded.. -- Idea Stage"
Accessibility Description of the photo:
Image of chibi green dragon plush design (Digby), with oak armor headband, shirt, shield, and sword. Next to text that reads: "Series 3: Fabled Friends -- Help save Plushpania by going on an adventure and making new friends! -- Bring to life our newest Plushpanion Digby Dragon, and unlock more friends, armor, outfits, and props along the way! -- Est. Launch, Summer 2026"
Accessibility Description of the photo:
Illustration of chibi white rabbit plush design, with yellow/white striped shirt and blue overalls. Next to text that reads:
"Springtime Celebrations! -- Hop into Spring by unlocking colorful Plushpanions and accessories! -- Plushpanions: Rabbit, Lop-Ear Rabbit, Jackalope, Duck and Chicken -- Clothing: Overalls, Striped Shirt, and more Spring-Colored Attire -- Accessories: Baskets and Painted Eggs -- Idea Stage"
🩵 Don't forget to subscribe on the website!
Scroll to the bottom of the page on desktop, and in the upper right "+" menu on mobile! Don't worry, you can always adjust your email settings in your "Notification Settings", within your account.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update in full, you and your support mean the world to us, which is why we feel we owe it to you to share why we had to take a break from updating, these past few weeks. Don't worry, again, this is really good news!
L is comfortable sharing that she struggled with pelvic health for 9 years, before she found anyone that would listen to her or take her seriously. Much like millions of other women in the world of women's health, she was disregarded and had to keep finding new doctor after new doctor after new doctor. It was defeating and exhausting.
Finally, she got up the courage again earlier this Spring, to find a new doctor. She went to Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine and finally, she felt seen and heard. The doctors there estimated, based on her symptoms, that she had Endometriosis — however the only true way to diagnose Endometriosis, currently, is by a Laparoscopic excision surgery. She opted for this surgery and was quickly scheduled for April. They did indeed find Endo. Thankfully, it was found early enough before causing any irreversible damage, and it definitely had her in a literal twist. It has been just about four weeks since the surgery and she is healing well!
🎪 She will even be able to make it to her next show, which is Tidewater Comicon in Virginia Beach! We hope to see some of you there!!
This final section of the update comes with some sad news. One of Plushpanions' biggest supporters, L's grandmother, passed away earlier this month.
The main reason we have opted to share this with you all is because that now means that we will have some Laisy Plushpanions without homes. Most of the Plushpanions that she ordered will be donated to her local hospital and community center, that she would regularly donate to — but we would also like to extend a few of them your way, in honor of her and also as a gigantic "Thank You" for being a Backer of this project.
🎁 The Giveaway
- There are 3 Laisy Plushpanions that will be going out, for this giveaway.
- You must be an original Backer of the Series 2: Monty Mothman campaign.
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To Enter: Share a favorite fun memory of a loved one, short and sweet or long and descriptive, whatever feels right!
- Commenting will be open to Backers only, so all comments to this update sharing a story, will count.
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If you just want to share a story, but not enter the giveaway, please just include that you're not entering at the beginning or end of your comment.
Entries Open: Once this update has been posted
Entries Close: May 24th, 2026, 11:59pm EST
Winners will be announced in the comments and will also be notified by email.
If you ever need assistance with your order, or want to check in, send an email to [email protected] or reach out to BackerKit support — please don't leave comments on the community page, because we don't receive notifications about those!
That's everything for now, which is a LOT! Thank you for your support and for being you. Have a great weekend ahead, and see you in the next update!
