Hey Wild Ones,

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! 👀

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.

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!

Keep an eye out for special holiday deals, specifically for this event! 🤫

These are printed with soy-based inks, so unlike your average wrapping paper, they are actually 100% curbside recyclable!

These keychains are crafted from fast-growing maple wood, from managed forests.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Best,
L 💚
🔗 Carrd (All Social Links)
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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!

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.

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 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. 😅 

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!


📜 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! 👀



Best & More Updates, Soon!
L 💚

🔗 Carrd (All Social Links)
🦋 Bluesky
🤖 Discord
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Hey Wild Ones,

I come bearing great news: Monty Mothman has passed all of his safety tests! That means he is safe for play in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and more! 🎉


He is currently being boxed up and should be shipped to me as soon as possible - this goes for the updated Krampus bell necklaces as well, so great news all around! For those of you that ordered only Monty, he will be flying to you very soon!


🔭  Laisy 🔭
I have sent back a few recent edits, but nothing of note to share. We are just waiting for the telescope overhaul, and some outfit updates and they should be all set!

Thank you for your patience throughout the summer rush. This isn't just a time of full volume orders for plush manufacturers, but also a time for them to take vacations, so your patience is appreciated, as always! 💚


💀 Dottie 💀
The same goes for Dottie. I know it has been a minute since we have heard about her, but her pattern is basically the same as Monty's, so I have a pretty good feeling about our first prototype! She won't be too far behind.


There are a few more exciting steps going on in the Plushpanions background, but I will wait until everything is more set in stone before sharing! 🤫 

Enjoy the end of Summer and the entrance of Autumn! 🍂

Best,
L

Thank you for your patience for these updates — this summer has been moving a mile a minute! This time of year is always the busy season, and while there’s not a huge amount of new news to share, progress is happening steadily behind the scenes. I’m excited to tell you that Monty is now about three steps away from completion! His design is one of the most complex that this manufacturer has worked on, so their close attention to detail, as well as your continued patience, means the world.

Laisy has had an exciting update to their frames, and several props and clothing pieces have begun their prototype cycle! This includes the pencil, bow tie, and telescope. For example, the bow tie is being slightly thickened for a more cartoon-like proportion, and the pencil's embroidery is changing to a less intense tone (when compared to the "wood" of the pencil).

The telescope, however, is getting a bigger change. The original 3D plush style felt too bulky — it looked like Laisy might not realistically be able to hold it, and visually it wasn’t quite as fun as I’d hoped. So, we’re switching to a raised 2D plush design, similar to the pencil. This will make it lighter, easier to handle, and more charming to look at.


The glasses have one tiny change request left: their legs are currently flipped upside down (something you can’t see in photos). These glasses have also reminded me of one of my main design goals for Plushpanions, which is I want accessories like glasses to fit any character. This might mean adding a little “cheek fluff holder” to each character design so that eyewear stays put, or something similar, but it is a worthwhile feature to keep in mind. As a lifetime glasses wearer, this detail is personally important to me since doll glasses often struggle to stay in place.

On a solid note — the map accessory is complete and approved! 🎉

Your metal pins, postcards, and Monty’s Plushports have arrived! Each stack of postcards (10 designs per set) has been tied with a little yarn bowtie, so they’ll arrive neatly bundled — literally in a bow! The only add-on left to arrive is the collaboration pin, which should be on it's way soon, from Princefizz.

We are just waiting for her fur to arrive so the first sample can begin! Summer really is peak production season, and I had no idea just how much slower this makes the sourcing process. The moment the fabric arrives, production can take its first big leap forward.

A quick note for about eight of you — some surveys still have outstanding or failed payments. If you get a notification about a failed payment, please take a moment to update it right away. If it’s not corrected, there’s a risk of losing your order and any freebies that came with it. I’d hate for that to happen after all this time and excitement!

To the Kidd Krampus folks who ordered a version two bell — great news! These are confirmed and will ship, to me, with Mothman. I asked about sending them separately to get them to you sooner, but unfortunately, that would add significant extra shipping costs.

I also know that updates have felt a little slower lately. Summer’s busy season is unavoidable in the plush world, but I promise to keep being transparent. Complex designs take time, and I take pride in making them perfect — it’s all part of creating something truly unique.


See You Very Soon!
L 💚

🔗 Carrd (All Social Links)
🦋 Bluesky
🤖 Discord
🎥 TikTok
📸 Instagram
👤 Facebook
✖️ X/Twitter

Hey Wild Ones!

Not too much to officially update on, as the gears are in motion. Monty is practically through safety testing, and a lot of his pieces, both internally and externally, are being prepped to assemble and ship! Dottie is currently under construction, and Laisy's 'fit is in the works! Stickers have arrived, and the rest of the add-ons are being purchased this week! Read on for pictures and details for each topic.

Since Monty's prototypes arrived in the mail, I've been gathering marketing materials! Essentially, we have done a few photoshoots and are trying to get in the groove of fun plushy marketing. With all of that said, Monty is nearly home to you!

✨ Please note, that if you ordered two or more different Eclipse Pals, you'll have to wait for them all to be available to ship at the same time. The BackerKit shipping process is pretty tight, so all items must be bundled together. For example, if you've selected both Monty and Dottie, you'll have to wait for Dottie to be completed and available to ship, before you can receive your whole order. Your patience is appreciated, as always, and here are some photos to tide you over until he arrives!

Check out our BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook or the Eclipse Pals section of the Discord!

Laisy's outfit is proving a challenge, as expected. The colors and print are looking fantastic, but a few changes have been requested so the blazer has a longer lapel, and a clear distinction between the cut at the waist, to the coattails at the back. These edits should give the blazer a professional appearance, rather than the current look, which is a bit like pajamas.

There's also a change occurring to the placeholder yellow button, which shouldn't be fluffy, as well as defining changes to the glasses. The current glasses are too small, and not quite sky blue, but those changes have been requested as well.



I would also like to share that originally, Laisy's embroidery for their eyebrows and overall face were a slight gray. However, upon crafting them, an accident occurred where the paw embroidery color was used at the face. Initially, I almost requested the change to gray, but I found that I enjoyed the gold embroidery more. It adds a subtle reflection to the white fur color, while also bringing together the whole light yellow look from the antennae. All of that to say, happy accidents absolutely occur in prototyping!

I should receive an update soon, and I'll share as soon as I get one! They had to order the brown fabric, which is why her first version may take a bit more time.

All stickers have arrived and all add-ons are being ordered this week! I'm making some custom ordering bundles for the postcards, metal pins and Monty's Plushport. Your stickers will be coming in sheets that I can cut into individual pieces. Making peeling easier than die-cut stickers!

Previously, I mentioned Monty's "Plushport". If you're new, you might not know what that is, so let me explain. Plushports are custom hang-tags that come with each Plushpanion. Plushports are sort of like passports. They describe the Plushpanion's name, hobby, eye color as well an include a descriptor for them. It gives the adopter a chance to date and mark the occasion of meeting their new companion, as well as learn about them! Plushports also have the specific function of marking Special Edition, versus Regular. Special Edition Plushports come with a stamp of the Series that they are tied to, in Monty's case, it's Eclipse which is represented by a moth!

Here's a sneak peek at Monty's Plushport:



As always, thank you for your patience and being your awesome self! I'm looking forward to the next update, and have a great summer, in the meantime! ☀️

Best,
L