š Welcome to Pintopia ā a celebration of creativity and collaboration from a diverse group of artists collectively running enamel pin crowdfunding projects from March 28th -April 18th.
The more Pintopia pins you back, the more FREE pins you can earn āØĀ
āļø 2 FREE Cross Collaborative Pins if you back both pins from a cross collab project pair
šÆ 1 FREE Full-Color Pintopia 2024 Pin once ALL projects are 100% fundedĀ
š 1 FREE Gold Pintopia 2024 Pin if you back 5 projects or more
*Only pledges to physical reward tiers qualify towards earning these FREE pins. See full details here.
Join the fun - Back Pintopia 2024 projects to qualify for
free rewards!
Popping in real quick to let you know the smoke test just went live, which means about 5% of pintopia backers will receive their surveys tonight and have a chance to fill them out.Ā
I'll be keeping a close eye on everything on the back end, but if you encounter any issues on your end please reach out to me here and let me know! It's important those issues get ironed out before the bulk of the surveys (over 1k!!!) go out to everyone because it will be much, MUCH harder to fix then š
If everything looks good by tomorrow, that's when the rest of the surveys will go outĀ (so keep an eye on your inbox!)
Also a quick reminder that the preorder store has the size charts for all apparel, so if you want to double check you're ordering the right size for you that's the best way to do it š
WHEW critters!! It has been one crazy month so far, and first I want to thank you all again for your patience and bearing with me while I juggle a dozen different tasks.
I was hoping to start the survey smoke test tonight and send out the remainder tomorrow, but it looks like something is bugged on my end because I can't submit the survey for review š That's a bummer and slows us down a bit, but I've already reached out to support and I'm confident they'll have it sorted by tomorrow.
On a lighter note, the BackerKit team built a new function and we get to be the first to test it out! If you selected one of the pin bundles as an add-on, the prompt you encounter to select your pins will be all-new and super streamlined. We've already tested it pretty extensively and it seems to be working as intended, but I'll be hypervigilant and on the lookout for any issues once surveys are live.
So the TL;DR of this update is-- surveys are delayed due to a bugged submit button, but should be fixed tomorrow and then sent out shortly after that.
And if you made it this far, I have a little treat for you! Another round of plush updates has arrived! These four are remarkably close to finished already.
Sakura Wolpertinger needs a few more adjustments to their flowers. We've talked about using a different material altogether so I'm optimistic the next iteration will look less like a cheap cutout.Ā
Twinkle Star Bat will have lighter embroidery on their nose because the contrast is too stark right now.
Not pictured here, but Thornheart Wolpertinger is also being adjusted slightly. The yellow on their horns and paws will be more pale, and the main body blue lightened just a bit.Ā
Other than that the first batch is done and I look forward to Dragon Fruit and Rosy Maple next!
I have your freebie sticker designs! These 2 inch glossy paper "voter stickers" are a prize for actually doing shit on time. Good job, everyone. Congratulations. You won.
Every package will randomly include one of these criminals. These are gloss paper, not vinyl. They'll still be awesome for journals, planners, sketchbooks, and the like!
If you'd like extras, or want to pick your sticker, extra stock will go in the HUSTLE shop later.
All Custom Crimes who have both paid in full, and given me correct information, have received sketches to approve. If you have not done either of these things, do it immediately.Ā
I'm debating how to handle no-shows or ghosts who don't respond by the 20th, but the options are not looking good for you. I have one person I am waiting on information from, and if you do not get back to me by that date, I unfortunately have to call your badge off.
If you have any level of artwork done, please reach out to me with your print option and details. Remember, you get a free laminated badge of your Custom Crime!
I am still holding my breath on Anthrocon pickup, but it is looking less likely. BIRD CRIMES pins may not be ready in time for backers to grab at AC. However, backers who have CUSTOM CRIMES will still have the option to pick these up at the event!
I'll have some more information on a Thursday morning meet-and-greet shortly. We have almost all the details finalized, except a nice poster with information. Expect that soon.
Just a quick update to inform you that we're still in the process of wrapping up the surveys ā we're truly sorry for the delay! Those who follow us on Instagram, might already know that we're facing some significant personal challenges which are consuming much of our time and energy, leaving little room for work. Nevertheless, we're pushing forward as much as we can, albeit slower pace. Your patience and support during this trying time mean the world to us. We eagerly look forward to sending the surveys your way soon!
I spent today biting my nails down to the beds waiting to see if one of the birds was going to be OK. It's been a weird one. That's why you're getting this at midnight. Sorry, gang.
(the bird is OK, just stupid. He's an overachiever. THREE different yeast infections in his crop. If only he could put that much effort into thinking and problem solving, huh?)
The day has come: Wednesday, May 15th is the final day to submit your BIRD CRIMES survey. What does this mean?
You have one more day to pick your pins, mugshots, and addons with your pledged funds. You'll pick what criminals you want, for each one you picked during the campaign!
You've got that one day to add any additional pins, mugshots, or addons to your pledge. Want another few pins? Interested in a batch of LITTLE SHITS to top off your order? Those are all options!
If you haven't already, you will need to put a valid credit card on file. It will be charged Wednesday or Thursday. We have 9 failed credit card charges: is this you? Go check!
Make sure you have a valid address on file. You can change this later, but you should put in the address you expect to receive mail at in July or August. Are you graduating college? Moving apartments? Does your PO box expire between then and know? Think long and hard about it: please read my shipping policies, and note that I do not reship returned packages for free.
If you have backed for a CUSTOM CRIME addon, make sure you have at least one email correspondence with me. Whether it's getting your bird going, or knowing what physical option you'd like, I am waiting on final information from several of you. Reminders will go out shortly after this email is sent to the three backers I do not have approved sketches for.
Backers who do not have these things complete by Wednesday will forfeit rewards. I cannot guarantee stock availability, or the bandwidth to send it out, to backers who do not do their surveys and pay on time. Barring extenuating circumstances (I have a few people who have reached out about health issues), I will not be reserving stock at BackerKit prices for people who miss deadlines.
If you missed the campaign, but want to grab some items, the PREORDER STORE will also close Wednesday. Any orders placed will ship in the same batch as backers, so you will get them before retail stock goes up for sale. Ā If you are just here for BIRD CRIMES stuff only, this is where you can stop reading. Thank you in advance for double checking your survey and credit cards, and I hope to have manufacturing updates for you soon!
Did you miss out on CUSTOM CRIMES? Do you want one? I am taking some slots at campaign prices. Email me at [email protected] to start. I can include these in your pledge with the advertised 3 and 5 inch options as well, just let me know.
Speaking of things you might need badges for, Anthrocon!
As mentioned a few times, I will be at table G20 with Corviforms. I will have limited stock, and will mostly be helping table, as well as running a couple games.
We are still waiting on deadlines to see if full order pickup is available for BIRD CRIMES backers. I have to see how long pins will take. It is something I would like to offer, but again, it is down to manufacturing times.
Even if you aren't getting stuff, come say hi! I am holding a small meet and greet Thursday morning for you early birds who aren't hung over and/or jet lagged. If you opt in to badge pickup, I'll have your stuff, plus a few con goodies ready to greet you. Drop on by the National Aviary, and come spot some birds with us - or, meet us right at the con, and spot some suspiciously larger birds. Grab some bingo cards, and have some fun!
There are store prizes for both bingo games - including vouchers for preorder stock! Plus, one lucky winner will get that huge 24 inch Walmart macaw plush that I have no room for in my house. And a few of you will get bags of seed. But that's OK.
Read below for some more meetup details, and if you're coming, let me know on Twitter!
So, a note about that real quick: since the total # of pins pledged can change through post-campaign surveys, I won't be able to manually attach freebie SKUs to some people who will qualify for them until AFTER orders are locked. But no worries, small numbers of pins and stickers are light enough that it won't affect shipping costs! They are already listings and just waiting to be added manually one by one once orders are locked. As for people who qualified for cross-collab or early-bird freebies, those are already attached to your pledge, Backerkit did that themselves.
As noted before, people are able to choose in the survey which machine they want their spins to be from!
I reread the last April update over 10x to make sure it was good, and then of course only after publishing did I realize one of the paragraphs made zero sense: the one about colorway availability.
So to explain that properly this time... (sorry!)
In the survey, you'll notice a la carte add-ons still of the pin designs. This is because you were original backers while the campaign was live! The ones I mentioned as having been most-ordered will have really limited stock as individuals. Not all of the designs are still available individually as add-ons though, because their numbers were claimed already in high quantity.
I never should have said that the preorder store will have individuals available. My brain fog has been out the wazoo even more than usual since my surgery in March, I'm sorry. The preorder store will only have gacha spins available for the pins, or the full set collections. No individual single pin options, this is the same for the gacha pills too. And that's final this time! As mentioned before (correctly), they will only be available again as individuals at conventions that don't allow gacha machines (without exception despite it not being true gambling...), like anything in Canada if I were to do those and some in the states that ban them, and then again when only seconds are left.
To be even clearer, this is the final roster of what will be available in the preorder store when it's up (I will open it in roughly a week!): ā¢ Single Jellinom gacha spin ā¢ Triple Jellinom gacha spin ā¢ Five Jellinom gacha spins ā¢ Ten Jellinom gacha spins ā¢ Full set of machine 1 Jellinoms ā¢ Full set of machine 2 Jellinoms ā¢ Full set of 16 Jellinoms ā¢ Pastel Goth set of bandages (I still need to make back the investment on these lol and there will be plenty of available stock when they arrive) ā¢ Spooky Jellies set of bandages ā¢ Both sets of bandages, 10 total designs (discounted) ā¢ Barbed wire glitter foil washi (I decided to make this on a whim but I'm excited for it...) ā¢ "Pop" jellinom glitter foil washi ā¢ "Spooks" jellinom glitter foil washi ā¢ 10pc vinyl sticker grab bag (no one snagged this before and I had an epiphany and lowered the price, which is also reflected in the surveys) ā¢ Single mystery standard pin ā¢ Limited stock full-price "freebie" jellos ā¢ At some point I will also announce adding jello oil shaker charms with the "whipped cream" and decals because I FINALLY got a reliable (I hope!!) supplier for them and have ordered some as previewed to backers only before!!
Everything but the last one is also in the surveys. Because you guys are backers and shouldn't have to pay shipping twice!
ALSO from left to right, since I got better photos here are the plating colors for cat skull, both demon skulls as the same glossy black, mischievous ("grape"), and tsundere ("peach"). I decided peach would likely look bad as dyed metal because of the color... I hope that's okay. I noted the change in item description for each.
I also changed slime to anodized metal because I felt that would make him look more like slime... idk why I didn't have that realization before. This will be his new metal color.
I also recently took a close-up video of the jolly rancher bat I had made YEARS ago with a different manu to show an example of colored translucent enamel on glossy metal plating (since the OG jellinom and flanom examples are dyed metal). This is what made me realize slime shouldn't be dyed metal! Since BK doesn't support video embeds, here's a still of it.
Ultimately, every single one of these guys will look drastically different than the mockups (the 3D ones are closest, though!) due to the nature of their enamel and printing processes, so I hope you will love them. š„ŗĀ
Updates on when things will lock or be charged will come with time, pins have been paid for but production hasn't even started quite yet. Preorder store will be up soon, I have a lot of art deadlines I have to put my attention to soon. So in about a week as mentioned. It's mostly for people who missed the campaign so it shouldn't have much bearing on you.Ā
It feels like these last few weeks have been an absolute marathon. Between working on all the dragons, and other designs, it has been a lot. Each dragon has an alternate sticker, so that's 36 custom designs alone! But for you all, it's well worth it! This update includes an update to some enamel pin designs, new dragons, survey information, stationary reveals and the final reveals for sticker books!
Updates To Designs:
Some dragons have small design changes, and some mini-pins have been updated. You can view the changes below. Ā 1. Tux now gets a white cat pin instead of a black one to make the mini-pin more unique. And so those who get both Tux and Calico do not get stuck with duplicate mini pins. Due to this, the same change has occurred for Pixel getting a white controller mini-pin and Spot now receiving a Shiba Inu instead of a Husky Mini Pin!
New Cat for Tux
New Controller for Pixel
New Dog For Spot
2. Foxy's sleeping fox has changed to more distinguished colors. I originally was going for a spirit fox look but ultimately decided the blue was way to overpowering. The new design can be viewed below:
Old Design
New Design
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Ā
New Dragons:
I am pleased to announce the final dragons to be created! They can be viewed below as well as giving our proper shout-outs to our Hoard of Hoard Pledgers! Thanks to them, we have quite a hoard of our own!
Ā Surveys have been a long LONG journey to make. But they are currently in review with Backerkit. My goal is to have smoke tests out early next week and then all surveys out by Friday. As of now, the estimated due date for surveys is May 31st!
Ā
Stationary Reveals!:Ā
I am pleased to finally show off the final designs for notepads and final designs for sticker books! Please enjoy!
Sticky Notes
Sticky Notes
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Stickerbook Reveals!:Ā
Sticker Books
Sticker Books
Sticker Books
That's all for now! Below is the list of selectable dragons (35, minus Gobby) and the 72 stickers to choose from! This may help pick some stuff out beforehand!
Dragons To Pick From:
Dragon Pin Sets
Dragon Pin Sets
Dragon Pin Sets
Ā
Stickers To Pick From:
Ā Every dragon has a Standard form that matches their pin and an alternate form which is a unique sticker! All alternate stickers are exclusive and will not be reprinted after the campaign!
Greetings campaign followers, I have a quick announcement for you. The preorder store is now closed to finalize item counts. If you missed the campaign and preorder store but still wanted any of these items, you will be able to purchase leftovers of my design from my shop once campaign fulfillment is complete; and guest artist items from their respective artists. The ETA for that is June 2024. Thanks for following the campaign!
If you are a backer, please read the backers-only section below for additional updates.
I may be missing something, but trying to fill out my survey and Iām not sure which name goes with which character for the pins. Is there a photo guide?
This is an update for returning backers having technical difficulties with the incentive question (or lack thereof), so if you're not one of the backers affected please disregard! Please open the update in BackerKit to read on. Have a lovely night! Catch that aurora if you can, it's stunning.
