TLDR: - Shipped all available orders, keep an eye on your shipping notifications! - If you didn't get a notification, check to make sure you filled out your survey or your card properly charged. I'm hitting the 'charge card' button again around Sep 9th. - If there's a problem with your order, email me at [email protected] !
Full update!
Hooray, we're in the final stretch! Hopefully by the time I'm posting this you've gotten your order or at the very least a shipping notification!
I'm sending out a last few packages today!
If you haven't received a shipping notification: About 5% of backers have had some issue that isn't allowing things to go through. It COULD mean that you haven't filled out your survey or your card declined -- please please PLEASE double check that your survey is filled out or that your card went through!! There are also orders that simply didn't have their card charged for whatever reason, and in this case I will try again around Sep 9th, so make sure you have funds ready. I'm going to lock orders, addresses, and try to charge cards again after getting home from San Japan, probably sometime around September 9th or 10th, and this will be your last chance to have everything ready to go. Anyone who has not filled out their survey or fixed their card issues after this time will have to contact me directly via email to get their rewards!
If you HAVE received a shipping notification but it hasn't updated in a while: I had a few issues with some orders that I only just shipped out now. Check back in the next few days and see if the post office has updated anything. If you don't see any updates after a week or so, send me an email. If you have any issues: For any missing/damaged products or mail delivery issues, I would prefer if you contacted me through email [email protected] (the same email connected to this campaign, can also be found on the campaign page!) Comments here on this post are OK but a little harder to get notified for. I'll see them eventually but I'm more likely to respond quicker to an email! Send me an email, let me know what your issue is, and which email you used for the campaign so I can look up your order. Always happy to be here to help with anything!
That's it for now, thanks everyone! I'm super excited for you to get your items!
I'm back from my mini-con adventure, and a small break from posting, and I'm ready to share the news~
Thank you to everyone who voted in the final finish poll and shared your thoughts on the pin samples! The results came back very clearly in favor of the 💎 Rose Gold Hard Enamel Finish(65%), followed by the 📀 Rose Gold Soft Enamel with Pink Coating (29%).
So, with that decided: the campaign pins will be produced in rose gold hard enamel! ✨
I’m really grateful for all the feedback throughout this sampling process. It's been exciting getting to experiment with some of the color-coated options, and I’m glad we took the time to test them, compare them, and make the final call on the finish with all the knowledge gained. 😇
Since there was still interest in the coated finish, I may continue exploring some color-coated soft enamel variants separately as future shop/convention inventory. That would be separate from campaign rewards and would not replace or delay the rose gold hard enamel campaign pins. For now, the priority is getting these guys into full production! 💪😤
🚫 A Small Setback
So, I thought the Choir Critters files had escaped my recent computer troubles, but it turns out I did lose a little bit of vector progress. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything huge! I've needed to restart three files: The Furbidden One, Cherububu, and Tamagodchi.
The good news is that The Furbidden One and Cherububu have already been re-vectored this week, and I’ve started reworking the Tamagodchi as well. Archangel Raccoon, The Dagger, and Holy Donut are still good to go and will be submitted shortly, and the Angel Opossum and Hanging Mouse Charm are ready to approve for final production as well!
I’ll be submitting files in waves so production can begin while I continue finalizing the remaining vectors. The first wave will go in soon, and I’ll keep working through the rest from there. 🎨😌
📆 Charge Date for Add-ons
Since the final finish has been decided and production is ready to begin, I’ll be charging cards for survey add-ons and upgrades on Tuesday, Sept 8th. You'll also receive a notice from BackerKit 48 hours before your cards are charged.
📦 This charge will not include shipping. Shipping will still be charged later, closer to fulfillment, once final package weights are confirmed.
If you need to update the payment method/card on file you should still be able to do so from your BackerKit survey confirmation link before charges run September 8th!
🔎 Fellow Creature Sighting: Feathered Fox Friends
I rather enjoyed sharing another creator's campaign last update, so I thought I'd do it again. 😇
This time, I wanted to give a little shout-out to Feathered Fox Den! I brought home Rowan from Series 1 of their plushie foxes, and I love them dearly~ I’m obviously planning to bring home a friend for them very soon. 👀
Daphne is genuinely sweet and clearly puts so much care into these little guys. They’re incredibly soft, and the embroidery in their wings is so lovely~ 💛
I don’t know if folks enjoy seeing other campaigns pop up here, but I’ve been having fun sharing projects I’m excited about!
Thank you for keeping an eye on this project and all the Critter happenings~ 👁️ In the next update, I hope to share some of the vector work that's been done on these strange little celestial creatures.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
Hello! Doing one final update for this project as I’ve sent out and all the pins should be delivered. If you didn’t receive your pin, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thank you guys for supporting my first pin project! I’m hopefully working on an alien plush and a medical ita bag! So stay tuned :3
Hi there! This will be the final notification for this campaign! I wanted to hop in to let you guys know that leftovers from this campaign are not available to purchase through my Etsy shop, which you can find HERE! Some designs are in limited quantities so if you want something now is the time to grab it! I can't guarantee restocks!
Bean Plushie leftovers are also available in my shop as well!!
I've also made a lot of mystery bags featuring lots of new and old things! If you're feeling indecisive they're a great snag and I promise they're full of lots of goodies!
In addition to that, I self funded some new pins that I designed from Mewgenics!! I've been really into this game a lot and wanted to make some fan merch, so you can find all the Miniboss cats available to purchase individually or as a set! You can find them HERE! I hope you like them! I really enjoyed making them all and if they do well I'll make more from the game :)
If you're looking for the Guest Artists designs be sure to follow their social media! I've sent all the leftovers to them, so be on the lookout for when they update their respective shops with the designs!
Finally, feel free to check out my next campaign I'm working on: Isopod Friends! I'm going to be making a series of plush keychains and pins based on different isopod species! While I don't have much on the page yet, I'm hoping to add stuff soon. You can follow the project HERE
Below are some sneak previews!!
I think that's it for now! Thanks so much for such a successful campaign! It's always such a pleasure to be able to make products that people are excited about! Hope to see you in the next one :)
The final Angel Opossum samples are here, which means it’s time for one last finish comparison before we officially move forward with production! This time, I received three sample versions:
💎 Rose Gold Hard Enamel
📀 Rose Gold Soft Enamel + Pink Coating
💿 Silver Soft Enamel + Pink Coating
Originally, I was planning on ordering only two additional samples: one hard enamel rose gold sample and one soft enamel sample with the translucent colored coating. However, I wound up testing two translucent-coated versions, and there’s a specific reason for that!
Typically, this translucent coating is applied over silver plating, because silver reflects the Pantone color most accurately and gives the cleanest color match. However, I also wanted to test the translucent pink coating over rose gold plating. My thought was that if the coating wears down at high-friction points over time, rose gold showing through would look much softer and less stark than bright silver peeking through the pink.
Below are the three sample variations, including tiny breakdowns of their differences.
So how did they handle the shake tests, you might ask?
Well, the hard enamelrose gold version held up the best overall, with only a little scuffing visible on close inspection. The translucent-coated rose gold version does show a bit of wear around the halo, but it’s much less noticeable than the earlier chrome-plated version, and also less visually noticeable than the wear on the translucent-coated silver version (so it looks like my hypothesis was correct!).
Since the durability of the hard enamel rose gold sample is fairly straightforward, most of this update focuses on the two translucent-coated soft enamel samples and how they compare. (If you’d like a refresher on the more general differences between hard enamel and soft enamel + epoxy, I covered that in more detail in the previous sample update here!)
I recorded a shorter video this time showing:
All three samples before testing
A side-by-side discussion of the finish differences
The shake test for each pin (shortened)
Close-ups of all three pins after testing
As always, the photos below are helpful for a quick look, but I highly recommend watching the video if you’re able! The differences between the finishes are much easier to see when the pins are moving and catching light from different angles. 👍
🧪 Before & After Shake Tests
Since the hard enamelrose gold version held up the best overall, showing just light scuffing on close inspection, I'm going to skip right into the wear for the more experimental colored finishes.
The translucent-coated rose gold version has a warmer, slightly softer pink tone due to the rose gold underneath. It does show a little wear around the halo after the shake test, but the contrast is much gentler than the silver version, which makes the wear less noticeable overall.
The translucent-coated silver version shows the more true pink-purple tone of the Pantone I chose because the translucent coating is sitting over silver plating. However, when wear appears around the halo, the silver underneath creates a stronger contrast.
👥 Final Side-by-Side Comparison
Now that we have all three options in hand, I’m opening a poll so backers can help choose the final finish!
The winning option will be used for the rest of the Choir Critters pins moving forward.
🗳️ Poll: Which finish should we use for production?
Hard EnamelRose Gold The most durable option, with a classic rose gold finish and traditional hard enamel texture.
Soft Enamel Rose Gold + Translucent Pink Coating A warmer pink translucent finish, with less noticeable wear because the rose gold underneath blends more softly with the coating. (I can possibly adjust the Pantone color to be slightly more purple, as it is with the silver sample.)
Soft Enamel Silver + Translucent Pink Coating The most accurate to the Pantone pink translucent finish, but wear around friction points shows more noticeably due to the silver underneath. (The mouse appears more pink in the sample, but this was an error in the production, and it would be white in the final pins, if chosen.)
Vote to help decide the winning finish 👉 [POLL LINK]
The poll will be open until Thursday, Aug 20th (end of day CT), so please vote when you have a chance! Your feedback has been incredibly helpful throughout this process, and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to weigh in. 😇💛
📆 What Happens Next?
Once the poll has a clear winner, I’ll post a short follow-up update announcing the final finish choice!
That follow-up will also include the final date for charging remaining survey balances. I previously held off on charging add-ons/upgrades because I wanted everyone to have a say in the final pin direction before moving forward. Now that we’re at the final sample stage, I expect remaining balances will be charged during the final week of August, after my art show on the 22nd. I’ll share the exact date before any charges are run, so there won’t be any surprises. 😉
PokéBites is also almost fully wrapped up, which means I’ll have more time to dedicate to Choir Critters next month as we move into full production. Almost there!
🔎 Fellow Creature Sighting: BLUE HELL
Now for a short break before we get back to our regularly scheduled Choir Critters fieldwork. I wanted to shout out a fellow BackerKit campaign: 💙 BLUE HELL: An Ode to Dead Pet Games by ZooCorp.
Creature Collector (Atom) and their partner Flipper (ToadsTown) were kind enough to connect me with my very own fated pony, and I feel truly blessed that such a divine creature has chosen me as its person. 👁️🗨️💛~(>人<)
I suspect there may be a strong overlap between those of us who love Critters and those of us who may be intrigued by ponies and the lost digital pets waiting in Blue Hell. 👀
The final Angel Opossum samples are here, and now it’s time to choose the finish we’ll use across all of the Choir Critters pins!
Please vote for the option you’d most like to see move forward into production. The poll will be open until Aug 20th, and once we have a winner, I’ll post a short follow-up update with the final choice and the upcoming charge date for remaining survey balances!
Hello, everyone! A short but sweet update this time. This is exactly what I was hoping would happen: the pins have arrived and look good, so I'm going to be shipping out orders starting early next week! Hooray! I'm going to lock addresses here soon, you'll get a final notice to that effect, but make sure your addresses are up to date so your pins come to the right place. Thanks again for all your patience so far! I'm looking forward to getting all of you your rewards!
Hi there! This is just a small update to let you know I will be officially closing out this project by EOD August 2nd! If you have not filled out your survey or fix your card you have until Aug 2nd by EOD to do so! Failure to do so will result in you being disqualified from receiving your rewards.
If you have any questions or concerns let me know at [email protected]
I am happy to report most packages have been sent out! Unfortunately it seems my brain fell out of my ears during packaging as I bought cardboard for the small prints but then forgot to put it in when I was sending them out. This has led to some backers receiving damaged prints.
To address this I am happy to resend prints to anyone whose merch was affected by this.
Please fill out this google form with the email you used for backerkit and I will send you a new print next week when I am home. (I am away for a con until then)
