A cozy old-town bookstore is home to two resident cats, Puss and Books, whose everyday antics are told across a series of enamel pin illustrations. The launch is now set for Wed. Oct 28th!
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Puss & Books: Bookstore Cats Enamel Pins · 91 following
UPDATE: Planning on Launching Wednesday, Oct. 28nd!
I’m new to BackerKit, so I’ve been spending some time looking around, studying what works and what doesn’t. (I’ve also somehow become a backer on a few projects myself. Couldn’t help it—there are some really good things out there!) Of course, looking around gets my mind wandering. Before long, I’m imagining new ideas, designs, and characters. Two things I’ve noticed here on Backer Kit: there are a LOT of cat lovers AND a LOT of book lovers.
Puss & Books is my next enamel pin series, set inside a cozy, old-fashioned bookstore “ruled” by two very different cats.
'Puss': The black cat is silent, sharp-eyed, stealthy, calculating, and she's always three moves ahead.
'Books': The orange cat is frantic, wide-eyed, accident-prone, and forever getting himself into exactly the kind of predicament Puss already saw coming.
Original Pencil Sketch for Pin-1 Stacked
It's a small bookstore world for these two cats, with books, and their antics among the bookshelves. Follow along as I tell the visual story of Puss & Books, one enamel pin at a time—launching late October.
Be sure to stop by in the coming weeks for updates, sketches, polls, and other cat/book-related things. Hope to see you there!
Slightly Related I’ve drawn quite a few cats with books over the years, so I thought I’d share one of my inked cartoons. The two cats in it have a dynamic very similar to Puss & Books.
My inked cartoon, 'Two Cats and a Stack'
The cartoon was inspired by seeing two cats together: one seemed young, energetic, and prone to chaos, while the other sat calmly, watching its companion act like a lunatic.
Old Idea, New Twist Even before the sketches above, I’d come up with the name Puss-N-Books in 2021 for a drawing I made using Procreate. It showed a black cat reading a book; (added the banner and name on a separate layer.)
The original digital drawing of the name + concept circa 2021
This drawing was part of a challenge I’d set for myself: create simple character illustrations using only red, black, and white. I never did anything with that image, but the name and idea stuck.
Latest from the Creator
Jim "ARRRGGGHHH" Romer
1 day ago
Puss & Books Enamel Pin Design: Bookends
Here's the latest enamel pin design reveal, Bookends. One of the set of two, long pins, (about 2/5" wide.) Poll #2 Please also help vote below in the 2nd poll for: Books expression on his mini-pin.
Bearing down on the final days before launch, I’m still fine-tuning the artwork for the presentation.
ABOVE: The artwork for the base 6 pin designs, shown in 'actual size' relative to each other.
Pin Sizes
The core 6 designs come in three sizes:
Long Pins (about 2.5" at the longest side): Stackand Bookends
1:1 Pins (about 1.5" x 1.5"): Reading and Cozy Book
Mini Pins (about 1" wide): one face pin for each cat, Puss Face and Books Face (** see polls)
Free Mini-Pin Offer Backers who join within the first 48 hours get a free mini pin of their choice, Puss Face or Books Face. Both minis will also be available as add-ons for backers who want both, or who miss the 48-hour window.
Stretch Goals
$1,500: Gold foil stamping on the pin backer cards.
$2,000: Unlocks the larger 7th mystery pin, Shelved, about 2.5" x 2.25".
** Two Polls Please vote in the two polls to decide the expressions for the two mini pins. Below is the mini-pin #1 poll for Puss. The mini-pin #2 poll for Books is posted separately.
Thank you for your interest in the project. The Update: We’re moving the Puss & Books launch date back one week to Wed, Oct 28th. The main reason: this gives us time to finalize the campaign and avoid overlapping with Pintober 2026 (when so many other enamel pin projects are launching at once in the same week).
This extra time also lets us add new backer perks:
Early-bird bonus: a free 1" mini-pin for backers in the first 48 hours
Follower reward: a free sticker for backers who followed the project
Stretch goal: a possible 7th pin design is in the works.
I hope everyone understands. . . I believe this is the smarter move for the success of the project.
Puss has found the comfiest spot in the book shoppe: a giant tome, all to herself. Nightcap on, striped socks tucked in, and not a care in the world. This 2" enamel pin is the third design in the Puss & Books series.
Note: Followers get to see the Exclusive Content of my original pen sketch below.
A week ago I asked you all to vote for the title you’d prefer to see on the book that ‘Books’ is reading. The winner of the poll was “Puss in Boots,” just beating out “Cat in the Hat” by a single vote.
Below is the winning title placed on the book cover.
Thanks to everyone who helped in the poll.
(Note: More Exclusive Content is shown below for followers only: showing my personal character guide.)
I'd love your feedback on what the title should be for the Puss & Books Enamel Pin Design #2. (That's the illustration seen above: the little orange cat, named Books, reading a red book.)
I added the poll below to see what title the majority prefers on the red book's cover. The poll will be up for a week, ending on Monday, Oct. 12 (aka Indigenous Peoples' Day). The votes will be seen as they are submitted.
Please note: The winning poll selection is not automatically guaranteed to be used. The final choice will depend on the enamel pin manufacturer's recommendation about what will remain readable and recognizable on a 2-inch pin. Quality and legibility come first.
Also note: The title samples generated for this poll are not part of the final artwork. And Books will be holding the book upside down (it is the nature of his character to do so.)
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