Hello bot believers,

Happy impending pride month! I hope you all are well. <3

While folks over on my Discord have gotten to see these bits and bobs as they've come to pass, now that I've survived the gauntlet of Spooky Circuit fulfillment back-to-back with vending a convention in the UK for the first time, I'm due to write a formal update for you amazing folks!!

Literally the day before I left for Confuzzled, a gigantic box of silky, colorful bandanas arrived at my home.

They're all the same airy satin material and the prints look lovely, I'm absolutely pleased. The Water Line colorway is cropped a little closer to the edge than the others for some reason, but not to a degree that's bothersome. I brought a very limited amount of bandanas along with me to the convention, and blue turned out to be the most requested color there by a long shot, which was interesting! (Through this campaign, Earth and Void were most ordered.)

A look at the other two! I ordered a ridiculous amount of extras, so there should be plenty for any additional add-ons during the remainder of our pre-order/survey period, and then some.

Light was the campaign underdog in terms of popularity, but it turned out so subtle and beautiful. I'm low key obsessed.

A handful of campaign backers said hey at Confuzzled, and it was a delight to meet you! Thank you everyone who stopped by!!

So as a summary: I now have the bulk stock in hand for the banners, keychains, and large bandanas. I ordered them early since they're all new items for me and I was uncertain about the turnaround times involved! Next, what's still in progress --

All 11 new bot boards have been sampled and, as we're sitting at a comfy 96% survey response rate, the bulk order has now been placed as well to the tune of 2560 total pins! Here are individual looks at the final three samples:

They turned out precisely as expected, but with the aesthetic of this series so closely tied to the materials themselves I find it's always more satisfying to see them in the metal. I've lost count of how many reviews also said the pictures don't do them justice (and thank you for that!!), but a photo is certainly still a step above a mockup. c:

I've wanted to do this pun since the first Short Circuit Backerkit; pleased to finally have them in the fold. X)

We're on track to have the pins complete by August, for August-September fulfillment of all orders that don't contain a plush or plush sized bandana.

My magnet supplier came through with a sample photo! It looks like I'll have to lighten the darkest grays slightly for a clean read, and otherwise we're golden.

My next art priority is therefore to finish up the piece of Malware & Mozzy so that I can place the bulk magnet order, and move along to formatting files for the sticker orders. Then the very last non-plush item is pin backing cards, which I have printed locally and are the fastest turnaround of all the components that go into these pin campaigns.

As a fun side note, I included small re-orders of both Malware and Mozzy's bot board pins in with the Soft Circuit bulk order! Both of them were sub-30 units left across both A and B (Mozzy being totally out of A Grades, and Malware almost out of Bs) and they're well loved enough to absolutely deserve it. Not every bot will be restocked over time, but I think the future has more in store for these two. <3

Some exciting news: as the total add-on and pre-order funds collected has continued to exceed my expectations, I've been able to once again lower the quantity of Python orders required to unlock their plush incarnation. We're now at 61 out of 64 orders, only 3 away from guaranteed bulk production!

I passed a version of the above flyer (with an added QR code) out at Confuzzled! I'm feeling confident we can secure those last few orders. If you know anybody who needs a robot noodle dragon in their life, definitely be sure to direct them to the Soft Circuit Pre-Order Store. c;

Late April I did receive another update on Byte, and the supplier finally understood about putting the green on the forehead rather than the ears, as a "socket"! The body is still absolutely perfect as well, now we've just got a few tiny embroidery and marking thickness details to shore up.

I keep trying to find different ways to communicate what we're after. They did darken the eye shading portion of the embroidery, but all the way to a brown rather than the requested darker orange. Thankfully the alternate Byte from supplier #2 and Python both are perfect color examples, so I'm hopeful that the next sample will be the one.

Updates are slow from this supplier, but I know I'm an itty bitty fish in the ocean of plush toy manufacturing and the final results will absolutely be worth the wait!

In the meantime, alternate!Byte from supplier #2 showed up - two of them even??

Their small bandanas are printed minky, which is NOT what the official version will be - those will be nylon, as described. The sizing should be about the same though!

One includes weighted particles in the paws and the other does not. Or rather - one tells only lies, and the other always speaks the truth. c;

Though this isn't the version we've gone with for the bulk robots, I'm really glad to have sampled for them as details of the prototypes from supplier #1 and #2 informed the notes I was able to give back and forth, and I REALLY enjoyed working with the representative for #2. I will absolutely be developing a separate line of plushies with them in the future. (Sighthound plush, anyone?? The gangly aspects of this pattern feel like a perfect starting point to stretch out further from!)

The other nice thing to have confirmed is that I like these guys so much better in person than I did in the manufacturer photos, so I can't wait to have official!Byte and Python in hand to take nicer pictures of them as well!

I think that about covers our current status. The hope is to have Byte and Python ready for bulk approval by around August, and everything else in hand. At that point I will lock orders down, charge for add-ons, pre-orders, and shipping, and non-plush orders will begin to go out while the plushies go into production.

The estimated fulfillment timeline for the plush remains January-February, but I will holler if any of that changes the second I have information to the contrary; as I've learned in prototyping, there's really no such thing as giving a plush project too much lead time.

Empowered by backers like you to continue making fun things, I have several upcoming campaigns in the works! Three of them already have teaser pages live, if you'd like to follow along:

🩸 Spectral Circuit, the next update to the Short Circuit 'verse, will be launching with Pintober 2026
🎮 Gears of GAIA, a love letter to another piece of media which straddles the intersection of tech and nature, will follow closely on its heels as part of Tributes
🐕 Proud Noodles will feature colorful sighthounds set to run in 2027 for Pin of Pride

Expect to see development on the artwork direction of all three over the next few months~

Thank you all as ever for being here, I appreciate your support in bringing these funky lil guys to life!! I'll be back in touch soon! 💚

Hello gentle robot enjoyers,

Sampling of the Soft Circuit items has been coming along! All of what I'm about to share may already look familiar if you're in the Short Circuit Discord. Join on up over there to get a first look at all related developments. 💚 Basically the second I receive updates from my manufacturing partners, or as I work on artwork, I get excited and spur-of-the-moment share in the Discord. X)

The supplier of our official Byte has come through with a first look at a Python prototype!!

Above is an unedited photo. The body of this lengthy comrade is almost spot on right out of the gate. The bulk of the adjustments needed are concentrated on and around their face, but this is such a promising first attempt that I'm certain we'll get there.

Here's their adorable noggin with my edits - this is what we're aiming for.

With the dark gray and light gray of the jaw reversed and the mouth embroidery upside-down, I think those pieces of the pattern got straight up swapped! Beyond fixing that and bulking up a few areas, the biggest adjustment is to the snoot length and shaping; I'll keep picking at this guy as long as it takes to nail that, up to and including modeling a 3D reference for them if necessary. As a greyhound person, I absolutely know it's all about the snoot. ;3

Most of the changes on the body are just detail placement, replacing some heavy embroidery with embroidery-lined fabric applique, and adding in a few missing details. Otherwise they pulled it off amazingly and I can't wait to drape this absolute noodle around my shoulders.

We're at 52 Python orders presently! With the amount of other add-on purchases we've gotten so far, I've lowered the goal of orders needed to unlock bulk Python production to 70 units. That means we just need 18 additional orders to make them real for everyone, and I'm feeling confident that we can reach that!! If anyone you know would be into acquiring a tubular robot dragon of their very own, please feel free to slip the Pre-Order Store in their general direction~

The two delightful guest art keychains, Byte Bites and Robot Dog Dreams, are now physically in my possession and they turned out great!

The labels on Byte Bites are even more legible than I'd hoped - you can fully read the "nutrition facts" on the back! - and quite well printed. The PVC candy bar portion is somewhat bendy and squishy, which I find incredibly pleasing.

Dog Dreams came out a nice size, the holographic side catches the light beautifully, and they arrived with protective film on both sides. If you missed out on either of these, they're still available in both the add-on section of your survey and the Pre-Order Store.

Last but certainly not least, a few weeks ago I sent off files for the remaining pins to my manufacturer. Given that the Water and Earth Lines have established colorways, these should look more or less as expected, but as always I want to give you all the opportunity to see photos of the real deal in the metal before you make your final selections.

General reminder that if you backed the campaign proper, please fill out your surveys as soon as possible!

We're currently hovering at 89% completion. If we could get just a few more handled, I can begin ordering bulk quantities for many of the items, which in turn would allow me to fulfill the orders without a plush much sooner.

If you stuck it out to the end of this update, I'm excited to share with you that I have three fresh projects currently in early development, all intended to run as part and parcel of wonderful creator-lead group events! 

The project I'd like to highlight tonight will be my contribution to TRIBUTES.

Planned for this November, TRIBUTES will feature projects designed by a line-up of veteran enamel pin artists, dedicated to video games that hold personal meaning to them. Click on the banner above to explore some the early teasers!

I will be participating with Gears of GAIA, a love letter to the Horizon series - perhaps unsurprising to many of you, given my predilection for the intersection of nature and technology. Due to the wild cause and effect of life those games are also responsible for the manner in which I met my wife and wound up living across the ocean, so it was perhaps the inevitable choice when I was invited to participate.

The sketches currently visible on the teaser page are very preliminary and subject to change! I'm still deciding how far to push the circuits, as I look forward to breaking gimmick on these, but the end result will certainly have some overlap with the design sensibilities I employ for Short Circuit. If anything about that tickles your interest, pop on over there and give the teaser a follow for further updates.

That's all for now - thank you as ever for being here and supporting small independent artists!!

Hey robot realizers,

Regular reminder that you can join the Short Circuit community on Discord for more updates and shenanigans. ♥

THE TIME IS UPON US!

The Soft Circuit survey set up has been approved by Backerkit and the Smoke Test is now LIVE! This means that 5% of you wonderful folks had the survey to select your campaign rewards hit your inbox. (A day later than expected as the flu laid me out earlier this week, but done did grab some much needed rest and then got things finished up!)

If you're among the initial handful Chosen by the system, please fill them out asap so we can ascertain if anything looks amiss. If you do spot a problem, reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns - otherwise, go forth and pick out your lil guys! Once the majority of this first wave has been completed without issue, surveys will be released to all remaining backers.

Four (4) Additional Reminders:

• Shipping will be calculated and added to your total later on (eta around August), and will be charged along with any additional add-ons purchased at that time.

• If your initial pledge payment failed and still needs fixing, you can update your card details via the survey. If it successfully charges in August, you'll still be good to go to receive your goodies.

• Pay-Over-Time backers will automatically receive surveys after your final payment is made.

• The surveys going live will mean that folks who backed the campaign proper may join in to help unlock the Python plush!!

If we do not achieve 75 orders of Python by August, the item will be cancelled and you will not be charged for them. But if we do manage it, then a three foot long, six winged cuddle buddy will be moving to bulk production and wiggling their way into your homes!!

And of course if you missed backing the campaign proper and want to participate in the Python Summoning and/or grab some pins, bandanas, keychains, the Byte plush, and so on: you can do so via the Pre-Order Store!

Looking forward to seeing what bots and friends you pick out, and excited to get more momentum rolling on securing Python~

Thank you as always for being here, and have a fantastic weekend all!

Hey robot enjoyers,

Thank you again for being here! If you'd like even more Short Circuit, feel free to join our community on Discord. 💚

Now that we're a week post-Pintopia and your inboxes have likely calmed down a bit, here's a more detailed overview of what's next:

By now your card should have been charged for your initial pledge payment. It appears that 34 of you had failed or errored card payments on Backerkit's first attempt to collect funds. That's perfectly okay, and happens - especially with large event such as Pintopia where multiple charges pinging a card appear suspicious to some banks - you have time to fix this!

To assure the smoothest experience possible, please do try and correct your payment within the next week!

Some helpful links about how to do so:

🔗 Why payments fail & how to fix them
🔗 How to update your payment method

Thank you for being on top of this! Receiving payments in a timely fashion helps me keep the production of all our lil guys moving as expected.

I am working away at the backend of the campaign, and I plan to send out surveys on the 26th of February (one week from now). Smoke tests may go live a day or so before then, I'll holler in this space when they do!

If you're new to the Backerkit experience: the survey is where you will make choices to confirm which pledge level and campaign add-on rewards you would like to receive, and then you will have the option to add additional items to your order if desired. During the survey you will also fill out your shipping information, so I know where to send your rewards. The cost of any additional add-ons and shipping will be charged later on.

This information can be edited at any time up until surveys lock - and your address locks separately, so you are able to adjust where your goodies are headed up until fulfillment itself!

Pay-Over-Time backers will receive their surveys automatically once their final payment has been made.

If you backed my first Short Circuit or Spooky Circuit campaign, you may be accustomed to seeing shipping charges estimated up front when filling out your survey or making a purchase through the pre-order store. This time, that will not be the case - shipping will be calculated after all prototyping is complete, and charged with any additional add-on costs when it comes time to place the final bulk orders!

I use weight-based shipping profiles to determine these costs, and while I have an approximate range of what to expect for some of the new items, I cannot accurately complete these until I have prototypes of everything on hand to weigh. If you'd like an early estimate based on your location, please refer to the chart on the main campaign page or feel free to reach out to me at any time.

Timeline wise, as also noted on the Story page, I've added a lot of padding to account for our first foray into plush! I commissioned the Byte prototype back in early November and we're currently awaiting our third and hopefully final round of fiddly little edits. After I've seen them in person to confirm the details, we have up to a few months bulk production time, and then over a month of shipping to me (plush orders are physically much larger than pins and travel by sea).

The Python prototype was also paid for a few weeks ago, and we should get a first look at them sometime after the Lunar New Year (most suppliers are located in China and take a much-deserved break during this time)! Their potential prototyping time was also accounted for in the original estimate of February 2027.

Anyone who ordered only some of the smaller items, such as pins and stickers, can expect earlier fulfillment (likely August-September 2026). The plush-sized bandanas will ship to me with our soft robot friends, as they're being handled by the same supplier, so are on the same timeline as the plushies in general.

If you missed out on Pintopia but still want to grab some pins, bandanas, banners, keychains, magnets, plushies, or stickers -- you're in luck! The Pre-Order Store is open and offers individual selection of many of the items funded by the campaign, along with the opportunity to help unlock the Python plush.

Backers of the campaign proper will have the chance to help unlock Python and add more items to your orders during the survey, so sit tight for another week!!

Now that we've got the administrative update out of the way -- a few of my amazing suppliers shipped out samples to me just prior to going on break for the Lunar New Year -- so onward to fresh pictures!!

The banner sample arrived in person first, which I'm delighted to say looks just as excellent as expected.

Then a day later, I was surprised with pin sample mail!!

So naturally, I loaded up the banner even more~

This is everyone other than Softwere, Else, and Octave (I'll be having them sampled as well once my pin manu is back from break!), plus some duplicates (put two Mini Pause and two Northern Lights Honeypot on there for fun), accidental variants (green and gold ear Nibble), and sample-only variants that never got mass produced (the Fire and Water versions of Leaf), so this is about how full the banner would be with the current complete collection.

While taking photos, I made a couple attempts to show off the material. It seems sturdy and is very smooth to the touch!

Like any fabric, it is possible to put a run in it while shoving the pin posts through if you're not gentle. I'd recommend over cork board (safest) or carefully putting pressure on either side of each post with your fingers (emphasis on the carefully part of that approach, of course). I accidentally dinged it a bit because I did my stabbing over couch cushions - I should know better! But it's been hanging up for a few days now and seems to take the weight of hella pins in stride, so I'm pleased with the quality.

Pin mail also means we finally get to see the complete Northern Lights samples with their epoxy layer added, so here's a closer look at them:

And of course, a first proper look at Heap in that colorway!!

Mini Pause looks even more adorable than I could have anticipated, and the level of detail on such a small pin blows me away --

Really just, itty bitty??

Another fun aspect of the newest pins: the Void Line bot-boards feature black star clutches, so Light was given matching yellow versions -- and then the Northern Lights alternates have cute little blue hearts, because I could not help myself. (Yes I absolutely need to do a Transistor variant in this colorway in the future regardless, because these really are too perfect for that.)

And then TODAY: the updated bandana sample arrived, and YES the sizing and placement of the component space works perfectly now!!

Absolutely DELIGHTED with them now, they're perfect.

Same breezy satin material, same delightfully gigantic size -- but now with the perfect pin interface, as intended.

That's all for now, you'll hear from me next when survey smoke tests are out! The majority of folks who expressed interest in the Python plush did also back the campaign for other items, so I'm excited to see how our purchase-to-unlock progresses once surveys go live.

Have a fantastic week! 🐺🐉💜

Hey powerful bot summoners,

Short and sweet as I very much need to get into bed, but I didn't want to turn in before hollering a resounding THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your support!! Every pledge, comment, and share has meant so, so much, and I'm endlessly grateful that these lil robots resonate with so many of you! <3

I'll write up a lengthier post about what you can expect next in the days to come, but first and foremost: even though the time for pledge level combos has been tucked away, many of the individual items from the campaign are now available in the Pre-Order Store!

(IMPORTANT: TO AVOID ULTIMATELY PAYING EXTRA SHIPPING, IF YOU BACKED THE CAMPAIGN DO NOT USE THE PRE-ORDER STORE. You will have the opportunity to add more items to your pledge during the add-on portion of your survey!!)

As promised:

You'll notice that Python has been set up as a "purchase to unlock" item!

This will also appear in the add-ons of your surveys, which should go out in two weeks time, once Stripe has finished processing your initial pledges. (Backerkit and Stripe should begin attempting to charge your cards over the next 48 hours or so! If they error for any reason, don't panic! You will have time to fix this.)

More on all that later. For now, once again, y'allemaal are AMAZING for blowing away all our other goals, and I would not be surprised if Python were soon to follow. c; It's incredible how many Bytes, bot-board pins, bandanas, and more will be brought online and headed to cozy homes.

Have a wonderful night! 💚💚💚