As members of my Discord heard yesterday, the Spooky Circuit leftovers have at last been inventoried, photographed, and made available for purchase!
If you wanted to add some of the pins/stickers/patches therein to your Soft Circuit orders, the leftovers have now been appended to the add-ons and pre-order store.
Now's your chance to grab Remnant and friends!
Pardon the slight delay on getting these live - my grandfather passed unexpectedly last month, which prompted me to make a surprise trip back across the ocean to attend his funeral and spend some much needed time with family. I'm finally back home and getting back up to speed on everything. <3
How to add the Spooky Goods to your order varies based on the form it initially took, and whether or not you wish to combine it or expedite it:
🐺 If you backed the campaign proper, you can edit your survey to add them to your order.
🐉 If you did not back the campaign and previously made a pre-order, I can manually add the desired item(s) to help you avoid paying shipping twice. Email [email protected] with the email you used in your order, along with what item(s) you'd like to add, and I will help you out!
🐈 If you backed for a plush or plush bandana and want to place a Spooky order that ships sooner than the estimated plush fulfillment timeline (January-February), placing a separate pre-order that does not include a plush or plush bandana is a way to accomplish this on purpose.
All other Soft Circuit orders are set to fulfill in September, which brings me to my next update.
Current Fulfillment Timeline
I checked in with my pin factory representative to ascertain the status of our order:
Box one of two!
Everything except the Northern Lights variants are done, as rainbow plating takes longer to complete; it's absolutely worth the wait though, because as we saw with the Spooky Void Line, this manufacturer absolutely knocks the anodized treatment out of the park with lots of beautiful variation. All the other designs are finished and packed!
My rep estimates the pins will be ready to ship to me in about two weeks time. From there, they take at least a week to reach me, and then I must once again undertake the long process of grading them - examining each of the thousands of pins one by one for quality control - followed by fixing them to their backing cards. This generally takes me another month to complete, so we can now expect all non-plush orders to fulfill in late September.
As plush sampling seems set to indeed wrap up by August, orders with plush and plush bandanas are currently still estimated for January-February fulfillment. Add-ons and shipping will also be charged in September rather than August!
I cannot accurately calculate the final plush shipping until I have the prototypes in hand to weigh and box-fit test. If they haven't reached me by then, I will segment out shipping charges for the plush orders to happen at a later date. I'll keep all of you in the loop about when charges will occur, and you will also receive an email alert 48 hours prior. :)
Byte Prototype Finished!
Speaking of which - our final fiddly little details on Byte have been squared away!! My rep from that supplier sent me a video as final confirmation, so here are a couple stills from that:
The spacing of all the facial details looks perfect now!
She looks absolutely spot-on and is giving 90s robot dog in the very best way, I cannot wait to meet her in person. You can see this friend in motion over on my BlueSky or Mastodon!
Python's Third Prototype
I'm also excited to declare that we're down to last granular adjustments on Python!
Almost there!!
Happily, the square sockets were able to be moved directly under the wings after all with the current materials, just by shifting the seam placement! And the nose pit arrangement looks correct in this pass as well.
The supplier has concluded the only way to fully show off this absolute noodle is to dangle them, hahah
The top vs bottom wing embroidery now includes the desired subtle variation in line placement, so that the panels overlap more like feathers.
I'm so pleased with the wings!
I sent along my final adjustment notes as well —
All picky little requests, since they look wonderful as is too now~
The designer I'm working with has since clarified that due to how thin the horns are, applique + embroidery would make the corners too stiff, so they were made with splicing instead. So contrary to my change requests, those will remain fabric only/as they are, which looks great and is fine by me.
We've now hit an incredible 67 pre-orders for Python, so thank you again for loving this playful noodlefriend! I'm hoping it will only take one or two more revisions tops to land on their final, and then all the prototypes can make their way to me.
Plush Bandanas
I've also received photos of the other colorways of the plush-sized bandana, and even in the factory lighting they're looking crisp and vibrant! I look forward to being able to photograph Byte and Python wearing each of these myself once the samples arrive. 😊
All six Unit Line colorways, to plug in bot boards on your plush~
Magnets
The final Soft Circuit goodie update is that I now have the character magnets in hand, which calls for celebratory photos.
How they look as a set!
I'm pleased with how they turned out, and the magnetic backing on them is nice and strong too.
They're right at home on a fridge.
I ordered plenty of extras, so if you missed out on adding these guys to your order before, you can still do so up until things lock down in September!
More Sneak Peeks of Upcoming Campaigns
The gears keep turning, so to wrap up I'd like to offer two more pin-in-progress sneak peeks~
A pyrotechnic puppy and bearded vulture that will be up for funding this autumn!
That brings us up to date on the current status of everything for now! If you have any questions at all or need help with your orders, feel free to reach out to me at any time. Thank you as ever for being here. <3
As always, tossing in a reminder that if you want news about developments on any Short Circuit goodies or my art in general fastest, be sure tojoin my Discord and peek at the development channels.
That being said, it's formal update time to let y'allemaal know that --
THE PYTHON PLUSH HAS SECURED FULL PRODUCTION! 💜💜💜
Celebratory pre-order store and add-on image update!!
Economic circumstances are tricky for many at the moment and we kept wavering from within 1-3 orders of meeting our previous goal, so I investigated procuring a smaller quantity of Pythons if necessary when it comes to bulk order time. Though the margin per plush will definitely give me much less wiggle room, it's doable and I really want them to exist! At the time of writing we're sitting at 62 orders and that's plenty for this revised outlook, so everyone who orders a Python plush will receive one!!
The retail price for any leftover Pythons post-Soft Circuit fulfillment will definitely have to be higher, so grab one now if you know you'd enjoy the companionship of this silly noodle. You can add a Python to your pledge via the add-on section of your survey. If you didn't back the campaign, they can also be purchased via the Soft Circuit Pre-Order Store. Post-campaign add-ons, pre-orders, and shipping will not be charged until August. If you need any help adjusting your order, don't hesitate to reach out. :]
Byte & Python Prototype Status
In related news, I'm still going back and forth with our supplier to iron out the last particulars on these two friends, but we are so close now.
Who all is READY for this goober to come home??
Byte is genuinely ALMOST there, it's now just down to two picky spacing details on the face: the width of the strips in her ears, and the spacing of the eyes. All the other lingering change requests have now been addressed!
The tiniest nudges, but details really do make all the difference.
I'm very grateful to this manufacturer and the designer they have assigned to us for their patience and hard work. Knock on wood that the next sample will be ready to head to me for final approval!
I'm continuously looking for ways to better communicate with them, and put together GIFs of the desired shifts as well!
You've already peeped the latest Python prototype in the top of this post, but here they are agai--
Purest recreation of the SHUT meme that I've witnessed in quite some time, hahah
Oh, hm. The noodle child has been temporarily SILENCED. 😂 And also shaken down, as I requested a video of them being wiggled about to get a sense of the stuffing level (you can view it on Mastodon or Bluesky). But don't worry, for Python this is all in good fun and they'll be sending you a fresh volley of cheerful greetings in no time at all!
Great improvement for a second sample, so now Python is on to the details as well!
Above are the change notes I sent along! I made another attempt to convey that the top and bottom wing embroidery should differ slightly. Giving them the vague illusion of layering like feathers should is a detail I love, even though they're not bird wings per se.
My rep also came back with the information that those small purple squares under the wings (meant to be "sockets" where the wings attach) can't be moved right up against the wings as I've requested for production. I asked if it would be possible with other adjustments, such as removing the embroidered border, and was told no, the only method they'll be able to achieve that placement would be fabric printing. For such a small detail, I gave the go-ahead to see how that looks on the next sample. If it looks good, then neat! If not, I'll either remove those squares or dig into additional options. As ever fear not, I'm particular as heck and dedicated to making sure these guys look their best.
I'm really pleased with how Python is shaping up, and I hope you love them so far too!! If you know anyone who needs a plush pup or noodle in their life, please don't hesitate to pass the link along. Word of mouth is the best gift y'all can give an independent artist. <3
Speaking of art:
Finished Malware & Mozzy Illustration
You lovely folks voted on which robots should hangout, and at last here is the finished result!
When everything feels overwhelming, don't forget to have fun!
Play isn't within these units' intended range of functionality, but the Short Circuit bots all run a bit contrary to their designs in delightful ways -- it looks like Malware and Mozzy learned the importance of fun for its own sake, and are engaged in a rousing game of tag!
Once finished, I settled the bulk order of magnets with that supplier asap. I'm pleased to report they were speedy as heck and production has already completed:
All these goobers are here to remind you of the softer things in life <3
As with most other items, these magnets can still be added on to your pledges via the survey or pre-ordered in the store if you did not back the campaign proper. 💛
Spooky Circuit Leftovers
Miss out on any of the Spooky Circuit units? You'll have a second chance to get your paws on them!
These friends are almost in reeeeeach
I wanted to add some of the Spooky leftovers to the Soft Circuit store in June (so that they'll be available to grab with combined shipping), but life has been throwing curve balls at me lately. Soon though! I need to finish editing the product photos and setting up their associated add-ons; I will holler again in this space when they are available.
Previews of What's Next!
Finally a reminder that thanks to folks like you, 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
The upcoming pin designs will include a number of fun creatures, but here's an additional teaser for you: if you're a deer enjoyer, you'll be eating well --
These pins are subject to adjustment as I fiddle with them, but are starting to come together!
Thank you all as ever for being here, I appreciate your support! Take it easy and stay safe if you're experiencing one of the many heatwaves going around, and regardless of location I hope you are well. <3
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!!
Large Bandanas Have Landed
Literally the day before I left for Confuzzled, a gigantic box of silky, colorful bandanas arrived at my home.
Water, Fire, Air, and Earth
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.)
Void and Light
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.
Modeling Light with Transistor plugged in
Light was the campaign underdog in terms of popularity, but it turned out so subtle and beautiful. I'm low key obsessed.
Table at CFz!
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 --
Soft Circuit Pins
Peep Honeypot catching the last rays of sunset there <3
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:
Else
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:
Softwere
I've wanted to do this pun since the first Short Circuit Backerkit; pleased to finally have them in the fold. X)
Octave
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.
Magnets and Stickers
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.
These cuddly babies do my heart so good
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.
Their sketch has been cleaned up and inking is underway!
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
Plushies!!
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!
Eagerly looking forward to the second prototype!!
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.
She looks so huggable, no notes at all on this part!
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.
I'm perhaps wildly picky about colors and spacing, but facial details really define the personality
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!
So so close!!
In the meantime, alternate!Byte from supplier #2 showed up - two of them even??
Mirror Mirror TWIN Children ohmygoodness
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!
They're goofy and wonderful and I wish we could produce both versions tbh because I love them too
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!)
f a t a l i t y
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.
After Soft Circuit, What's Next?
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! 💚
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)
PYTHON
The supplier of our official Byte has come through with a first look at a Python prototype!!
Long, longgg, friendddddd
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.
A cheerful blep in progress!
Here's their adorable noggin with my edits - this is what we're aiming for.
Lil buddy had a minor transporter accident, but we'll get them sorted!
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
All those WINGS, AAAAAA
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~
KEYCHAINS
The two delightful guest art keychains, Byte Bites and Robot Dog Dreams, are now physically in my possession and they turned out great!
The snack that bytes back!
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.
Colorful dreams~
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 THREE PINS
Part of a pin invoice sheet!
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.
SURVEYS
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.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
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.
One of my early noodlings!
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!!
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!!
This will appear in the add-on section of your survey!
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!
