Introducing our next series 2 critter… Hex the Deaf Bee!! Hex represents the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community! Hex comes with two removable cochlear implants!

Hex has a big love for all things mysterious and magical! You will almost always find her surrounded by tarot cards, crystals, candles, and other magical trinkets.

Sometimes people don’t know how to communicate with Hex, but that’s okay! She doesn’t expect everyone to know sign language, but what matters to her is that they’re willing to learn or try! Hex loves teaching and introducing her friends to Deaf culture, and teaching them new signs.

Hex has cochlear implants that she wears sometimes! Cochlear implants are small devices implanted into the inner ear, called the cochlea, with a receiver implanted on the skull! Her implants mimic the function of a healthy inner ear and replace the function of damaged sensory cells in her ear! Hex doesn’t wear them all the time and enjoys silent moments as she grew up with no hearing, so sounds can be overwhelming for her!

Hex serves as a reminder that you can communicate in different ways while still enjoying time with friends!

Fun Fact: bees use a complex system for communication, such as specialized movements (like the waggle dance), chemical scents, and physical touch! 

Hex’s first sample draft is done and she’s already looking adorable! Since we already have a body shape template, sample production is a lot easier on our designers as they can take the base pattern and adjust it to create each critter’s features!!

Our designers are currently working on creating her cochlear implants, which will be removable!

For now, they will only fit Hex as they will have Velcro attachment points on her head for the transmitter and the receiver will be sized to fit around her antennae! We are working on a design that will fit other critters that will be an add-on accessory either during the campaign or as a post-campaign preorder!

Due to having 4 arms, Hex will not fit in our Emotional Support Critter (ESC) jackets. We might make a Hex-specific jacket, especially if we plan on making other 4-armed critters!

We’ll be making the following changes for Hex’s second sample:
- making her facial features bigger (eyes, nose, mouth)
- bigger chest fluff
- change spine embroidery to read “Deaf/HoH”
- make nose 3D
- add velcro (the soft side) to the side of her head for attaching her cochlear implants

What do you think of Hex? Do you have any suggestions for other edits/changes?