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Hey everybunny!
I'm still plucking away at orders a few batches at a time. There are currently 113 US Orders remaining. (A few folks have finished their surveys, so the number got boosted a lil!) The current plan is to have these out by the end of June. June is a slow month for me, so I should be able to focus all of my energy into packing. Once I get all the US orders out, I'm going to take a hard look at my books and get an estimate of the remaining shipping costs. As y'all know, the current state of international trading is... not great. I've been using PirateShip's Simple Export to keep international shipping costs as low as possible, but it's not available for bigger orders.
I wish I had more to update in those regards, but truthfully, I'm just trying to take it all one step at a time. A big thank you to my international customers especially for their patience! Y'all have been real troopers.
Galaxycon Nashville
And lastly, since it's been a hot minute, I figured I'd address some frequently asked questions as well!
"I received my tracking number, but there hasn't been any progress on it."
"How do I get the wrinkles out of my plushies?"
1. Beat the ever-loving sh*t out of them. Shake 'em up. Stomp 'em.
2. Toss them in the dryer for 10-15 minutes with a damp washcloth on a low tumble cycle! This method works especially well with Mumble, since her ears are prone to holding onto their wrinkles.
3. If you DO have a steamer for some reason, this helps to knock out the wrinkles.
"Will you be selling these again?"
My current debt is sitting at about $10k for this campaign. It's going to take me a few years to climb out of that hole. Until then, I will not be able to restock these plushies. Once the extras are sold, they're gone for good. I have cut ties with the manufacturer who designed these plushies, so I would need to start the manufacturing process all over again.
That being said, I still love the Hurtsies. I have grown a bit distant and resentful towards them during this campaign, but I'm hoping to work them back into my stationery lines once the dust has settled. So while there won't be any plushes of them available for a long time, you might be able to find their designs in other mediums.
Lops of love, and see y'all again soon!
-Loppy Rae
I am prepping this month's batch of orders. I am aiming to get a batch of 50 out by the end of the month.
I will be at Fanboy ATG this weekend! If you are in or around the area and would like to pop in to pick up your Hurtsies, please e-mail me and I'll make sure your order is ready for pickup. Additionally, if you're in Knox, but not going to Fanboy, we can discuss a public meet up point!
I also had some folks (both international and US) ask if they were to order from my shop, could they have their Hurtsies included with their order. I am happy to do this! Please just make sure to add a note to your order with your Hurtsies order number, and I can get that squared away. Unfortunately, I still cannot ship out to the EU/UK, so I cannot combine orders for those countries.
We're in the throes of tax season here in the US. And let me tell you, filing taxes is enough of a headache without having to figure out how to deal with a loss. Luckily, I should be able to claim all of the wire fraud as a loss. I'm not sure what this will mean for me financially, but I'm hoping that I will either owe nothing, or get a small amount returned to help chip away at the debt.
The cost of shipping so far has me sitting at about $7k in credit card debt. I'm trying desperately to not put any more on my card, so batches have been smaller. However, I don't want to drag this project out any longer than I have to, so I've been weighing all of my options. I also have been refunding people where I can, but again, it takes time for me to earn that money back to issue refunds. (Especially with the larger ones.)
Again, I'm not trying to throw a pity party for myself here, but I hope the context can help explain my slowness.
And for further clarification, most of this community has been nothing but kind to me. Seriously! Sometimes I can't help but get a bit weepy over how compassionate y'all are. The bad experiences have been few and far between compared to the overwhelming kindness and patience I've been shown.
Once this project is all said and done, I would love to put together a gift for everyone who has supported me for this entire train wreck. A digital download would probably be the most efficient, I think? Please let me know what sorts of things you'd like to see. I was considering a little phone wallpaper + icon set!
Sorry for how truly messy this update was. I hope it made even a teeny tiny bit of sense.
My next update will hopefully be sooner rather than later!
Lops of love,
-Loppy Rae
Ideally, I would like to have US orders wrapped up by the end of April.
In full transparency, however, I have had to work in small batches due to financial issues. As most of you are aware, due to the wire fraud, my entire budget was upended. The money originally allotted to fulfillment was spent just getting the plushies through production. All this to say, fulfillment has been going slowly because I've been pulling the money for shipping labels out of my personal account. However, I've long since drained by personal and business savings. Shipping costs have increased exponentially since the initial campaign, so I'm only able to work in small batches of 50 or so. I've had to take breaks between batches to push commissions or sales in my shop to fund the next round of labels.
In order to speed the process up, I may auction a couple of the protoype Hurtsies, or the weird cursed ones I've found while grading plushes. I'm not sure if anyone would be interested, but I'll post them on my Insta or Twitter if I do go through with the idea.
Again, I can't stress enough that I'm not trying to make excuses. It's really hard to write about everything without sounding like I'm throwing a huge pity party for myself.
It's not ideal, and I apologize that y'all are having to continue waiting. I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I am SO grateful for y'all's patience. I don't think I could survive this whole conundrum if I haven't been met with such kindness and grace. I know supporting a crowdfunding campaign is a gamble in and of itself. I've heard of many campaigns gone wrong, and I never expected to be at the center of one. Even if this whole campaign has gone to shit, I hope I can prove that I'll see things through to the very end, at the very least.
Also, as a side note, it is just me here! I've had a lot of e-mails coming in addressing Riot, and I regret to inform that I had to let Riot go in early 2025 due to being unable to afford their services. Please don't reach out to them for campaign updates. At any point, y'all can reach out to me via e-mail with questions or concerns. My e-mail is [email protected]. I try to respond at least once a week.
Lops of love,
Loppy Rae
Just a quick update on shipping progress:
As of now, there are 470 orders remaining to be shipped!
Of those orders, 168 orders are international.
I am hoping to wrap up US shipping in the next few months, and will be comparing prices for international fulfillment services that can fit into my budget in the meantime.
Certainly, I sound like a broken record at this point, but I'd like to extend my apologies again for all the road bumps in this project. It has been almost an entire year since the initial wire fraud fiasco, and I have still not recovered financially. This year was incredibly unforgiving for small businesses, and losing $13k on top of my drastically declining revenue has not left me in the best shape. In full transparency, the remainder of this project is being funded via credit card.
I have received a couple of complaints that people were not satisfied with their plushies, and I apologize if that's been the case for you. If you're not happy with the plushes, that's entirely valid. However, at this point, I just do not have any funding to request the factory remake the plushies. The factory has not been cooperative, and has refused to take accountability for the hacking that led to the financial loss in the first place. I understand if people are frustrated after the wait, but all I can offer is a refund at this point once the plushies are returned to my home office.
I apologize if any of this was poorly worded. I really struggle with discussing this whole situation, because I don't want to come across as guilt-tripping my audience. It's hard to strike that balance, especially when all I can do is share words across a screen. All I know, all I can promise, is that this project will be completed if it's the last darn thing I do. But in the mean time, I'm incredibly tired, and I'm just trying my best to keep my head above water. I don't expect pity or forgiveness, but I do hope everyone realizes that I am doing the best with the hand I was dealt.
I'll be back in another month for another progress update. In the mean time, if you'd like a progress update, just shoot me an e-mail! And again, if you'd rather have a refund than wait for your order, you can reach out to me at any time!
Hello everybunny! Just checking in to say that I'm still working hard to get all these babies packed. So far, I have shipped 383 out of 860 orders. I'm almost halfway there. I'm currently working through the Two Plush tier at the moment.
Thank you all for your ongoing patience. With the holidays coming up, I may slow shipping down just a smidge. I don't want to risk them getting lost in the holiday muck, or being left out while people are out of town.
If you're moving or need adjustments to your orders, remember you can reach out to me via e-mail at any time for assistance. (I'm sorry this update isn't more beefy, there's not much interesting going on behind the scenes aside from me swimming through seas of zombie buns.)
Hello everybunny!
Fluffing Your Hurtsies
Once your Hurtsie arrives, make sure to give them a good fluff. Maybe toss them around a little to get them back into shape. You can put them on a gentle fluff cycle as well if you have a dryer available to you! It may take a couple days for all the wrinkles to fall out, but a good snuggle will help speed the process along.
(If you receive an extra skrunkly-looking Hurtsie, you should definitely post so we can all laugh over it.)
"Will there be extras?"
The add-ons such as charms, sticker sheets, and patches, may get posted up in my shop sooner rather than later to help recover expenses. I've already packed all of the inserts with add-ons, so there's plenty of extras to go around there!
If you need help with your Hurtsies, please e-mail me directly at [email protected] so your message doesn't get lost! I'm always always happy to help!
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Project Update: 1/23 SAMPLE UPDATE
Hi everybunny! All Hurtsies samples arrived safely to Loppy's home!
Loppy is very pleased with the samples! There will be some minor color tweaks, and adjustments to the functional parts of each plushie needs to be made. Loppy's next update will include detailed information on each edit!
PRODUCTION TIMELINE UPDATE
We do sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding. Because of the uniquely interactive nature regarding the plushies, Loppy is continuing to take extra due diligence at ensuring perfection. For example: Loppy is making sure zippers are sturdy enough for wear and tear. In Mishmash's case while he looks great visually, his stuffing needs adjusted so he can be better used as a backpack.
WHEN WILL I BE CHARGED?
Stay tuned for our next update!
Lops of Love,
Riot & Loppy
Project Update: Survey Deadline Extensive + Canada Post Update!
RE: Surveys
We have also resolved the issue with the sticker sheet pricing! If you're still having trouble, just send us an e-mail and we will look into it for you! Sorry for the scare!
Pre-Order Store
Canada Post
Project Update: PRE-ORDER STORE IS LIVE + SURVEY UPDATE + Sample Recap!
The Pre-Order Store is now live! If you missed out on pledging in the original campaign, you can place your order here! Your order will follow the same production timeline as original backers. The Pre-Order store will close on 9:00pm ET December 19, 2024.
SURVEY UPDATE
Surveys are in the process of being reviewed and will be sent out over the next few days.* If you backed this project, this is where you get to choose your Hurtsies and modify your pledge! You can also add on items. IMPORTANT: If your payment previously failed after the campaign ended you will not receive a survey. You MUST resubmit your payment to receive your survey.
*Full disclosure, I did not realize that a review was required for the surveys too, and mistook it for the smoke testing. I value honesty so I'm gonna take full accountability for my own blunder! I had everything set up and ready to go but neglected to submit for review because I thought that's what smoke testing was for. >< That ain't anyone's fault but my own, so I'll adjust timelines however I need to account for my mistake. We will be placing orders for bulk this week, so it's important we know how much of each design to order. <3
Thank you all for your patience! I delayed surveys because a lot of backers expressed concern with choosing a plush before they had a good idea of what it looked like. Thatās a sentiment I can totally get behind. So I wanted to get a good sample image for each design before sending out the final surveys. Itās important to me that I provide a great product for all of you. These samples still need minor tweaks, but to stay on track with the original schedule as best as possible. I will continue to update yāall, and look forward to getting the samples in hand so I can provide more photos and videos!š
Iām going to go through each of the Hurtsies, changes I made, and final revisions. Before starting, most of the samples will have color revisions! My manufacturer will be sending a color book with the samples so that we can change them to a more accurate color without all the guess work. (Factory lighting makes it hard to communicate the perfect shade!)
Please keep in mind! I will be able to provide better photos and videos once the samples are in hand. For now, please allow some wiggle room for photo angles and factory lighting. Letās get into it! š
Grimsley (The OG!)
Interactive Feature: Removable Guts
Interactive Feature: Removable Brain! Nibbles has a zipper located at the top of his head, with a removable brain coin purse inside.
The location of the zipper was moved up so as not to distort the shape of the head. The original placement had the head looking a bit flat up top. The brain, rather than being a stress ball, will be made into a coin purse. Due to the scale, getting the shape and detail correct was difficult. The small coin purse allows more detail and also more functionality. This way a real stress ball could be inserted into it, or other small items.
Revisions for Final Sample
- Slight adjustments to facial embroidery (see: blood spatter on face.)
- Brain is in the process of being revamped entirely.
- Padding in ears.
Interactive Feature: Doubles as a backpack! Mishmash has two storage compartments: a large pouch in his head, and a smaller compartment in his body.
Mishmashās base pattern differs slightly from the other Hurtsies so that he looks more squishy and floppy when he hangs around on your back! His legs are a bit longer so they can dangle, but can be posed to mimic the sitting pose of the other Hurtsies. In this photo, he is posed head-on.
Interactive Feature: Brain Worms! Wiggles has a zipper located at the top of her head, with three plush worms inside. The worms double as little fidget toys, with a fun spiral design to whirl around your fingers.
Like Nibbles, we raised the zipper placement to keep the head shape from distorting. Not many other changes need to be made to Wiggles except for adjustments to her color!
Revisions for Final Sample:
- Color revisions (belly fabric + embroidery fabric.)
- Padding in ears.
Interactive Feature: Removable Bones! Grave Robbert has a zipper located on his belly, with a set of removable bones, as well as a headband in the shape of a spinal cord!
NOTE: We have not yet received the latest sample image of Grave Robbert. Our biggest challenge has been his mask marking. Due to the position and size, there is a bit of puckering with the stitches due to close proximity with the seams.
Revisions for Final Sample:
- Adjustments to face marking to reduce puckering around mask.
- Head shape and size adjusted to match others.
- Headband will be longer with less exposed elastic.
Revisions for Final Sample:
- Color Revisions to body and embroidery thread.
- Hair adjusted to match original character.
Interactive Feature: Removable Bandage Headwrap + A Bandage Ear!
Mumbleās zipper is located on his back, disguised as a claw mark. In his zipper pouch, he has an additional bandage head-wrap. His long ear can be wrapped around him (like a mummy!) We have been making slight adjustments to his bandage placements. I will be able to provide a better selection of photos when the samples arrive at the home office!
Revisions for Final Sample:
- Color Revisions
Gruff has been one of the more difficult designs, but I love him in all his silly glory! Unfortunately, due to the size of the plush, we couldn't really do the removable teeth, so we leaned into the zipper mouth! He functions much like Mishmash for storage. To resolve the teeth issue, I designed a cute little toothy charm freebie to go with his design for backers. A pink design is available as an add-on, but a candy corn-themed design will be included with Gruff. <3
Gruff also has similar issues as Grave Robbert in regards to his marking, so we are working for a resolution to that!
Revisions for Final Sample:
- Color Revisions
- Revising Tongue & Mouth Shape
Here's a full view of the journey each sample went through (not including Grimsley!) Grave Robbert and Gruff are still in their ugly duckling phase, I fear! But they'll turn into beautiful swans here soon, or maybe more like, radioactive geese.
Here is our revised production timeline. Please note that this timeline may change pending any delays to shipping that are out of our control.
UPDATED PRODUCTION TIMELINE
- Surveys Deadline: TBD (Ideally 12/15/2024)
- Pre-Order Store Closes: 12/16/24
- Order submitted to Manufacturer: No later than 12/27/24
- Order Shipped from Overseas ETA: Approx February-March
- Quality Testing: March-April
- Hurtsies Fulfillment ETA: Mid-to-late May
GPSR LAW
We have had inquiries regarding if GPSR will impact our backers in the EU. While it isn't clear yet, we are in the process of getting a representative established for us to avoid any potential issues with shipping Hurtsies to the EU.
What to Expect After Surveys:
Don't worry! I don't plan on disappearing on y'all. I plan to make monthly updates (at least!) from now until the plushies are shipped out. These updates will include photos of plushes, behind-the-scenes like designing packaging, etc. Y'all have put your trust (and hard-earned money) into this project, so I fully intend on being present and bringing you along with each step of this journey! If at any point, you're feeling nervous or kept in the dark, just send us an e-mail or hang out with us in the community tab!
And on a final note,
I probably sound like a broken record right now, but thank you all sooooo much for your support! I have been avoiding crowdfunding projects for a long time now because, let's face it, as a single human, they're super scary. I really appreciate the grace and kindness and excitement that all of y'all have shown me as I figure out how to do all of this. I've been learning so much, making notes on what I can do to improve next time, and I hope I can continue to iron out my process so that I can continue making silly and unique projects to share with all of you!
I hope all of you are having an excellent holiday season, and that you're eating plenty of delicious sweets, wherever you are!!!
Lops of love,
Loppy Rae & Riot! <3
Project Update: MAY Update + Nashville Pickup Opportunity
Hey everybunny!
I'm still plucking away at orders a few batches at a time. There are currently 113 US Orders remaining. (A few folks have finished their surveys, so the number got boosted a lil!) The current plan is to have these out by the end of June. June is a slow month for me, so I should be able to focus all of my energy into packing. Once I get all the US orders out, I'm going to take a hard look at my books and get an estimate of the remaining shipping costs. As y'all know, the current state of international trading is... not great. I've been using PirateShip's Simple Export to keep international shipping costs as low as possible, but it's not available for bigger orders.
I wish I had more to update in those regards, but truthfully, I'm just trying to take it all one step at a time. A big thank you to my international customers especially for their patience! Y'all have been real troopers.
Galaxycon Nashville
And lastly, since it's been a hot minute, I figured I'd address some frequently asked questions as well!
"I received my tracking number, but there hasn't been any progress on it."
"How do I get the wrinkles out of my plushies?"
1. Beat the ever-loving sh*t out of them. Shake 'em up. Stomp 'em.
2. Toss them in the dryer for 10-15 minutes with a damp washcloth on a low tumble cycle! This method works especially well with Mumble, since her ears are prone to holding onto their wrinkles.
3. If you DO have a steamer for some reason, this helps to knock out the wrinkles.
"Will you be selling these again?"
My current debt is sitting at about $10k for this campaign. It's going to take me a few years to climb out of that hole. Until then, I will not be able to restock these plushies. Once the extras are sold, they're gone for good. I have cut ties with the manufacturer who designed these plushies, so I would need to start the manufacturing process all over again.
That being said, I still love the Hurtsies. I have grown a bit distant and resentful towards them during this campaign, but I'm hoping to work them back into my stationery lines once the dust has settled. So while there won't be any plushes of them available for a long time, you might be able to find their designs in other mediums.
Lops of love, and see y'all again soon!
-Loppy Rae
Engaged with this project 20+ times š
Iām totally cool with waiting for my bunnies still, just wanted to check in to make sure everything is still happening haha >w< has anyone recently gotten an update or notification of their hurtsie order shipping?
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