90 cm (~3ft) long plushies with pockets! These plushies feature ear pouches, mouth zippers, and belly zippers to hold all of your small to medium-sized treasures.
ZipCritterz are cuddly, squishy 90cm (~3ft) plush companions that double as functional storage! Inspired by a love of plushies and convention-going, each ZipCritterz is designed to be both adorable and practical, featuring zippered maws and bellies to carry your small to medium-sized treasures.
Below is the first plushie concept page that I illustrated, and the one that I sent to my manufacturer.
There were several challenges involved with creating this plush.
As my first-ever plush project, we encountered several design-to-product translation errors that had to be sorted through during the sample production.
There were design constraints for the mouth due to the zipper, thus causing the facial shape to change throughout the process to better fit the tactical use of the plush and the aesthetic. Details such as the tail and cheek fluffs also had to be simplified in shape and rounded.
The fur colors were a large one, as I had to tweak the colors based on the fabric availability of the factory. Other aspects like the muzzle shape, eye placement, and overall material type were also adjusted.
The sample shown in the photos was created to test ZipCritterz's design. During the sampling process for Sheppy, we discovered that the prototype was smaller than intended for its storage features.
The final production version funded through this campaign will be scaled proportionately 3× larger, at 90cm (~3 ft) for plushie size.
Thus allowing the belly pouch, mouth zipper, and ear pockets to function as originally designed while making the plush even more cuddly and practical.
Plush will be scaled proportionally, but minor changes/tweaks will be made when creating the final upscaled sample before production. **Photo is just for visual reference**
Sheppy features 1x Mouth Zipper Pocket, 1x Mesh Button Pocket on each ear, and 1x Belly Zipper Pocket.
Cache features 1x Mouth Zipper Pocket, 1x Mesh Button Pocket on each ear, and 1x Belly Zipper Pocket, all in a bright green.
And if we unlock Cache, every backer will receive a FREE acrylic keychain!
The design will be decided by community vote and will be a special design. It is separate from other ZipCritterz keychains available for purchase in the campaign!
Wish features 1x Mouth Zipper Pocket, 1x Ear Zipper Pocket on each ear, and 1x Belly Zipper Pocket. Plush includes shiny gold zippers and gold thread for the embroidery on the shoulder/flank.
Chroma features 1x Mouth Zipper Pocket, 1x Ear Zipper Pocket on each ear, 1x Belly Zipper Pocket, and 1x Wing Zipper Pocket on each wing. Plush includes rainbow chrome zippers and multicolor fabric on the wings.
AND TO CELEBRATE HITTING THIS GOAL:
ONE lucky plushie-tier backer will be randomly chosen to receive a free CUSTOM, one-of-a-kind ZipCritterz Plush!!
Winner will be contacted by Mandy (me) and will work with me on creating the plush design based on YOUR character, fursona, idea, etc Complex designs may need to be simplified for plush production!
REMINDER! You will not be charged until the BackerKit ends & reaches the funding goal!
Shipping will be an additional cost, to be charged after the campaign ends. My current estimate for shipping is around $15-20 within the US and $20-40 internationally, but it may change as we get through production. I will keep all backers updated on this as we move forward.
Please note: Any VAT, Customs Fees, or Import Charges are the responsibility of the Backer.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to this being my first-ever BackerKit campaign. the timeline is padded out to reflect any potential production issues or holdups I could think of. I will be communicating all updates frequently. It is important to me that my backers know where we are every step of the way!
Quick recap of the above information: Sample Revision and Stretch Goal Sample Creation: 2-3 Months Production: 3-5 Months Shipping and Fulfillment: 1-2 Months Estimated Delivery: 6-10 months.
I, Mandys_Markk, am a small Michigan-based artist with a background in animation, character design, and hands-on fabrication. I enjoy bringing things to life from the page to a physical space. ZipCritterz is my first personal project that combines the love of character design with a simple idea: creating plush creatures that can hold little treasures.
This is my first time adventuring into the plushie maker realm, despite being an avid collector of antiques, toys, and plushies. My dream is to one day be a full-time traveling artist who tables at various conventions, thus being able to share joy through my products all over.
If you're interested in seeing more of my work, my socials handle is @Mandys_Markk on TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky!
Below is some of my other artwork and illustrations!
