Hello critters!!

Sorry for the lack of updates on this campaign specifically. If you follow my other projects you know fulfillment of My Cryptid Crush has been an absolute rollercoaster and ironing out all the kinks has really sapped my brain power these past several weeks. Between supplier hiccups like forgetting to apply barcodes to some of our products, sending the wrong version of other products, or packing them in such a way that our fulfillment partner can't make heads or tails of what they're looking at and customs inexplicably taking forever to release large chunks of our goods, it's kinda been a nightmare!!

But customs has released the last of our items as of this week and most of the other issues have been resolved to the best of our ability, so I can finally breathe a little easier.

The good news is that despite these hiccups, we continue to be full steam ahead on S3 prototyping! These issues don't effect S3 in any way, just my ability to weave my thoughts together into a coherent status update. So now that I can think again, let's dive into it!

✅The jumbo snughoul samples are complete! (barring any changes I make after I receive the physical samples)

I will, of course, take much better pictures when they get here but here's a small sampling of supplier photos! Right now they look a bit wonky due to the poor lighting and lens distortion (Bites-a-Lot had this problem too) but I have no doubt they're going to look amazing in a more natural setting.

✅We received a promising mini snughoul update and I have high hopes for the rest of the mini samples.

The first mini update was uh...interesting, to say the least lol. Somewhere along the lines there was a miscommunication and instead of using my concept art they just shrank their larger counterparts down. And honestly? It's kinda cool! I wouldn't be opposed to making minis like this some day, but it wasn't the vision I had for this batch.
 

They came back with the revised samples in a matter of days and really knocked my socks off!

Pretty sure I audibly gasped when I first opened these images. I can't overstate how close to perfect they are, and the revisions I sent back were very minimal.

Extremely excited to see what they do with Dandyheart, Nessie, and Luna!!

✅Two more standard snughouls are complete, and all other samples are currently in-progress!

Frogman went through quite a few revisions, but ultimately turned out really stinkin' cute! The mossy gargoyle came together much quicker and I really love the different textures. Can't wait to run my hands all over em in person.

Our focus has largely been on the jumbo snughouls over the last couple months, so now it will switch entirely to the standard size critters. That means you can expect a deluge of snughouls in the next 2-3 weeks! I know it sucks having to wait to see your fave in the flesh (or...er, fur) but I promise they're now right around the corner 💖

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Thanks for hanging in there, critters! I'll be back in the next 1-2 weeks with more pictures (I expect additional mini 'ghoul updates VERY soon) and some polls to help us determine the final names for some of our nameless friends.  

Helloooo critters! I got a short and sweet update for you this week.

The Nessie shape test has been approved! Again bear in mind these are NOT the final colors or materials and all that matters right now is the shape. I didn't really have any notes for this one and gave them the go ahead to continue.
 

We also received another frogman update this week! The colors are now largely correct and the shape is very close, I just want to make a few more adjustments to the neck and shoulder area and then I'll be satisfied. 

And now for a fun little surprise-- guess who managed to sneak into Pintopia 2026 after all.😉Nightmare Were, that sly little gremlin, cajoled his way into Challenge Coin Critters by Ken's Pin Hustle!

I couldn't help myself. Ken's artwork is a love letter to the golden age of animation and I knew he would do the snughouls so much justice. Of course I was right-- Nightmare Were turned out incredible, and now you can own this beautiful pin too! 

If that's not tempting enough, the campaign is only a few thousand away from unlocking some uniquely adorable (and dare I say handsome 💦) cryptid-themed pins.

Check out Ken's enormous selection of critter pins and support the project here! There's literally something for everyone and you won't regret it! 💗

Howdy critters!

I received some updates over the weekend, and I'm here to share them with you all! Bear in mind these are just shape tests, so colors and material are NOT final. They approximate colors to crank something out quickly, but the final sample will be matched more carefully to the concept art.

My edits! I'm pleasantly surprised by how close the Frogman is to the artwork already, but with some adjustments I'm sure they'll look even better after the next round of edits.

The Foggy Were shape test also looks pretty great! My only adjustments so far are to make the front legs longer/larger and make the ears more 3D.

And finally we got out first look at Thistledown, too! I'm still waiting for some additional pictures of the front legs and may adjust the size, but overall I'm thrilled with the shape and the XXXL ears 🥹

In other news, I forgot to mention that V2 Gutsy is now the OFFICIAL mini Gutsy! Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts and voting in the poll. I will be paying for the rest of the mini snughouls very soon, so you can expect more sample photos in the coming weeks!

Lastly I have a bit of a heads up for everyone: all S2 snughouls and snughoul apparel are currently buy one, get one 50% off in the tinyteeth.shop! All other items are 25% off for the duration of the sale (1/23) 💗💗💗

I saw some confusion in the previous update about the color of V2 Gutsy and I think the background was throwing off the actual colors, so here they are under more neutral lighting!

V2 Gutsy is actually almost the same color as original (big!) Gutsy for reference, the green is just a tiny bit cooler.
 

Voting ends this Sunday and everyone is eligible to vote! All you have to do is be logged into backerkit, and I welcome people who haven't purchased a mini Gutsy but may do so in the future to vote as well. 

Refunds are also possible if a version wins that you dislike, so please keep things kind in the comments. Thank you! 🙏💖

Happy new year, critters! I have quite the image heavy update for you today, but first I'd like to apologize for my absence.

If you saw my Cryptid Crush update you'll know we lost a family member and member of our household a little over a week ago now and it has been an exhausting rollercoaster of a month. Frankly this whole 4th quarter has been a nightmare on the 'real life' side of things, and as a result I've found it even more difficult than usual to cobble my thoughts together into updates for you fine folks.

That said, on the Snughoul side samples are coming along swimmingly and I'm really pleased with our progress so far! The not deer, guardian lion, and gryphon are finalized and looking great. For some reason the not deer is almost twice as heavy as the other two, but I don't hate it 😅 Jostling them around is incredibly satisfying and I love sitting them in my lap while I work.

The furs on everyone are also perfect! Our texture sensitive pals will be thrilled by their softness. If you know what Thornheart Wolpertinger feels like, then you have a good frame of reference for these critters as well!
 

The first backpack sample arrived earlier this week, and I have no notes. It's perfect! It holds on without any additional straps, and can withstand all kinds of abuse without budging an inch. Now that we have our proof of concept, I'm super excited to get the ball rolling on the next two designs this week!

Next on the list to be sampled are the jumbo snughouls, and the mossy gargoyle and frogman! It will probably be around mid-January before our first look at some of these, but they have been paid for so it's only a matter of time now 🤞

And finally, we have our v2 and v1 Gutsy. Both adorable in their own ways, but unfortunately there can only be one 😭 Below is a poll where you can cast your vote and help determine the future of our mini Gutsy, as well as all mini plush going forward!  
 

Both Gutsy's are similar in size and weight, with the V2 Gutsy utilizing a fluffier material and a printed belly badge as opposed to embroidery.

While I know some folks are staunchly against printed fabrics on their plushies, I want to stress that at this scale the printed material has much more give and creates a cuddlier final product (in my opinion), so I won't be experimenting with an embroidered badge on V2 Gutsy. What you see is more or less what you get with these critters at this point 💖

That's all for now, my friends! Thank you so much for your patience as our household recovers from our sudden loss, and I hope to be more present again as we settle into our new normal. I'll be back next week with the results of the mini plush poll for sure, and if we're real lucky maybe even a sample update or two. Fingers crossed! 💖💖💖