Hi everyone!

It’s been a couple of months since my last update, and I’d really hoped to have the pins in hand by now. Unfortunately, there’s one small setback that prompted me to check in sooner than planned, but there’s also some very good news!

🎉 The Good News!

My manufacturer sent me new photos that include the updates made to the Squirtle Pin and Chickpea Salad Filler Pin. And they look great!! 🥳

Even better:

They shared with me that the production for all of the PokéBites pins is officially complete!
WHOOOT!! 🥳✨

However, as I was getting ready to share all the new photos with you, I noticed something a little… suspicious.

💦 The Tiny Squirtle Emergency™

I don't know how the little toe screenprints on Squirtle went missing. 😱

The especially strange part is that those details were present on:

The previous physical sample
The updated proof I approved
The final artwork sent to production

So they definitely weren’t intentionally removed!

I’ve already contacted my manufacturer to let them know about the error. It’s technically possible that only the particular Squirtle they photographed is affected, but that seems unlikely. Since screenprints are generally applied using the same stencil across the entire batch, my suspicion is that the stencil itself was made without those tiny toe details.

Thankfully, this is not the worst problem we could have encountered. My hope is that they can simply create a new stencil containing only the missing toe screenprints and use that to repair the completed pins. If so, none of the Squirtles will need to be remade from scratch, they’ll just need a tiny pedicure. 😂💅

Outside of that, everything is ready to go!

With any luck, the correction will be quick and the full batch will be on its way to me soon.

In the meantime, please enjoy these other pin pics!

🏡 Important Housekeeping

Since I’ve got you all here, I also want to follow up on a few outstanding things before fulfillment begins!

🖼️ Sticker Survey Follow-Up

I’m still waiting on one sticker survey response, so if you think that might be you, please check your inbox and Spam folder in case the message got buried!

And if you selected a refund for your stickers, please reach out to me by email so I can get that sorted out for you right away. 🙏

⚠️ Surveys & Payment Issues

There are also still a few backers who either:

Have not finished their BackerKit survey, or
Have a payment method that BackerKit has not been able to charge

There’s still a little time to get these corrected while I wait for the final shipment, but you won’t want to put this off! Once fulfillment begins and orders are finalized, any unresolved orders may unfortunately have to be considered forfeited. Remaining products will be added into my regular shop inventory, and I can no longer guarantee that the exact pins or quantities from your pledge will still be available later.

So please, please check your inboxes and BackerKit account! 💌

If anything looks confusing or you’re having trouble completing your survey or payment, reach out to me and I’ll do my best to help get it sorted before fulfillment starts. 🥰

🗺️ What's Next?

I wish I weren’t reporting yet another little delay this late in the process, but we really are at the finish line now. 😖🏁

Depending on how quickly the Squirtle correction can be made, I may have my manufacturer:

Ship all of the completed non-Squirtle pins ahead of time, so I can start grading them immediately, or
If the Squirtles only need a quick fix, I may simply wait and have everything shipped together to save on freight.

Either way, I’ll let you know in a future update!

Hopefully it's the one where I'll get to say:

THE PINS ARE HERE! 👀✨

Anyway, thank you for your patience and for coming along on this Pokémon journey with me. 💖

‘Til next time! 🫡

~ Qesque
🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque

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