Just a quick update to say that things are humming along on schedule! I'm pleased to say that the production of our pins is WELL UNDERWAY.

The factory sent me these very cool pictures!!

I'm expecting to receive the pins in mid-August and will be shipping orders out after that! 

If you have ordered JUST stickers or books or something that ISN'T pins, I have started shipping those orders already and will continue getting them out a few at a time (as I receive the bulk orders of stickers, which are coming from a few different manufacturers).

I will lock down your specific order (and charge your card) right before I start shipping it, so if you haven't been notified that your order is locked yet, it is still editable if you need to make any changes.

In the add-on store, I have included copies of a few of the games I've designed and published over the last few years!

If you are outside the US, this is likely the BEST EVER SHIPPING PRICE you will see these games offered for!

In particular, I have a lot of stock in an Australian warehouse right now, which will make them very easy and quick to ship to you if you are in AU/NZ.

So please feel free to take a second look at the games! They are, I think, very fun.

More updates as they are warranted!!

Thank you to everyone who has submitted their surveys so far!!

A special double-thanks to those who have contacted me with questions about things that didn't look right -- I have caught at least one error in how I had things configured. Very happy to get things corrected!!

HERE IS THE IMPORTANT UPDATE I JUST HAD TO INFORM YOU OF

While I was preparing the files for production, I happened across this very stupid thing I made a few years ago (shown below).

Since I am making a bunch of stickers anyway, I figured I would also throw some of these into the pile.

So I have made this new item available in the add-ons section.

Feel free to edit your order to add one in, if you want to.

I am sorry that it is very stupid but here we are:

Hello there! It is nearly time to fill out your pledge manager surveys for the new pins!!

You can get a sneak peek at all the new items and add-ons I have added by browsing through the store. But I'll go through it in this update, too!

After a lot of file wrangling, I am pleased to say that I have COMPLETED...

The final design files for all the new pins:

Sticker versions of our new designs:

A bunch of new (and some reissue!) shirts:

All of these things will be available in the pledge manager!

You can add any of these items to your order if you choose. I can GUARANTEE they will all be available during this campaign...

And MAYBE NOT afterward, it depends on how many people want them. So grab them now, if you do want them!

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

• If your tier included a shipping price, that extra amount is now due at checkout. Certain add-ons will also add a shipping cost (the heavy things, like books and games). Adding on additional pins and/or stickers does NOT increase the shipping price -- they're lightweight!!

• If you qualify for the cross-collab bonus pin, it has been added to your order automatically! If you think you qualify but you DON'T see it in your order, let me know and we'll figure it out.

• If you qualify for the special incentives (repeat backer AND/OR early backer), you qualified for a free postcard set AND/OR a free sticker set! Rather than pre-add those exact items to your cart, I gave you extra BackerKit credit for the price of those items. You can use that credit to get those exact items (just select them in the add-ons section), OR you can put that credit toward something else! I want to make sure you get something you really want!!

• If your order is shipping to the state of Washington, sales tax will be added to your pledge total (which may involve an extra payment due). I'm sorry about this! But I have to remit this tax to the state of Washington.

• However, if you ARE in Washington (specifically Seattle), a LOCAL PICKUP option is also available, which means you will not need to pay ANY shipping! Select this option and I will be in touch later to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet you and hand over the goods.

• I have added sticker and shirt versions of ALL the new pin designs!

As I mentioned above, these are EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTS and may not be offered again after this campaign. If you really want one, please get it now because it may not be available in my store afterward. (I have also taken this opportunity to RE-offer some older, out-of-print shirt designs!)

• Because I don't know how many people will actually want shirts, I have only shown one version in the add-on store: A men's black T-shirt.

HOWEVER, you can actually choose any of the usual colors, sizes, and styles. I just didn't want to set up EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE option in the pledge manager because it would have taken FOREVER. If you order a shirt, I will send you an email afterward for you to specify your exact preferences.

Thanks everyone! I expect to start shipping the pins in the first part of August. If you will be moving between now and then, please be sure to update your address in the pledge manager when appropriate, or else email me so we can confirm the timeline for you specifically.

Watch for your unique survey link to come via email in the next 24-48 hours!

Hi everyone! Here is an update from me on the project!

As I began working with the manufacturer, I realized (was informed) that some of the designs were too fine-detailed to be able to render at pin size.

There are tolerances to how fine the metal edges can get, as well as a minimum size for any enamel colored areas.

The alternative would be to print the designs directly onto a flat pin, but I don't think that effect is quite what I want. So, I have been reworking the artwork to work at the correct size and resolution.

This has delayed the survey because I want to be able to show you the exact final designs for each pin -- so you can make a fully informed decision about each one!

All of the pins will be essentially the same as the original mockups I shared with you; just a little different in the tiny details. 

And, as promised, I will be offering (exclusive to this campaign for now) a sticker and a shirt version of each pin. I will determine case-by-case whether those will use the original, higher-resolution design, or if the revision turns out looking snazzier, I will use that instead.

I will have a further update for you as soon as everything is confirmed for production!! Thank you!!

Thank you so much for backing the Wondermark Pins project on #Pintopia!

Right now, BackerKit is feverishly collecting your pledges.

If there is an error with your credit card, they will send you a notification. You have a total of 14 days to fix the error before the pledge is considered "failed," so keep an eye out for any important messages from BackerKit directly.

Right now I am working on finalizing the artwork for the new pins with the manufacturer, and then I will send you each individually a link to your pledge manager.

THAT'S when you will be able to select which exact pins you want -- and that, in turn, will help ME total up the counts for each pin design.

This week, I am packing up for a trip to Juneau (if you're nearby, stop by the Alaska Robotics Minicon this weekend)! 

I will send out the pledge manager links upon my return, so, expect those emails in the first week of May, most likely.

That gives us plenty of time for the pins to be manufactured and shipped to me in time for me to ship them to YOU later this summer! 

I will be in touch with more timeline updates as the process continues.

Thanks again for your support and let me know if you have any questions!!

It's been a great few weeks here at Pintopia!

That's where I am offering ALL THESE PINS to you, the kind and intelligent public.

I'm very excited to remind folks that we are in the LAST WEEK of the campaign.

Most of the tiers are for various numbers of pins! But I've ALSO just added a new tier called PLEDGE MANAGER ONLY.

The best deals on pins and bundles are in the regular pledge tiers (where every additional pin is cheaper than the last, as volume pricing does its magic).

But, if you'd prefer to peruse later and/or make custom selections, you can now opt in to the Pledge Manager tier for just $2.

This will give you access to the pledge manager after the campaign (with $2 credit, natch), where you can then build your own reward of individual items, including:

But also, a few extra things that will show up in the pledge manager only:

If you haven't joined yet, you have until APRIL 18, 1PM to pledge at any level, and gain access to these items! 

This month over at Wondermark, I've been revisiting some of the characters that feature in these pins!

In case you missed them, below I'll repost the ORIGINAL comics, and then my NEW followups.

There were the TIME DODOS, first seen in 2011 (Wondermark #729):

There was our old friend the MOON, first seen in 2007 (Wondermark #302):

And there was the PIRANHAMOOSE, which emerged in 2009 (Wondermark #495):

There is ONE MORE Pintopia-related comic dropping soon as well... watch the Wondermark site or follow on Facebook, Bluesky, or email. I post every new comic to each place, each time.

Best,

- malki !

In honor of the dodo pin being offered in this campaign, I have recently embarked on a three-part dodoventure:

It really took off, particularly on Reddit! My favorite comments fell into three categories:

The "YOU'RE STILL AROUND?!" camp

The "THIS SPELLS TROUBLE" camp

And the "WHAT IS THIS" camp

(p.s. The answer to "why" is, "because it was written to be funny")

You can be strange and stupid, so long as you are also lovable. Important life lesson??

The subsequent comic in the archive (#730) is a sneaky sequel to the first one.

With the latest Wondermark comic.

What once was found, now is lost. So it goes.

(the above comment is from the Facebook page where I post all new comics)

This was fun!! So, WILL we also be revisiting some of our other pin-adjacent heroes soon??

HMMM..................Only time will tell!!

Thank you so much to all you fine folks who have gotten this campaign off to a roaring start!!

COINCIDENTALLY, I just received my latest reprint of older pin designs:

"Pinny" (Clippy's...sibling, maybe? Cousin? Irreverent offspring? Imperfect clone?) has been the standout success of the original batch of pins. I'm so glad!!

As you can see, I get the pins manfuactured without backing cards. And generally when I have sold pins in-person, it's on a display such as this:

And when someone buys one, I'll get a loose one from behind the table (in the little meth baggie) and hand it to them.

In other words, I supply the pins loose -- not with a backing card, which I would need if I ever sold them in a store, for example.

Since right now I only ever sell pins in-person or online, I've never bothered with the extra trouble and expense of the card. But it does skip over the opportunity to do something interesting design-wise with the card, or incorporate promo art or information.

For this campaign, I may be having some of the orders shipped out by remote fulfillment centers, which means each pin would need an identifier, which most likely means a card with a barcode on it. So I'm trying to figure out if the card is something I want to incorporate everywhere, all the time.

So I'd like to ask your opinion on backing cards, as a person who is at least a little bit interested in pins!

Do you WANT a backing card? Do you CARE if it has a backing card? Is the pin LACKING something if it doesn't have one? Or is it just more litter to dispose of?

Leave your vote and comments on the poll below! I'd love to hear your thoughts while there's still time to plan for either option this time around!