14: MANTIS UNLOCKED! 1 More to Go!
7 months ago – Fri, Apr 12, 2024 at 06:11:33 PM

10 of 11 pets unlocked!

It is my great pleasure to announce that pet #10 is now unlocked: the Orchid Mantis!

This means that we're less than $250 away from the campaign being FULLY FUNDED with all stretch goals unlocked! We're in the third and final week, so social sharing matters more now than ever before — millipede fans, time to get the word out!

As a reminder, 11 pets doesn't have to be the end: if/when we hit the $3k goal and unlock the Giant African Millipede, there will be EVEN MORE stretch goal options announced!

This has been my most ambitious pin campaign to date, and also far and away the most successful thanks to your support. From my first campaign for just two pins and a sticker version of each, to CREEPY CUTIES' total of 12 (so far!) pins, stickers, sticker sheets, charms, and my first-ever pin banner, this has been a much-needed boost to my confidence as the creator of little pieces of art that others want to own.

Thanks to Pintopia 2024, it's also my first time feeling like I'm part of a community instead of just one little speck of an island on the ocean of the crowdfunding world with no other land on the horizon. Being able to learn from other artists and having the support of the Backerkit team has been immeasurably helpful. Quite honestly I don't think I'll go back to Kickstarter as a creator.

With this campaign going as well as it has so far, I'm already fomenting thoughts for my next campaign...but CREEPY CUTIES comes first, so they're just thoughts for now. There'll be plenty to keep me busy in the coming months, between getting everything manufactured, to figuring out shipping supplies, to Pledge Manager work, to pin grading, to fulfillment...not to mention a week-long trip to New York City and my day job and Etsy! All of which is to say, yes I'm looking to the future, but not at the expense of what's happening (and still needs to happen) now.

Kinda rambling. Anyway!

Did you see the new add-ons? 👀

Pin banners are available now for $15 each, and acrylic charms in 6 designs for $10 each, in the add-on section! If you want to get your hands on some of these, here's how:

1. Go to the campaign front page and click "Manage your pledge" in the banner up top.
2. On the "Thanks for your pledge" page, click "Edit pledge" in the left-center.
3. In the "Add-ons" box, click "Add additional items."
4. On the "Add additional items to your pledge" page, click the "Add to pledge" button for an acrylic charm.
   1. If you want to grab more than one, click "Add to pledge" again to add more!
5. On the same page, click the blue "Proceed to checkout" button.
6. Check out, and you're done!

13: Say Hi to Charms!
7 months ago – Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 03:43:47 PM

Charms now available as add-ons!

I'm pleased to announce yet another new add-on that is now available: acrylic charms in 6 designs!

For each charm you add to your pledge, you'll be able to choose between the following:

• Fancy rat
• Plains hognose snake
• Regal jumping spider
• Rubber ducky isopod
• Blue-tongued skink
• Pacman frog

How to add another add-on to your pledge

1. Go to the campaign front page and click "Manage your pledge" in the banner up top.
2. On the "Thanks for your pledge" page, click "Edit pledge" in the left-center.
3. In the "Add-ons" box, click "Add additional items."
4. On the "Add additional items to your pledge" page, click the "Add to pledge" button for an acrylic charm.
   1. If you want to grab more than one, click "Add to pledge" again to add more!
5. On the same page, click the blue "Proceed to checkout" button.
6. Check out, and you're done!

What about pillow charms?

Have you seen these campaigns? 👀

We're almost down to the third and final week of Pintopia! Web traffic is vital to unlocking those last two pin designs, and you can help by sharing this campaign on social media!

While you're at it, if you're still on the lookout for some more pins to snag, why not check out these projects too:





That's all I've got for now!

Spookily Yours,
Tom

12: New Add-on! Introducing Pin Banners
7 months ago – Mon, Apr 08, 2024 at 08:37:37 PM

Hi folks! I know it's late in the game, but as we come ever closer to the final week, I'm excited to announce that a new add-on is now available: pin banners!

Here's a mockup:

Now, obviously, this is not meant to be a literal representation of good husbandry. But I think it's cute!

These banners will be 9" wide x 13 x long. Each of the little terrarium & aquarium sections are about 2" x 2" - the perfect size for your CREEPY CUTIES pins and more!

Plus, backers get a discount!

How do you add one to your pledge?

Step 1: Go to the campaign front page and click "Manage your pledge" in the banner up top:

Step 2: On the "Thanks for your pledge" page, click "Edit pledge" in the left-center:

Step 3: In the "Add-ons" box, click "Add additional items":

Step 4: On the "Add additional items to your pledge" page, click the "Add to pledge" button for a pin banner:

Step 5: On the same page, click the blue "Proceed to checkout" button.
Step 6: Check out, and you're done!

What do you think? :D

About those charms...

While neither charm option won the timed poll, they are not out of the running — I just might make fewer of them is all. With that in mind, I think I'm going to make charm of 3 designs! Which ones? Well, to continue the theme of the campaign, YOU get to decide in a new poll!

The 3 with the most votes will get made into acrylic AND pillow keychains. This is also a timed poll that will only run for 2 days, so get your vote in while you can!


That's all I've got for now. Thanks again, all!

Spookily Yours,
Tom

11: FROG UNLOCKED! Final Showdown Decided!
7 months ago – Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 06:36:26 PM

Say hello to my little friend!

I know one backer in particular will be especially pleased with this announcement: the Pacman Frog pin is now UNLOCKED! 🎉

That means the Final Showdown poll has come to a close, and your winner by a long shot is...

The Orchid Mantis!

The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is an alien-looking yet beautiful predatory insect popular among invertebrate enthusiasts. It not only looks like a flower, but acts like one too, hanging off branches and swaying in the breeze! They don't take up much space, but beginners may find them challenging because they require high humidity (at least as adults). A great way to help with this as well as showcase the natural, if bizarre, beauty of the mantid is to create a bioactive home with live plants. And of course, like all mantids, they are famously cannibalistic, so no matter how many of these you have, you absolutely need to keep them all separate!

I have also been reliably informed by a friend who breeds mantids that they are astoundingly, hilariously stupid. 😂 Mean, maybe, but funny. We love our less intellectually gifted pets just the same!

So! That means that our final goal of the original 11 pets will be...

The Giant African Millipede!

Why no coil?
The largest millipede in the world is often depicted in art in its beautiful defensive coil — but not here. I deliberately chose not to draw it in that pose because a coiled millipede is a terrified animal fearing for its life, and that's a kind of stress that a beloved pet should, ideally, never experience. That's not the kind of vibe I'm going for here. CREEPY CUTIES is about showcasing these "scary" pets displaying unstressed behaviors to express their natural charm, and I hope that this pin fits the bill!

Aside from that! The giant African millipede is pretty long-lived for an arthropod, capable of living for up to 10 years. They're gentle animals that feed on detritus and live communally. They're nocturnal, so you're not going to see them out and about too often unless you like staring at your vivarium in the dark (😂), but they don't tend to be actively fearful of light. Here's a weird fact about them: they don't have one set number of legs like a civilized animal — each time they molt, they grow a new body segment that includes two new pairs of legs — and two new sets of internal organs! Who allowed this?!

Don't forget: Early Bird specials are back!

In case you missed this morning's update, I'm excited to tell you that since so many designs have been unlocked, I've opened a limited supply of Early Bird pledge slots in case you want to upgrade! This is a one-time offer: once those pledges are sold out, there won't be more. So take a second look at the hot discount you can get by pledging for more pins and claiming an Early Bird pledge!

Work has been so busy today it has legitimately taken me 8 hours to fill out this update. So I think I'm gonna cut it off here. Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you!

Spookily Yours,
Tom

10: Early Birds Are Back! New Add-ons?
7 months ago – Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 06:46:59 AM

EXCITING NEWS! Or at least I hope it is, lol. We've unlocked a lot of stretch goals, so I have brought back a limited supply of Early Bird specials for anyone who wants to upgrade their pledge at a discount!

Let's take a look at what we've unlocked so far...

All of these pin designs are officially going to be available to select as rewards, PLUS we're very close to unlocking the 9th pet, the Pacman Frog!

Don't miss out on this rare second chance at Early Bird pricing AND FREEBIES, because there's only so many of them to go around!

The final showdown continues...

Banners, anyone? 👀

• Pin banner
• Acrylic keychain
• Plush keychain

If any of these sound like something that would interest you, or if you have another idea for an add-on that you'd like to see, let me know in the poll!

This poll closes at 12:00 PM Central on Saturday, April 6th, 2024 so get your votes in now!

Check out my Pintopia partner!

Oleander, my collaboration partner for Pintopia 2024, is THIS CLOSE to unlocking their 4th design! Could yours be the pledge that unlocks their delightfully macabre Hope Holds Us Together pin? Remember, if you back both my campaign and theirs for a physical reward, you'll get two FREE bonus pins! Go check them out by clicking the banner below!

So many thanks!