This project is part of Pintopia 2024, which runs from March 28th - April 18th 2024. The more Pintopia pins you back, the more FREE pins you can earn ✨ Learn more →
This project is part of Pintopia 2024, which runs from March 28th - April 18th 2024. The more Pintopia pins you back, the more FREE pins you can earn ✨ Learn more →
*Returning backer note: You must pledge under the same email address that you used on my previous campaign(s) for this to be verifiable. If you're doing so, you'll see the free sticker incentive automatically added to your "cart"!
Want to win MORE FREE PINS?
Backers can enter to win 2 FREE regular-sized pins AND 1 FREE glow-in-the-dark mini pin by sharing this campaign on social media!
Everyone knows cats and dogs make great pets, but some of us like to keep animals that are a little more...offbeat. CREEPY CUTIES is a collection of 12 unique hard enamel pins representing pets many people think are "scary" but are actually quite harmless and charming in their own right.
Whether you have a love for the unloved, or the spookiness is the point, or you just have a non-traditional idea of what's cute, these screen-printed hard enamel pins are for those of us whose pets are just a little different. If your idea of a great companion has scales or an exoskeleton, these pins are for you!
I've taken care to design these pins in a way that's fairly realistic while showcasing the natural cuteness of these unusual pets. Though they're all different designs, they will have a few standardized features:
Details: All pins will feature screen-printed details for extra flair.
Sturdiness: Made of electroplated zinc alloy with a durable, stylish hard enamel fill.
Size: Pins will measure 1.5" on their largest dimension.
Back Stamp: The back of the pin will have the DefilerWyrm stamp of authenticity.
Silicone Clutches: Durable and comfortable, these tend to stay put quite well.
Backer Card: Individually affixed to backer cards in cellophane to protect them during shipping.
Quality: Triple-checked to ensure the highest standard of quality — A-grades only!
How It Works
Pledge for stretch goals: You can help unlock stretch goals by pledging for everything you hope to get as your rewards, not just what's unlocked now!
Vote on stretch goals: As a backer, you can vote in polls decide which stretch goal gets unlocked next — more on that in the Funding Goals section!
Spread the word: Share this campaign's link with friends, family, and followers on social media. The more eyes on the page, the more pledges it will get, and the more designs will get unlocked! Use the hashtag #CreepyCutiesPins during and after the campaign — it'll help a ton!
Changing your mind is perfectly fine: You can upgrade, downgrade, change, or cancel your pledge anytime before the end of the campaign.
Pledge now, pay later: You won't be charged until the campaign ends successfully. If the campaign doesn't meet its initial funding goal, I'll go kick rocks, but you won't be charged.
Pick your rewards: You can select which rewards you want to receive in a Backerkit survey that you will receive by email approximately 10-14 days after the campaign ends. Once the surveys go out, you will have 30 days to fill it out, or else your pledge will be considered a donation to the campaign. I'll send out reminders before I lock surveys so you don't miss out!
Get some goodies: After the campaign ends and you've filled out your survey, you can kick back and relax for a few weeks until you get a special package in the mail!
100% of my art, graphics, and writing, even the copy you're reading right now, is human-made from scratch. I guarantee to you that my volcanic hatred of theft-based pixel collage generator software is as fiery and absolute as ever, and I would sooner sell all my snakes than stoop to using so-called “AI” for so much as an ad spot. No plagiaristic pattern-prediction program will ever be an acceptable substitute for real human art and real human words. Accept nothing less!
An initial investment of $1000 will unlock 3 pins: Ball Python, Fancy Rat, and an exclusive guest pin for dual backers. See the Pintopia 2 section to learn how you can get the guest pins FREE!
NB: ALL full-size pins, including all stretch goals, will have screenprinted details!
Stretch Goals - With a Twist!
Once these three are covered, there are 8 more to go! But there's more: backers will decide which design unlocks next via poll!
Want to help decide which ones unlock when? Pledge now and have your say — and recruit some like-minded friends!
NB: That also means that this section will change as the campaign rolls on, so be sure to check back often.
How about once they're all unlocked?
If we manage to unlock all 11 pets, the next stretch goals will be colorways — AKA alternate versions! We could have the axanthic fire ball python, bumblebee millipede, blue fancy rat, albino superconda hognose, aberrant stripe Cali kingsnake, and more!
Naturally, it's not JUST pins! Here are some extra goodies I have in store for you. Add these on to your pledge along with any extra full-sized pins you'd like to order!
Available in fancy rat, Plains hognose, rubber ducky isopod, blue-tongued skink, regal jumping spider, & Pacman frog!
Production Notes
Due to the limitations of the medium, there may be some small changes made to the pin designs, but it won't be anything drastic.
Screen colors and dye colors may differ. I'm using the closest available PANTONE match to the hex colors in my designs. There are 256³ hex colors but only 2,390 solid PANTONE colors, and my manufacturer doesn't even stock every single one of those, so there'll be a little variation from what you see on the screen!
Looking for something extra-special? Do you have a beloved pet you'd love to see as a pin, but their species or morph isn't on the list? We can make it happen! Up to 6 backers will have the opportunity to pledge for custom pins: 3 slots for a custom colorway and 3 slots for a custom design!
What's the Difference?
There are a few differences between a custom colorway and a custom design. The price tag, of course, is the most obvious, and that's because one of these takes a lot more time, effort, and manufacturing cost than the other. With either one, you will automatically get ten (10) pins of your custom and five (5) more of any other unlocked design, plus you can buy more of your customs as add-ons.
A custom colorway means using an existing design and altering the enamel fill and screenprinting details, NOT the shape of the metal frame. At this pledge level:
Your choice of ball python, fancy rat, isopod, or kingsnake as the base design — no adding or subtracting from the metal outlines
Up to 3 enamel colors and up to 3 screenprint colors
Screenprint details can be the same as the base design with different colors, or a different design entirely
Both natural/realistic and fantastical color/pattern combinations are fine
The colorway will be limited edition — no more will be made after this campaign!
Custom colorways can be realistic or fantastical.
A custom design means that I'm going to design an entirely new creepy pet pin for you from the ground up. There are some limitations to what sort of animal it can be and what sort of pose I can give it. At this pledge level:
Your choice of species not on the list
Your choice of realistic color/pattern combination
Up to 4 enamel colors and 3 screenprint colors
"Scary" pets only!
If you're interested in either of these options, don't wait around — pledge today to secure your spot!
Welcome to Pintopia — a celebration of creativity and collaboration from a diverse group of artists collectively running enamel pin crowdfunding projects from March 28th -April 18th.
Freebie Cross-Collaboration Pins — All 125+ Pintopia creators have paired up with a fellow participant to create two unique pin designs together. I've teamed up with debut pinmaker Oleander, and if you like "creepy" pets, you'll love their body horror pins too! If BOTH of our projects reach their initial funding goal, backers who support BOTH will get the TWO [2] cross-collab pins for FREE! One from each creator. The more pairs of Pintopia creators you support, the more free pins you will earn ✨
Click Oleander's banner below to view and pledge to their campaign!
Shipping will be charged separately from your pledge, via the Backerkit survey you'll receive after the campaign has ended. This is a rough estimate of what to expect — but be aware that it's only an estimate and is subject to change based on quantity and location:
🇺🇸 Domestic: $5-8
🌍 International:$12-20
Change of Address
It is your responsibility to provide a correct and current shipping address. Failing to do so may cause delays in delivery of your rewards. Not to worry — you will have time to change your shipping address before I lock addresses, and I will send out notifications before locking to start sending things out. If your package gets returned to me because the address was insufficient, I'll contact you ASAP via the email address you pledged under to get the new address from you.
‼️ Backers whose rewards have to be re-sent due to an insufficient address will be responsible for any additional shipping costs. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email with the corrected address, or your reward will be forfeited without a refund.
Backerkit is not equipped to handle VAT and other import taxes imposed by the UK, EU countries, and other nations, so if you're pledging from outside the US, you will be responsible for paying any and all VAT or customs fees associated with your rewards that may be due upon delivery. I'm really sorry that there isn't a better way around this (yet!) without things becoming overly complicated. It sucks but like at least you have socialized healthcare to show for it. 🤷♂️
🇩🇪 Germany: Good news: I am registered with a LUCID identification number in compliance with VerpackG so I can ship to you! 🥳 (You still have to pay any incoming taxes yourself, though.)
🇫🇷 France: Bad news: my products are not in compliance with France's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) so I can't ship them to you. :( Any pledges for material rewards from France will be canceled and refunded. Désolé! But you CAN still pledge for voting rights only with the "Just the Vote" pledge level!
Below is an estimate of when things should happen along the lifetime of this campaign, from the time it opens to the time you should expect to receive your rewards in the mail. It is subject to change, but if there is going to be a shake-up on timing, I will stay in communication with you so you know what to expect going forward.
Timeline Changes
Any number of factors could affect the timeline adversely. These include but are not limited to:
Manufacturing delays
Too many defective pins
Shipping delays from the manufacturer to me
Unforeseen disaster at home
Campaign does gangbusters, workload becomes extreme
Please bear in mind that there's just one guy behind all this! If this project blows up, I can probably finagle some help from family and local friends, but since there is no fulfillment team beyond myself, this isn't going to happen on Amazon time.
CREEPY CUTIES is my 6th enamel pin crowdfunding campaign! While my Etsy store is largely populated by stickers, charms, and washi tape, pins are how I got my start in merch making. My creations reflect my passions; chiefly: LGBTQ+ pride, horror, D&D, and animals.
Here are some of the pins I've made via crowdfunder in the past: Five of the six crowdfunding campaigns I've held were successful. I have a track record of completing projects and delivering high quality products. Don't just take my word for it though. Here's what people who've bought my previous pins have to say about them:
Acknowledgments and Other Notes
Special thanks for Jason Furie for the Pintopia 2 invite!
Shout out to the lovely people of the Backerkit Discord for all your help and advice. Every campaign is an opportunity to learn.
Thank you Seven of Publishing Goblin, whose words I cribbed to build the basis of my Terms & Conditions.
Special thanks-I-hate-it to our kitten November, whose “death from above” stunt bricked the laptop on which I’d made all my graphics—most of which had not yet been backed up to the cloud—a month before launch. 😮💨
