A big fat pin collection inspired by the chonky bears of Katmai National Park. Featuring the lauded top-of-the-falls fishing technique, mama bears and their roly-poly cubs, sneaky seagulls, and the salmon that just need to keep on swimmin'.
Each year, the brown bears of Katmai National Park descend upon the Brooks River to catch as many salmon as they can and chunk up before a long winter hibernation. The park commemorates this annual feast each fall with a bracket competition to crown a winner, inviting the animal-loving public to follow along on live webcams, to root for their favorite bears, and to learn more about bear life and animal conservation.
Watching the bears again this year inspired us to create this collection, which celebrates some of the fattest, cutest, and most talented fisherbears around! We hope you love them as much as we do.
Salmon Spinner - For the iconic bears who perch at the lip of the falls waiting for the salmon to leap straight for them. This pin is interactive with spinning fish behind the bear!
Sit & Wait - For the bears who prefer to wade (or sit) in the water as the fish swim past.
Triumph! - For the bears who caught their dinner!
Mama & Cub - For the mama bear who not only has to feed herself, but keep an eye out on her cub(s), too.
Snorkeling - For the bears who like to make a splash when they hunt.
Filler Pins - Set of 8 designs including 2 gulls, a salmon, fish bones, 3 wildflowers, and #1 Chonk.
The Postcards
Besides the pins, Chonky Bears includes two sets of postcards featuring digital paintings of some familiar views.
The Art
Justin has been working his paws off to create some original mini paintings! Each painting is 2.5"x3.75". There are a limited number of these unique pieces of art, and backers will receive a random painting with their pledge.
The Display
We're thrilled to once again be partnering with Carly K of Dragon Woodshop to offer a coordinating waterfall display board for this collection (design voted on by backers)! Available as an add-on or in the All-In Chonkiest Collection w/Display. (Note: All orders with the display will ship with insurance.)
The Stretch Goals
We’ve got a few things we’d love to add to this collection to make it even bigger and better! Help us reach the following goals to add more goodies:
[UNLOCKED 🎉] At $9k we'll add a fun new design in the form of a double-sided acrylic keychain.
[UNLOCKED 🎉] At $12k we'll add chonky bear-themed cap or beanie - Backers Vote!
[LOCKED 🔒] At $15k we'll add a chonky bear hoodie - Backers Vote on the design!
[LOCKED 🔒] At $18k we'll add a reusable sticker album with cute bear cover art.
NOTE: All stretch goal unlocks *except the hoodie* will be added to the All-In: Chonkiest Collection tiers at no additional cost.
Pledge for any one of the five pin designs, the postcard set, the junior collection of pins and stickers, or dive in and get the Chonkiest Collection for all pins, filler pins, postcards, individual stickers, and any non-apparel unlocked stretch goals added at no extra cost. All designs are also available as add-ons.
Pledge in the first 48 hours to save an additional 10-15% on the Chonkiest Collection—and get a free sticker sheet! Returning Backers* will also get a free Bears & Gulls sticker sheet.
*Returning backers from Crystal Tea's project Just Say No.
Single Pin | Salmon Spinner - $22
Single Pin | Mama & Cub - $14
Single Pin | Snorkeling - $14
Single Pin | Sit and wait - $14
Single Pin | Triumph - $14
Original Art - $40 for one original 2.5"x3.75" mini chonky bear painting by Justin O (chosen at random). Limited to 5, but we may add more depending on demand and artist capacity.
Postcard Set - $20 for all four postcards
Junior Collection - $99 for all five chonky bear pins and all individual stickers in the collection.
All-In Chonkiest Collection - $169 for all five chonky bear pins, 8 filler pins, 4 postcards, and all individual stickers in the collection.**Any additional unlocked non-apparel items will be added to this collection at no additional cost.
All-In Chonkiest Collection with Pin Display - $199 for all five chonky bear pins, 8 filler pins, 4 postcards, and all individual stickers in the collection, plus a custom pin display board with waterfall design by Dragon Woodshop. **Any additional unlocked non-apparel items will be added to this collection at no additional cost.
All-In Chonkiest Collection w/Display & Original Art - $229 for all five chonky bear pins, 8 filler pins, 4 postcards, and all individual stickers in the collection, plus a custom pin display board with waterfall design by Dragon Woodshop, AND one original 2.5"x3.75" mini chonky bear painting by Justin O (chosen at random). Limited to 5, but we may add more depending on demand and artist capacity. **Any additional unlocked non-apparel items will be added to this collection at no additional cost.
Due to the unpredictable nature of the shipping and manufacturing process, these estimates are subject to change in either direction. As I've done on my other campaigns, I'll be sure to send progress updates regularly until fulfilled.
Late October 2024: Campaign ends, and funds from Backerkit will be received 2-3 weeks after.
Early November: Surveys sent to Backers
December: Production will start with an estimated 4-10 weeks of production time (anticipating some slowdown for Lunar New Year)
Late January or early February: shipping costs charged to Backers
Feb-March: Rewards will arrive and begin shipping to Backers
NOTE: Shipping will be charged separately after the campaign ends and closer to the ship date.
Shipping will be via USPS First Class with tracking or USPS Priority Mail insured; costs are subject to change based on USPS rates at the time of shipping.
Estimated shipping costs as of the end of August 2024:
United States:
$6 within the US for 1-3 pins, $15 to $20 to Canada
$10–25 within the US and minimum $32 to Canada for larger orders sent insured via Priority Mail.
If you'd like an estimated shipping cost for the size of your pledge, please contact us. We will do our best to ensure the most cost-effective and accurate shipping costs for all!
For backers outside of the US & Canada:
Backers outside of the US & Canada, we love you, but we are unable to ship internationally at this time.
It's important to understand that this is a crowdfunded campaign and your pledge is an upfront investment in the project and products—this is not an online store and you will not immediately receive your rewards after pledging.
Once the campaign ends you will be charged for your selected Pledge Level plus any Add-ons purchased during the campaign. We will receive the money from Backerkit around two weeks after the campaign ends, and shortly after that backers will receive a Pledge Survey to choose their rewards and purchase any additional items they choose. Additional purchases and shipping charges will be processed separately and charged closer to fulfillment.
Once the majority of the surveys are in, production on the reward items will begin. Please note that minor changes to items may occur in production, and that the images presented here are mockup designs. There is a possibility of slight changes in color and size in the physical item.
The timeline above is an estimate based on past campaigns that we've completed, and is subject to change. We will always be upfront with backers along the way, and we will disclose any setbacks, delays, and any other pertinent updates.
While this is the first time we have produced apparel in a crowdfunding campaign, our team has successfully fulfilled several campaigns before, and we anticipate successfully fulfilling and delivering all rewards to backers.
Please see theFrequently Asked Questions for more details about variations in the final product, the refund and exchange policy, forfeiture of rewards, and other important information.
Hi, I’m Justin (he/him), and I’m an artist based in the SF Bay Area. The last two years I’ve loved watching the Katmai bear cams and learning about the personalities of each bear as they constantly nom on salmon. Animals and nature have always been big sources of inspiration and joy for me. After helping my partner with their enamel pin projects, I got inspired to bring my joy of chonky bears to you all. This is my first crowdfund, and I’m so thankful to have the expertise of Crystal Tea who has helped many other pin projects achieve success!
...and I'm Crystal Tea (she/they). I'm a Bay Area creative and marketer, who loves art, books, board games, coffee, and therapy. My most recent project was Just Say No, which was part of Pintopia 2024, and I have worked behind the scenes on many, many others as a marketer, strategic adviser, and covert cheerleader.
What is Honey Scamps, you ask?
The Honey Scamps art collective brings together small, independent creatives who share a supportive, do-it-together mindset. Through sharing skills and expertise, fostering talent, and ensuring artists are paid fairly, Honey Scamps aims to help artists thrive doing what they love. Keep up with our projects at honeyscamps.com.
