Soft Circuit: Short Circuit 1.2

Hey powerful bot summoners,

Short and sweet as I very much need to get into bed, but I didn't want to turn in before hollering a resounding THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your support!! Every pledge, comment, and share has meant so, so much, and I'm endlessly grateful that these lil robots resonate with so many of you! <3

I'll write up a lengthier post about what you can expect next in the days to come, but first and foremost: even though the time for pledge level combos has been tucked away, many of the individual items from the campaign are now available in the Pre-Order Store!

(IMPORTANT: TO AVOID ULTIMATELY PAYING EXTRA SHIPPING, IF YOU BACKED THE CAMPAIGN DO NOT USE THE PRE-ORDER STORE. You will have the opportunity to add more items to your pledge during the add-on portion of your survey!!)

As promised:



You'll notice that Python has been set up as a "purchase to unlock" item!

This will also appear in the add-ons of your surveys, which should go out in two weeks time, once Stripe has finished processing your initial pledges. (Backerkit and Stripe should begin attempting to charge your cards over the next 48 hours or so! If they error for any reason, don't panic! You will have time to fix this.)

More on all that later. For now, once again, y'allemaal are AMAZING for blowing away all our other goals, and I would not be surprised if Python were soon to follow. c; It's incredible how many Bytes, bot-board pins, bandanas, and more will be brought online and headed to cozy homes.

Have a wonderful night! 💚💚💚

Hey bot enjoyers,

The results of your Design Some Goodies robot choices are underway!!



Play certainly isn't within these units' intended range of functionality, but the Short Circuit robots all run a bit contrary to their intended designs in delightful ways -- it looks like Malware and Mozzy learned the importance of fun for its own sake, and are engaged in a rousing game of tag!

The above design will be inked and colored in the same visual style as the Hash & Heap and Byte & Python illustrations, and will be a choice available for both transparent vinyl stickers and acrylic magnets from the add-on section.



General reminder of ALL the new options on offer in there, since I know items added later in the campaign wind up with less overall visibility!

Moving right along to where our funding's at: the Northern Lights colorway goal has been firmly unlocked--



--meaning ALL pins and stickers presented in the entire campaign are now unlocked and available, including Python reprints!



The ONLY design presented that still needs brought online is Python's plush. Otherwise if you were waiting to confirm a particular item would make it through, rest assured all choices are secured!

Which brings us to our last update: based on your responses to the Python interest poll, I have lowered the goal for their plush from 23k to 21k. If we blow away all expectations in the next couple days, maybe we'll get there! - though realistically, I'll likely be setting them up as a "purchase to unlock" item in the add-ons and pre-order store, as mentioned in the previous update.



If you haven't chimed in on the poll yet and have genuine interest in acquiring this noodly friend, please do so! To rehash, due to their high unit cost the lowest I can offer Python for is €75 (through Backerkit - their retail price will be €80), so please keep this in mind when responding.

And as we're closing in on the final two days of Pintopia, I'd like to take a minute to highlight a few more artists whose projects might catch your fancy!


If you're here on my campaign, there's a maths% chance you do in fact appreciate a good robot, and Aimee designs absolutely delightful robots. Her Tiny Robots are adorable little board filler units that I really look forward to installing in my collection!


Jordaan, a reconnecting Chickasaw artist, is an excellent person who has designed another round of beautiful critters for Spirits in the Waves. The raccoon and salmon are my personal favorites, but also be sure to peep the ridiculously cool three dimensional bridge detail on his giant octopus pin.


Ken of Challenge Coin Critters draws animals with such an attentive eye for highlighting different species' features and stylizing them into a perfect golden age of animation homage. He's a hard working artist who's also concerned with the durability of his creations as wearable flair rather than display pieces - and with over 60 designs unlocked, there's a creature for everyone in here!


To round off this installment of shout outs, Alesia of Robot Dragon Studios has designed the tooth-achingly adorable Buster Frankencorgi, available through her campaign in a variety of forms: plush, pin, and hairclip. (For folks wanting something smol but still huggable - there's a keychain plush, too!)

Thank you as ever for being here and making our dreams real! Let's see what we can pull off in the last two days!!

--oop, in the time it took me to write this post, it looks like Backerkit's automated 48 hour blasted went off. Apologies for the double inbox presence, hahah. ⏳ Have a great night folks!

Hey bot believers,

THREE DAYS REMAIN to adopt Byte at a pledge level discount!! Let's revisit some of her charming qualities~



Currently, at least an incredible 94 Bytes will be going home with folks, which is SURREAL and amazing. <3

I'm also pleased to announce that we surpassed 300 backers!!

Or, rather - we met 300 backers, dipped back under the threshold, then surpassed it - and at the time of writing we're one under again. X) So goes crowdfunding in this economy, but regardless we've met it often enough that I'm gonna go ahead and declare that regardless of what happens:



The Hash & Heap sticker freebie is firmly unlocked and if you've pledged for a physical reward, they will be included in your order completely FREE!

If you would like extra copies, you can purchase them via a transparent vinyl sticker add-on! Speaking of which --



I got these cuties finished up yesterday!! These recharging goobers will also be available as both a transparent vinyl sticker selection, and as an acrylic magnet!

Magnet quite firmly won our last round of goodie design polling, and has also been installed in the add-on section; Hash & Heap, Byte & Python, and the upcoming Mozzy & Malware robot illustrations will all be available options.

After poking a couple different suppliers, I've settled on 3" (7.6 cm) acrylic coated magnets. Here's a material example picture from the manufacturer:



If you've already gone ahead and navigated to the add-on section you'll notice another new inclusion as well --



I secured our wonderful guest artists' blessings in applying their keychains to a sticker form as well, and the Byte Pack was born!

Featuring "Byte Bites" front label by McMadmissile, "Robot Dog Dreams" by Jekkyfarms, and a Byte sploot + Byte nutritional label by myself. I'll add a lil more line weight and love to the Byte concept being included (the sploot) soon, but otherwise this is the set!! These 4" stickems will also be printed on durable transparent vinyl, with the addition of a "broken glass" holographic finish.

The magnets will be included with the All-In tier. As with before, all items including guest art are add-on only.



The manufacturers for some of the new items are amazingly fast, and I already received a first look at the Byte Bites bars sample! It's even cooler to see it handled, so since Backerkit does not support video, if you're curious then hop on over to take a look at that on my BlueSky or Mastdon, whichever you prefer.



The banner folks also came through for me lickity-split, and above is a photo of the real deal. This is already in the mail on its way to me, so I'll be sure to report back when I receive it!

As for the core campaign unlocks, we've been reaching for the Northern Lights - at one point this morning our goal was a mere 70 away, and currently it's still quite close (164)! I checked some numbers and made another decision to round out the offerings a little:



Python enjoyers who missed the last two Short Circuit installments, rejoice! If we reach the Northern Lights variants of Honeypot and Heap, we will also unlock reprints of the Python pin and stickers, meaning all the stickers and pins highlighted in the summary post will be selectable options at the campaign's conclusion.

So let's get out there an secure that second to last stretch goal!!

On the subject of Python and goals, if we do manage to exceed the Northern Lights but do not meet the Python plush goal, one of a couple things will happen:

-If we at least get close, I may unlock them early. Just how close will be dependent on the results of the poll to follow.

-If we do not get close enough, I will set up a "purchase to unlock" model in the survey add-ons and pre-order store. This is a really nifty, powerful Backerkit pledge manager feature that allows creators to offer a specific item on an all-or-nothing basis, sort of like a mini self-contained crowdfund. If enough of the item is ordered, it will unlock and be made! If not enough folks order it in the set time period, you will not be charged for the item but it will not be produced.

So either way, I'm determined to try for them! Due to their high unit cost (which, fair for a three foot plushie with six wings LMAO, we do be trying for the wild things, comrades), Python will retail at €80, but in whichever form we pursue I will offer them through Backerkit for a discounted €75.

If you are interested in the Python plush, be sure to chime in on the attached poll! Please answer as accurately as you can if you do.

I gotta go get my booty moving toward the bedmobile, but I'm excited to see what we can pull off in the last few days. Thank you so much as ever for being here!! <3

Hey robot enthusiasts,

We have entered the final week of Pintopia and the Soft Circuit campaign! 🐺👩‍💻

I'm delighted to share that after the New Add-Ons went live, y'allemaal made short work of unlocking the Void and Light circuit board bandana colorways - meaning that ALL bandana variants are available and guaranteed to go into production!!



To celebrate, I've finished adjusting all of the colorways to match Bandana Board 2.0, which fortuitously --



-- has completed sampling, and is now on its way to me in the mail to confirm that everything aligns as intended! My bandana supplier is SO speedy and I've been really impressed by their quality.

Putting together the bandana overview image felt like a great excuse to go ahead and piece together further summaries regarding our core campaign items, so I'd also like to take a moment to walk through what all we've unlocked together so far!



There was a recent question about what all qualifies as a "Soft Circuit Enamel Pin" for reward selection purposes, so I hope this graphic helps clear that up. (Thank you, by the way: please do feel free to ask any questions and make suggestions and so on, I'm genuinely delighted to hear from all of you!! 💕)

We've currently unlocked 9 pins - 7 new and 2 reprints (Byte and Pause) - and are right on the cusp of unlocking 2 more! Additionally, if you've pledged to this campaign, don't forget to maximize your goodies by backing Pods and Pots to acquire the pin of Octave (octopus) or 2 more Animal Akademia projects to receive Mini Pause (tiny paw), along with free pins from each of them as well.

Continuing today's theme of manufacturers with impeccable timing, you may notice a new image embedded in the infographic above:



Our first look at a "Northern Lights" alternate pin!! This sample is a work in progress - it will also be receiving an epoxy coat, just like the default Void Unit Line colorway. Honeypot here and Heap (polar bear) will be produced with this treatment if we reach our next goal, which I'm confident we are on track for and then some!



Next up is our sticker compliment: last update I discussed the new transparent vinyl sticker options, and above is everyone that qualifies as a selection from the core campaign for selective holographic and sticker sheet rewards! Just like their Void counterparts, the new Light bear sheets include kiss-cut paw print stickers alongside the robot artwork and all the text.

Then of course, a campaign unlock summary would be woefully incomplete without once again showcasing the soft, mischievous star of our show:



Who I ALSO have an update on! Complete with cryptid factory lighting of course, but the exciting part here is the updated shaping:



Other than running levels (white balance) in Photoshop, the photos above are completely unedited. The manu I'm working with has now nailed my requests for more of an ankle on the back legs, a nice big tail, nose shaping touch ups, and more volume to the back of the ears!

The main remaining issue is getting them to put the green ear socket on the forehead rather than the ears themselves, but that's par for the course with this process - every iteration you get some details adjusted but not everything you asked for, and you just gotta persist and find new and clearer ways to communicate the desired changes.

I'm feeling good about our chances of sorting out the last couple details on the next pass, and then the Byte prototype can come home to me for in-person inspection and a much nicer photoshoot or three!!



Finally, to finish off the summary, one more reminder to go check out the guest art keychains, pin banner, and stickers installed in our campaign add-ons a couple days ago! Samples of the keychains and banner should be complete soon, and I look forward to showing off the real deals once I receive pictures. 👀

And SPEAKING OF OTHER ARTISTS -- since we're on the last week, it's high time to highlight some of my fellow Pintopians in this space! There are so many campaigns I'm genuinely excited for, so I'll break them out into a few categories. This update, I'd like to focus on artists who are also here in the Netherlands.


Frogtastic Frogs #2 is a hopping amazing collection for any amphibian enjoyer to explore, and Appeltjesgroen (Dutch for "Apple Green", to match her whole frog shindig) is such a kind and friendly creator with incredible attention to detail!!


Her collaboration partner roundbirdart is also a delight, and those of you across the pond from us will enjoy these charming depictions of familiar faces in Birds of North America! I'm definitely picking up the cardinals, house finch, and possibly more. <3


An absolutely gorgeous pin set, UrskogSaga's Celebrate the Seasons caught my eye on a Reddit post long before I realized the campaign was also tied to Pintopia and a Dutch artist. I'm getting Winter, but honestly it's tempting to grab the whole core set and I encourage you to consider doing so!


Remnant fans can appease their 'yeen fix by backing The Hyena Family, but Henrieke has other gorgeous depictions of less-seen critters in store for you too, including lemurs and one of my personal favorites, the fossa!


And speaking of my favorite creatures: heck I do love me a good raccoon (my family rehabilitated one when I was a kid - long story!), and have been eying up Annadrawsstuff's delightful trash panda creations for quite some time. Extrashvaganza is an amazing opportunity to add some perfect lil goobers to your pin collection!

This was a meaty update - so if you read this far, you're one of the coolest folks around, thank you! And double thank you to each and every one of you for the love on this campaign, it means a lot that you're out here supporting independent artists, especially now. <3

Until the next time! Let's go get the Northern Lights unlocked in short order, so we can use our final push momentum to work on unlocking Python!!

Hello bot believers,

At just a touch over halfway through Pintopia's run and on the cusp of unlocking more stretch goals, it is time for some exciting new Add-On options!! Five new goodies are now available to add to your pledges: a large circuit pin banner, two guest art keychains, transparent vinyl stickers, and locking pin backs!



Several of you responded in the affirmative with regards to the pin banner, so I finished up the artwork and contacted the manufacturer for a unit quote and sample!

I'm thrilled to confirm that they can produce the custom size I had mocked up: 36 cm (14.17") wide x 72 cm (28.35") tall. This should not only comfortably accommodate the full Short Circuit collection and then some, but it's large while not so long as to be unwieldly, and wider than many standard banner dimensions, providing plenty of room to compose a nice flow with your pins.



Above are a couple of feature highlights from the manufacturer. As always, I'll share sample photos as soon as I have them.

Next up is a surprise for you all, one that I hope you love as much as I do: TWO GUEST ART KEYCHAINS!!!



The first features amazing faux product label art for Byte Bites by the incredible McMadmissile (Evan), the creator of Snughouls, My Cryptid Crush, and Bedtime Bestiary!

When I saw this keychain form factor, it was practically begging to be Byte themed, and Evan's playful, graphical style was just perfect for the task. These lil guys will be three-dimensional PVC sculptures, and have also been sent off to sampling! If you add the Byte Bites keychains to your pledge, you will be able to pick between two "flavors" on the survey: CRT Static Vanilla and Command-Line Shell Chocolate. 🖥️🍫



As feisty as Byte can be, it's always with the intention to convince you to take it easy, which she's also happy to demonstrate~



And so our second keychain, Robot Dog Dreams, features the most relaxed robot you ever did see. This adorable rendition is by the amazing Jekkyfarm (Jekky), the creator of Chuuloos!

The Dreams keychain features double-sided printing and "broken glass" style holographic overlay for an extra visual byte, and both keychains will receive the same star-shaped attachment accessory. 🌟 If you aren't already familiar with either creator, I highly encourage you to check out their wonderful plush projects!! They're both such kind, hard-working artists that design amazing creatures. 💛

The final two add-on additions enable the option to purchase jumbo transparent vinyl stickers and locking pin backs. Pre-launch followers of Soft Circuit are receiving the Hash + Plush Byte sticker for free, and everyone who pledges to a physical reward tier will receive a free Hash + Heap as well when we reach 300 backers (we're so close!) - but if you'd like extra copies of either, or sticker versions of the other two robot pair-up designs, you can add those to your pledge as well. 



Which brings us to the last poll in our "design some goodies" series. Mozzy prevailed in the second round, meaning that the next illustration will feature Malware + Mozzy. I'll finish up the Byte + Python design this week, and then turn my attention to sketching them!!

So, finally: in addition to the stickers, what merch form would you like the three new robot pair up illustrations to take? Vote below to determine what else gets made for this campaign!

Thank you so much as always for being here. Let's ramp up over the next nine days and get the rest of our stretch goals met!!

Editing to add one more piece of information: the All-In tier will now also include all four transparent vinyl stickers and one circuit pin banner, as they're additional art from me and the future-proofing applies! <3 The guest keychains and locking pin backs are separate add-on only. Thank you so much everyone! 🥰