Soft Circuit: Short Circuit 1.2

Hey robot enjoyers,

A few exciting sneak peeks for you today!

The large circuit board bandana sample came in, and I'm pleased to report that the print quality is gorgeous, and the material feels very breezy but sturdy! Also 22" on a side is heckin' LARGE!!



This is just 2" longer on a side than your average bandana, but it does add up into something delightfully roomy and versatile.



The satin fabric is even stronger than I expected - I stabbed the ever loving heck out of this thing, but you could barely tell where once the pins were removed, and it held up super well. The more pins you throw on it, the more delightful!



Also for the folks who asked if it would fit on a fursuit: YEAH, no problem! An extra layer of fur or three on your neck and you'd still be able to securely tie this bad boy.



Now, while the gigantic size is PERFECT and exactly what we want, the pattern doesn't quite sit as intended - but with the sample on hand to directly mock-up against, adjusting that is no problem.



The new version is now all vectored and cleaned up, and sent off to acquire a second sample!



Lining up where the first sample's details would hang, the new version should sit similar to this:



If you're into the "plug-in" concept of these bandanas, rest assured that I will fiddle with them as long as it takes to make sure they function as intended. The small version ought to be much closer right out of the gate, as I also used a physical mock-up to size it, but I'll adjust that as needed too once I receive it in person.



Speaking of mock-ups, something I DID love about the oversized scale of the print on this first sample was how it looks as a vehicle for displaying pins!



Which led to a really fun idea: what if, in addition to the upcoming new robot artwork add-ons, we had a circuit pin banner add-on??

Another wonderful artist linked me to a manufacturer that handles very low MOQ (minimum order quantity) on banners, so happily that looks like a risk-free addition that could help us wrestle up a bit more funding to climb towards our final three stretch goals! I would like to base the banner on the chonkier sizing of the first bandana pass:



Armed with the pins I already had out for bandana pictures, 2" post-it notes, and a bag of B-Grade Incubates, I mocked up just how big said banner would need to be to comfortably fit all existent and soon-to-be-existent Short Circuit pins (we're up to 42 now, whoa!) while still leaving a bit of growing room for future expansions.

Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. I'll get the design finished up soon and sent along to the manufacturer for a quote! :D

And on the topic of sketches, I began to dig into the promised Byte x Python drawing a couple days ago --



So that'll get finished up over the course of this next week as well! <3

Which brings us to part two of our design-a-bot-illustration: it looks like Malware has prevailed in our previous poll, and will be included! Now, which robot should be interacting with them? Vote below to assign them a friend!!

As ever, thank you so much for being here - more surprises are in store as we continue to climb the funding ladder, and we're inching ever closer to the freebie Hash & Heap sticker, so keep sharing the campaign around to anyone who you think might enjoy these lil buddies! 🐺🐉💚

Heya delightful robot enablers,

Not long after I made my last update, we did indeed unlock Else in both enamel pin and selective holographic sticker form!



Which means we're now climbing towards one of the last three stretch goals: Void and Light bandana board colorways!!



The retro feel of these two is going to look delicious in print and I'm excited to have them produced. With over two weeks left on the campaign, I know we can nab 'em and then some!

Crossing this threshold also prompted me to go ahead and pay for the Python prototype, so I've selected fabrics for them~ 👀🐉💜



So one way or another you'll get to see how this noodle takes shape in three soft dimensions, but if you want to bring a Python of your very own home we'll have to keep pushing over the course of the next couple weeks!!

Please feel free to share the campaign around. <3 Also because --



I've added a new community goal! If we reach 300 backers, ALL of you who pledged for physical rewards will not only receive my unending gratitude but ALSO a free hug - the one above, in transparent vinyl sticker form, featuring Light units Hash & Heap 💛

We're at 280 incredible backers at the time of writing this, so that feels quite achievable as well!

And one final surprise: I'd like to sneak another small add-on item into the campaign, featuring a few different Short Circuit robots interacting!! This might be keychains, embroidered patches, magnets - maybe something else entirely - and will feature a few different artwork options. Given the goals of Soft Circuit I will for sure include both the above hug and artwork of Byte & Python together, which I will draw next!

But what the third artwork option will be, and what merch form it will take, is up to YOU! The deciding process will take the form of three polls: two for selecting the robots to be included, and a third to pick the item type. Backers can vote below to pick the first robot!

Thanks again for the amazing support so far, and I hope these lil guys bring you a touch of whimsy where you need it. <3

Hello incredible robot enjoyers,

Now that the initial 48 hour rush has passed, we're entering the calm and steady mid-campaign, and I'm so pleased with our progress! Not long after my previous update, you unlocked Transistor, so the full contingent of Unit Line: Light is officially online!



Then last night y'all snuck past the Additional Plug-In Bandana Boards goal, meaning the Fire, Water, and Air colorways have joined Earth as guaranteed choices for any pledge level or add-on involving the bandanas!



Now we're hovering just a few pledges away from unlocking the much-anticipated expansion to Unit Line: Water, shark bot-board Else --



Let's go bring 'em into the fold! After that we'll be climbing towards the Void and Light bandanas, and only two stretch goals away from working on the Python plush!!

Thank you as ever for being here! If you have any friends you think would be tickled by this campaign, pass 'em the link. We have a nice meaty 18 days ahead of us to make everything a reality! 🐉

Hello robot enjoyers,

First off, WE FUNDED in under three hours yesterday, so a resounding THANK YOU to everyone who pledged!!

Plush are certainly a much more expensive item to produce than pins, and I was just as nervous as I was excited to launch a campaign with a higher base goal than ever before - but you all absolutely SMASHED it! 💚💚💚



This means the Byte plush, the Earth Line small & large bandanas, and the Byte & Pause pin and sticker reprints will all be available for you to choose to take home!

The manufacturing cost of all our freebies is also bundled into the base goal, so the Octave (Octopus: free if you also back Pods and Pots), Mini Pause (Itty Bitty Paw Pin: free if you back 3 or more Animal Akademia projects), and Softwere (Werewolf: free if you back Soft Circuit in the first 48 hours) pins and various stickers will all go into production too.

Then over the first 24 hours of the campaign, y'all also unlocked three stretch goals, meaning Hash & Heap (Bears), Honeypot (Bee), and Trojan (Horse) will all come online in pin and sticker form as well!

So it is my pleasure to formally introduce our Light Line ambassadors again, now with completed character art sticker sheets --



Hash and Heap are stock management units in charge of tracking and distributing retail offerings. They're instructed to crush and toss excess exclusive or seasonal items beyond a certain sell date but, with the help of other units, secretly cache and redistribute the goods to those who could use and enjoy them! Hash units are often employed to handle foods, while Heap specializes in holiday sundries and decoration.



Just like the previous Short Circuit sticker sheets, pretty much everything on these will be a useable kiss-cut sticker, including the text.

Now we're on our way to unlocking Transistor (Heart), then the full base Light Line will be active and we'll be working on the next several bandana boards. Let's go get 'em!!



Also don't forget: if you haven't backed yet, you have one day left to grab your free copy of the 2" Softwere pin 🐺

What are you the most excited for in the Soft Circuit campaign? Let me know in the comments - and let's see what we can make a reality over the next three weeks!! 

Hello gentle bot huggers,

At just two days out from launch, ☆ we have hit over 300 follows on the Launch Party page!! ☆

This means that if you follow the project before the campaign begins, you will receive a FREE jumbo transparent vinyl sticker with your pledge, featuring Heap hugging a Byte plush!



This is a special variant of a pose to be included on Heap's character art sticker sheet (normally in this pose, he's holding a bunch of Halloween decorations), and will be printed on durable transparent vinyl so that you can integrate this bear hug with whatever's behind it. c: If you have not already, be sure to count yourself in to unlock this freebie for yourself!

Soft Circuit will seek to fund 9 new enamel pins (11 counting the exclusive cross collab freebies), 2 robot plush, a whole collection of new stickers, and 12 bandanas (6 large and 6 plush sized). Maybe more if we manage to rocket past all our goals!

Since the last two updates in this space focused on the pins and plush, I'd like to highlight more about the bandanas before launch as well~



If you've been keeping an eye on this campaign's teasers, you've likely seen both the plush and large Earth Line bandana colorway by now! The small bandana is sized to accommodate plush friends, with tailing fabric in the back long enough to tie securely closed. Above is a mockup of the bandana with a Short Circuit pin, and a photo of the real deal from my manufacturer.



Once we've unlocked the base goal and several of the new pins, alternate bandana colorways will become a possibility! First up will be variants of the other classic Short Circuit Lines: Fire, Water, and Air.



Plush and large bandanas unlock together, meaning if we make it this far all of the above will be available to choose from, so you can match whatever buddy you plan accessorize! And speaking of --



Yesterday I received photos of the large Earth bandana sample from that supplier!! It looks SO vibrant, I'm delighted by how well the print translated onto fabric. This sample is satin - selected for said vibrancy, and because the sheen matches the general "ooooo shiny" aesthetic of the Short Circuit series as a whole. It's already in the mail on its way to me, so when I get this bad boy I'll be sure to both model it and thoroughly poke it with pins to confirm the material's durability.

Slightly further down the unlock tree~



Are the Void and Light colorways! These were designed with vaporwave and retro aesthetics in mind, and I really hope we get to make 'em a reality. :3



The large bandanas feature two "component slots" so they can be folded whichever way when worn. If you were so inclined, they could also certainly make for a fun backdrop to display your pins as wall art.

Each colorway is intended to match its Unit Line of the PCB bot-boards, but they also do look quite stunning when paired with the "wrong" pins!



The bandanas will be available as add-ons, so you're welcome to grab either size independent of the robot plushies to integrate into your collections.

That's all for now, as I gotta get back to finishing up a few last-minute graphics and details -- but we're almost ready to launch, and I am SO excited to bring all of these goodies online with your help! Thank you so much for reading, and see you in two days!!

Reminder to follow the Launch Party page if you haven't already and, if you'd like to see development updates even faster, feel free to join the Short Circuit Discord. <3