Soft Circuit: Short Circuit 1.2

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! 🥰

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!!