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Critterfolk Plushies & More!

Created by Critter Valley 🌱

Meet the Critterfolk! 🦊🌱⛰️ This line of super-soft plush toys features a variety of characters all inspired by both wild and domestic critters. --- NOTE : If you are already a backer, please use your survey to purchase any extra items!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Timeline, Survey, and Outfit Updates! 🌱 [02.19.25]
28 days ago – Wed, Feb 19, 2025 at 07:15:40 PM

Hello Critters!

It’s been a while since our last check-in, so let’s catch up on what’s been happening!

Our move went well, but we were without internet until yesterday. Even though we moved in on January 25th, our new internet provider didn’t have an installation appointment available until February 18th. We expected maybe a week without service, not almost four! We relied on our mobile hotspots where we could, but data limits and slow speeds made it tough to keep up with everything. During that time, we focused on email and our Discord group rather than Backerkit. Aside from the internet struggles, everything is great! We’re fully settled in now and ready to get back on track, hopefully without any more unexpected delays.

🌱 Survey Timeline Update

In our last update, we estimated that surveys would close on February 20th, but that’s no longer the case.

Critterfolk is my first campaign and while things have been going well overall, I underestimated how long it takes to finalize so many designs. Not having internet only caused further unexpected & unavoidable delays in the timeline.

Going forward, the survey closing date & card charging date is still up in the air! I don’t have an exact date right now and truthfully, I feel awful about giving new dates only for them to change. So for now, surveys will officially close sometime in March. I’m really sorry for the shifting dates — it's definitely a lesson learned for next time! 

🌱 Complete Plush Prototypes!

In case you missed the last update — all plush prototypes are complete! 🎉




If you want to see more photos or get a closer look, you can check out that update here! 

🌱 Outfits Update

 Most of the outfits are done! Here’s a peek at what’s finished so far:
 


The outfits for Clover, Frasier, Honey, Rowan, and Briar are now finalized! We are now just working on finishing up the outfits for Willow, Cinder, and Juniper.

Here’s where we’re at with the remaining outfits!



🍄 Juniper's outfit is almost there! The sweater is finalized, but we are trying a lighter color for the shorts & a matching inner pocket fabric (instead of a white fabric).



🍄 Willow's outfit just needs a few tweaks too! There are only a few adjustments left to be made, such adding the split to her shirt's lace collar and finding a more suitable, muted green color for her dress.



🍄 Cinder's outfit still needs some work, but we have already sent these changes over to our manufacturer!



Thankfully these are all small changes and shouldn’t take too long, meaning we’re officially in the final stretch of prototyping! 
 
🍄 On another note, we recently brought the plush to a family party and the response was amazing! ✨
Everyone absolutely loved them, especially the kids! We heard so many compliments about how well-made the plush are and how soft their fur is, which made me feel so much more confident that you all will love them too!

Everyone also had the chance to dress the plush up, and we got great feedback on how it was to put the clothes on. We noticed that while adults and older kids had no trouble, some of the younger kids struggled with fitting the plush heads and tails through the clothing openings. Since our littlest fans are just as important as our older ones, we’ve made some changes to the clothes! Going forward, the Velcro closures on tops and the tail openings on bottoms will be slightly larger. With these changes anyone should be able to dress the plush with ease! 
 

🌱 What's next?

Surveys won’t close until all prototype samples, including outfits, are finished. Once they’re done and in my hands, I’ll take photos just like I did for the plush!

Once everything is ready, I’ll post an update announcing 1 week left until surveys close and orders lock. During that final week, I plan to host a few "dress-up" livestreams where you can request different clothing combos on the plush! It'll be a fun time to hang out, experiment with outfits, and just play together! ❤️ 

🌱 That's all for now folks!

As always, if you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email me at [email protected]!

If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97 

ALL Plush Prototypes Are Now Complete! 🎉 Final Plush Prototype Photos [01.23.25]
about 2 months ago – Thu, Jan 23, 2025 at 01:05:02 PM

Hello everyone!

I've been working diligently over this past week to get photos taken and edited of all of our lovely critters, and they are now complete and ready for you to view! 🎉

🌱 Clover Fawn





🌱 Frasier Fox





🌱 Briar Wolf





🌱 Willow Cat





🌱 Rowan Raccoon 





🌱 Honey Rabbit





🌱 Juniper Coyote





🌱 Cinder Opossum





The plush prototypes are now final, so no more changes will be made to the plush.  We hope you love all of them as much as we do! 🥺💞 

We are personally very happy with all of the plush, but if you are disappointed with how any of the plush look and there isn’t an alternative you like, we will process any refund requests without question/judgement. If you’d like any sort of refund, either full or partial, you can email us at [email protected] with your order information and we will take care of you!
 

🍄 Questions about the plush

❓ Are the plush poseable?
💬 No —  the plush don’t have any inner armature for posing! Any poses you’ve seen were done by simply twisting the plush into position or using rubber bands.

❓ How soft/firm is the stuffing?
💬 We think the stuffing is a perfect balance — not too soft, not too firm! When brand new, the plush may feel a little on the firm side, but we have found they soften substantially after some snuggling! They hold their shape well too, but remain easy to squish into clothing. 
 

🍄 Plush Manufacturing Disclaimer

Even though these plush are being mass-produced, keep in mind that each one is sewn by hand. This means the plush you receive won’t look exactly like the prototypes shown, but they’ll still be in excellent condition with no defects. Every plush will have its own unique little quirks, which makes them even more special and one-of-a-kind! ❤️ 



Now, onto some other updates!


❓ When will surveys close and orders lock?
💬 The plush prototypes are officially complete, but we’re still working on finalizing the clothing prototypes. Surveys will continue to stay open until everything is ready, and orders won’t lock until after the surveys close.

Work on the clothing prototypes will pause for two weeks because of the upcoming Spring Festival/CNY holiday in China. Our manufacturer will be closed during this time so their team participate in the celebrations! 🐍🐉🏮

Right now, we’re estimating that surveys will close around February 20th, with cards being charged on February 25th. We’re so sorry for the shifting dates! This is our first large-scale project, and perfecting everything has taken longer than we planned. Luckily, we factored in plenty of time for delays when we built our timeline, so we’re still aiming to stay on track for delivery.

As always, if anything changes, we’ll keep you updated right away! ❤️ 

❗ As a personal update, we have secured keys to our new home! 🔑🏠
We will be moving out/in this weekend, so our support will be down during this time. Will be away starting today, Thursday, January 23rd through Tuesday, January 28th. If you need help, we'll be back in the office on Wednesday, January 29th with a response!



🌱 That's all for now folks!
As always, if you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email me at [email protected]!

If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97 

Plush Prototypes are Complete! 🎉 [1.11.25]
2 months ago – Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 04:37:00 PM

Hello every critter! 

We were away for a bit longer than planned, but we are now back with big news!

🎉 All the plush prototypes are officially done! They’ve been shipped out to me and should arrive around the 20th. Once they’re here, we’ll take tons of photos to share with you all ❤️

In the meantime, here are some sneak peek photos from our manufacturer to tide you over! 





These photos also feature the latest clothing samples. As of now, only Frasier, Honey, Rowan, and Clovers' outfits are complete. Briar, Juniper, Cinder, and Willows' outfits are still a work in progress!

🌱 Now let's touch base about the survey timeline!
 
Prototype completion is running a little behind schedule and will take a few weeks longer than I initially estimated. Because of this, the survey lock date will be pushed back. I had originally planned to lock surveys on the 15th, but now it’ll be closer to the end of the month/beginning of next month. 

Once all the samples are finished and arrive, I’ll take detailed photos of each plush, outfit, and individual clothing item! These updated photos will be added to your surveys and shared here in an update. From the date those photos are posted, you’ll have 7 days to add-on to your pledge, make changes, or request a refund.

Be sure to keep a close eye on updates going forward so you don’t miss any important info about when orders will be locked and charged! 

🌻 I have some important personal updates to share too!

We’re in the process of moving out and searching for a new apartment. Thanks to the success of this campaign, we’re finally able to look for a bigger space! It's absolutely necessary for handling the volume of orders we’ll be processing and for helping Critterfolk grow even more after campaign-fulfillment. It'll be a lot of work, but so worth it for our future!

Over the next month or so, we’ll be busy packing and settling into the new place, so please bear with us if it takes a little longer to respond to your questions or feedback. Thank you all so much for your patience during this time! 🙏

🌱 That's all for now folks!

As always, if you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email me at [email protected]!

If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97 🔗 

Weekly Check In! 🌱 [12.19.24]
3 months ago – Thu, Dec 19, 2024 at 01:14:14 PM

Hello every critter!

It's time for our weekly check-in!

Before we begin, I want to give a heads-up that there will be NO check-in next week!
Next Wednesday is Christmas, so we will be busy celebrating with our friends & family that day. I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season! We will see you again on the 1st of the new year! 🎉🥳🎊

🌱 Cinder's first prototype is ready!



Here's the first look at Cinder's plush!
Cinder is looking so good for the first attempt! I think it's one of the best we have seen so far. The dual-toned grey fur was a secret feature I had in mind for Cinder, so I hope you love it as much as I do! ❤️

We only have a few small changes in mind, such as
  • make the ears smaller
  • make the eyes slightly larger
  • make the tail larger & adjust the markings/shape


Overall, I don't think Cinder's look will change too much, so this prototype is a good idea of how they will look complete!

I know many of you in the Discord server are hoping for Cinder to have a poseable tail, but I want to avoid adding wire to any of my plush. In my opinion, wire takes away from the plush's snuggly feel, maximum cuddliness is a goal I have for Critterfolk!

 🌱 Update on Honey's outfit!



The first sample for Honey's outfit is here! These photos also shows her true plush colors much better.

The colors used are looking so cute! I especially love how the shirt turned out.
As some notes on changes, we will try different fabric (first samples are always done on minky for ease!) and I want to see if we can get some gathering / pleating added to her dress.

The shirt also shows the new velcro closure! It's baby velcro, meaning its extra soft, and its quite lowkey looking on the clothing. I think it looks great!

🌱 That's all for now folks!
It was a short update today, but I'm sure we will have plenty more for you next time we check in! ❤️

As always, if you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email me at [email protected]!

If you want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97 🔗 

Short Check In! 🌱 Latest Plush Sample Updates [12.11.24]
3 months ago – Wed, Dec 11, 2024 at 05:26:00 PM

Hi everyone!

It's time for our weekly Wednesday check in! We don't have too much to share, so today's update will be a short and sweet one. 🐾

🌱 Honey's plush sample is now complete!



Honey looks absolutely adorable! Her colors are a tad washed out in these photos, but I still wanted to share them. I'm so obsessed with how cute her face is — it makes me just want to pinch her little cheeks! I hope you all love her as much as I do 💕

Regarding her fur length : Honey's original design sheet showed her having longer fur over her whole body, but ultimately we decided against this for her final look. Finding matching colors across different lengths of fur proved to be difficult, and we would rather her have a cohesive look and colors we love rather than the long fur.

🌱 Juniper's ear fluff adjustments have been made!



The ear fluff is BACK! It definitely helps enhance Juniper's ears and make them look more like a coyote.
I like the shape, but I'm wondering if the applique should be a bit larger. And as for the color, should it stay white or match the cream color on the body? Let me know what you guys think!


🌱 That's all for now folks!
If you have any questions about your pledge or the survey you can comment below or email me at [email protected]!

If you want a quicker response or want to connect the Critterfolk community, you can join our discord server! There, you can ask questions, stay up-to-date with mini-updates on plushie development, and chat with many other Critter-lovers! Come hang out with us! 💕 🔗 https://discord.com/invite/UR3CYWFr97 🔗