Hey TA, Just wanted to share some pics of our new prototype plush toys, which are based on characters from our upcoming game Juice Jumpers. Since posting they're images we've actually been getting 1000's of hits from Pinterest and Facebook, with lots of folks inquiring about the game launch etc.. - Anyway just wanted to say if you have characters that lend well to Plush toys, then try to get them mocked up. The casual market seem to really lap it up! http://www.littlebeestudios.com/?p=84
Too many colors and a not so good color matching. Green thing: don't know what fruit is that. Red on green, complementary colors, but so disturbing. Also, the white light on the pupil makes it look too detailed when not needed. Violet thing: not too bad. Should be a berry. A bit strange mouth. I'm not sure what color is the eyes and mouth, but if you picked up magenta, then it's fine. Strawberry: strange eyes... Banana: the mouth expression and glasses are so 90's... the rest is nice, but why the bottom is green? Orange: the cut effect is interesting. Just one thing: why eggs instead of eyes? Red mouth is not so nice... I would have picked up a different color (probably white) for all the characters. Sorry for the critics. Just wanted to tell you my honest opinion.
That's fine, but we're aware of the limitations of our prototyping process. - We don't have all the exact material colours. - We can't stitch the eyes to create the digital gradients which add a lot of expression. The point of my post was mainly to illustrate the positive commercial effects of having Plushies or some game related crafty stuff to aid with marketing
I think they look great, this could really be a winning move. The common thinking does seem to be to wait for a mega successful game franchise and only then cash in with all the extra merchandise like plush toys (Angry Birds being the obvious example). There's no reason you can't do things the other way round - get all the kids loving to collect/swap your plush fruit characters then you have huge market for any games featuring them. The hard part is getting the toys in places where kids will see them - so that probably means going into lots of small shops and big retail chains and giving them the big sell. If I do a character-led game I'd consider doing this too -- the only downside is being physical objects you not only have to sell them to retailers, but you have their mass production, storage, distribution etc. to think about and is a whole new ball game to app development. So it's only something a larger company (as in larger than 1 person like mine!) could realistically do. But yes, fantastic idea.
Thanks for the encouraging words mate Another reason we wanted prototypes was to present them to VC people here in Ireland. Most VC's here, with the exception of Dogpatch which is US have no real idea about the games industry. They're dying to get their feet wet but lack the confidence to take the plunge in a market they don't fully understand. Showing them some physical stuff like plush toys can actually help bring them into your world when your trying to pitch a potential game franchise, as most people will be familiar with cute toys. So I guess it helps people connect with your vision. The storage will be a major concern if we decide to mass produce a few 1000 in Asia but that's another days worry...which I'd be happy to ponder
Those look adorable! And they feel recognizably enough like your characters. Great idea for a character-driven game. Do you have any advice on getting them prototyped or where you might eventually get them made? Like did you just have a friend who knows how to sew mock them up or did you send them to a company? Any companies that you'd recommend or specifically advise people to steer clear of?
I'm actually in the relatively lucky position of having a gf that is a qualified clothing constructor.... so I took advantage of her skills She can make a character in about 5-6 hours, but she's being doing it on the side as she has other REAL jobs I think that anyone who is even a little qualified in basic clothing construction or even clothing alterations would have the skills to create something like this. Here's a closer look at the Afro Plum that's currently in progress. You can see the level of detail is not insane but you'll need someone who knows how to use a sewing machine for sure. It's also filled with special fibres I picked up in an upholstery shop
Personally I think they look awesome and the range of colors is very welcomed and work well. Who wants a monotone looking toy? Anyways I get what you're doing here. You are just here to help and advise and that is greatly appreciated. I know you are the helpful type because I've emailed you (or one of your teammates) before and you were more than willing to offer advice. Question about these plushies; how much do prototypes cost to make each? Are they made in North America or would you outsource to China?
I only had to sell my soul for them as my gf is the creator, so no money changed hands...oficially! I didn't intend on discussing costs or a service but seeing how people are interested I asked her how much she would charge if I had been a client. - So she says that once she gets the jpg there is a bit of though required on how to make the 3D shape from that 2D object. Also what sewing techniques and material cuts are best suited to create the individual pieces. - It's a once off design which will depend entirely on the complexity of the character. The starting point for a relatively basic basic character like my Apple Jumper in the first post would be around 60. - She lives in Dublin, Ireland. If anyone would like any further info on the process or tips from my Plush factory feel free to ask anything. Even post character(s) you had in mind for a Plush and I'll get some feedback on complexity\feasibility if you'd like.
Plushies might not be the best marketing tool. They're rather expensive to make. What I do get from your message is having a character in your game that people would WANT as a plushie is a good marketing tool.
Your 100% correct, definitely only consider this route if you have game characters that lend well to Plush design. If your main guy is a marine with an AK47 it might not be the best tact.
Thought I'd give you guys a little update on this plushie project. We've started to post some images on FB and the site of the characters in a more natural setting (The wet Irish countryside!) very positive reaction so far. http://www.littlebeestudios.com/?p=157 ...and now we sit back and wait for the soccer moms
Further to what I said earlier, not only do these look great and incredibly eye-catching (with fantastic colour combinations), I think all the individual characters are very strong - I even envisage them in their own TV cartoon series with distinct voices and personalities getting into all sorts of scrapes (an idea for the future when you hit the big time!) Also if given personalities these characters could feature in many spin-off games of all different genres of game like Mario and friends. The ONLY think that niggles slightly about them is given the game is called Juice Jumpers is they don't have legs and feet so looks like they might struggle to jump!
Lol good point They do bounce around on their asses a bit though so we might get away with it! We definitely set out to make a set of characters that could have "legs" (excuse the bad pun) and be brought to other games. So if this first offering has any traction we'll definitely be extending the brand some way.
I like the idea of using toys and pinterest to drum up interest in a project. I might have to steal it.
