Toymaker

Is anyone still active on this website

Asked by Dan 6 months ago

Hi how are you

Asked by Sk 6 months ago

Being 17 and I assume you make a good deal of money (at least compared to your peers) are they ever jelious of you?

Asked by Sam almost 4 years ago

Unfortunately you assume wrong :) at least for now. Most of what I’ve done has been hand knit and takes quite a long time to do, so it is not very profitable. I am however considering branching out to sewn toys which I should be able to produce far more quickly, so hopefully that will increase the profit margin.Even if this were very lucrative though, I don’t see jealousy being an issue. Both in my homeschool high school community back then, and in my market community now as an adult, everyone is so supportive of smalltime artisans. We want each other to do well!

What is your biggest fail and success?

Asked by Makenzie almost 4 years ago

My biggest fail would definitely be a custom order for three snails that were supposed to look just like a character in a storybook. I took the commission after co-selecting a snail pattern I had not used before (will never make that mistake again) and the pattern turned out to be a confusing nightmare, as did the effort to incorporate the color changes required for the book character. It took ages longer than I had estimated, leaving me - and worse, my customer - harried and frustrated.

My biggest success has absolutely been the line of animals I’ve designed myself. I started knitting those and writing the patterns in 2017 and never looked back. They are my pride and joy!

Hello, how do you make sure your not breaking copyright, trade mark, among other laws like that when your making and selling toys?

Asked by Diane almost 4 years ago

Good question! There are basically three categories of toys I can/do make: originals, patterns by other small business artists, and big licensed characters.

Mostly these days I am using my own original patterns, so none of those things are an issue.

When I use patterns from other small artists, their own product listing specifies their wishes, which I honor: some say you may produce a small number for sale, some are strictly for personal use. Many ask for a mention in your listing/tag on the finished product. Most all do not want their pattern used for mass manufacturing (reasonable).

When I am making licensed characters (for me this is usually Paddington, Pooh bear, Pokémon, or the occasional Disney character) is where this issue would mostly arise. Different companies vary greatly in their attitude toward fan art. Some are very open and encourage it, since they realize it’s made from the love of their fans - but all-importantly, it does not compete with their products, but rather does free marketing for them! In some cases e.g. Pooh bear, it’s going to be very difficult to enforce a ban on anyone ever making yellow teddies with red sweaters.

Ultimately it’s not a matter that concerns me very much - licensed toys are usually only an occasional one-off and don’t step on anyone’s toes. The rest of the time, I’m using my own work. :)

Hi, have you ever made a Minecraft toy?

Asked by Trump 2020 KAG almost 4 years ago

No, I never got into Minecraft. But in 2016 (the year of Pokémon Go) I did make a multitude of Pokémon and poke balls. They were sold in a local retro video game shop.

How is COVID-19 affecting your business

Asked by asdf about 4 years ago

It didn’t really. Thankfully most of what I do is online. I am planning to branch out to farmers market / craft fair sales now, but in my area COVID won’t have any effect on that either.