HOW TO - KICKSTARTER TIPS - by Discordia Merchandising

Running a Kickstarter was fun. The DIY Spray Can Vinyl Toy was a success. We made goal in 9 days and went well over goal by the end of 30 days. We at Discordia Merchandising did a lot of research to prepare for our first Kickstarter project, and still ended up picking up a few tricks in the process. Here is a few things we learned.

Tips:

1. Study other Projects. Learn from others mistakes. Figure out what they did wrong, and avoid making their errors. Do your research. Download the KS App and watch those Ending Soon Projects, as well as Newest Projects for the Dos and Dont's.

2. Pay for as much of the preliminary expenses as possible. Don't expect Supporters to put down cash for something you won't invest in yourself. This will also likely put your item into production before your KS project even begins and speed up the fulfillment of your items to Supporters. Being able to provide the project items to Supporters in weeks instead of months or even a year or more later is a much better look. A Pre-Order Kickstarter is much more appealing to potential supporters.

3. Don't bill your Supporters for your production costs. Just let them pre-order the product alone. See #2. Sure MOST KS projects do exactly that, and does that make it ok? Not really. Any business writes off their expenses on their taxes. If you run a KS and get the public to give you those funds, that's not investment any more, that's income! If you write that off as anything else, that is technically tax fraud. And in the case of Supporters funding your project, be it Music, Toys, etc. that basically makes those Supporters your Producers and they technically own your production and the rights to it. Ask any Music Producer who owns Studio Recordings.

4. Offer Double, Triple, and Quadruple the items! Offer Wholesale! Supporters will likely want more than one of an item. Will want extras, for gifts to friends. Will want to stock your product in their shops and test sales. This will spawn future Wholesale orders. This is way better than expecting Supporters to make a pledge and then double it or triple it and message you about the extra items. And when they do go about doing just that, you will miss out on shipping costs for those additionals that will come out of your pocket in the end.

5. Don't count on the KS Community alone to make your project happen. If you don't have a pre-existing network of Supporters of your own, on social media, blog, or email list, you will fail! Around 50% of our Supporter base was KS Community, the other half we drew in from across the web by all those other means. Without our own pull, we would have gotten no where at all.

6. Participate in the KS Community. Take the time to Sign Up, Download the App, Connect your Facebook, and Follow other KS Community Members and projects in advance. Years in advance if possible. Support other projects, as much as you can, in advance as well. Other KS Community Members will get notifications of your support and take extra note of your project launch because of it. Give and Support. No one likes a leech.

7. Make your Goal as low as possible. Better to have a small success than a huge failure. We have seen many other projects asking for $15,000 and getting to $10,000, asking for $175,000 and getting to $100,000. Do your best to lower costs and get that goal down to the lowest level possible. Again See #2.

8. Make sure your item is available after the Kickstarter on a retail site. What good is all that exposure and success if you have no Retail follow through? Seriously, we've seen KS projects with cool items on offer, and then after the KS is over you can't even locate a shop that sells the excess production run, or even get the project director to answer a single email about getting any of it wholesale off them. WTF?

9. Network with Artists to offer additional Tie-In Items. We got down with 10 Custom Toy Artists from Carson Catlin to Patrick Wong to JCorp to offer Customized DIY Spray Can Vinyl Toys to Supporters. This helped us to reach more potential Supporters via those Artists informing their fan bases. And their Reward Tiers helped us to make our KS Goal quicker. FIY, we committed to providing them each with 90% of the asking price they set for their Custom Toys.

Maybe you don't agree with all of these points and sure they won't all fit your particular KS project. But hey, this was our experience. And we did pretty good. 

In fact, will be coming back with another Kickstarter DIY Toy very soon. One designed by a Designer Toy Award Nominee. 

So Stay Tuned! DIY Spray Can Vinyl Toy - RETAIL HERE: LINK

DIY Spray Can Vinyl Toy - WHOLESALE HERE: LINK

Posted By: Starr Mignon

DIY Spray Can Kickstarter - GOAL FUNDED

GOAL MADE!

Thanks to all our Supporters and Artists Involved. YOU did this. This is YOUR victory.

100% Goal is just the start. We are not done yet. Stretch Goals are still on the table. We have whole other DIY Platform Toys to jump start. A mystery Designer Toy Nominee has a platform in development, and we can't wait to go public with this one!

Also check out the long list of Designer Toy Artists offering Customs developed on this new platform now including PLAYFUL GORILLA and NAPTIME NOAH. AND we have increased some volumes at the Custom Toy Artists request. So if a Custom Artists Reward was sold out before, you may have a second chance to acquire a Custom at this point.


So visit the Kickstarter Pre-Order project page to make a pledge, or up your pledge and message us about the extra items you want. 
 
ONLINE HERE: LINK

Posted By: Gavriel Discordia

DTAs - VOTING OPEN and Gavriel Discordia's Wish List

Clutter Magazine is putting on the 7th Annual Designer Toy Awards at the New 5 Point Festival.

In the Running this year are the following Artists: Uamou, Horrible Adorables, Jaun Muniz, The Bots, MJ Hsu, Cat Atomic, Quiccs, Map-Map, Charles Rodriguez, Colus, God Machine, Trap Toys, James Groman, Jason Freeny, Otto Bjornik, Tracy Tubera, Lana Crooks, Kyle Kirwan, 2PetalRose, Candie Bolton, RX Seven, Dolly Oblong, and all the stalwarts of the scene that populate theses lists perpetually.

So whats the Drama with the DTAs this year? Probably the same as the last 6 years. Same old names year after year would be one of them. And as usual tons of amazing things never made the list. 

I can only speak for my experience as a toy blogger coming off a year+ Guest Blogging stint on Tenacious Ninja and as Owner of Discordia Culture Shop, which means I am privy to A LOT of Toy Artists. So Ill just list what I see missing.

KKAMoxo - MOO - Best Sofubi [What the hell people?]
TopzToy - SpiderTrooper - Best Resin
BoyInTheCorner - Pick Something - Break-Through Artist [Are you f'n kidding me?]
MrMarsStudios - Kandy Bombers or Mr Krispy - Best Mini-Series or Break-Through Artist
Patrick Wong - ST1200 - Toy of the Year
MujuWorld - Pick Something - Artist of the Year or Life Time Achievement
Killer Bootlegs - Masterpiece Raoul Duke - Best Non-Licensed
Gabriel Dishaw - Pick Something - Break-Through Artist
Hip Hop Trooper - Escape of the Hip Hop Trooper - Toy of the Year
Andres Zamora - DIY Toy Collection - Best Collection [My all time fave category Rarely Used!]
Eagon - False Omen (4.5 foot tall) - Best Non-Licensed
KaNO - 24 Inch Hi-Def - Best Resin
Clutter Studios - Life Time Achievement [Seriously, they deserve it for two reasons, doing what no one else has the guts to do, and taking sh*t for it and not quitting.]

Rato Kim - BreadCat - This was the only one on my wish list who made it in, receiving both Best Resin and Toy of the Year. And well deserved the Nomination was. Note: the BreadCat is only one of a line of toys based on the BOXCAT Platform. I can't get enough of this. Rato Kim rocks.

What would I change about the DTAs if it was up to me? More Public influence. 

Having what appears to be a Committee list of mostly Toy Artists, and Blog/Store/Company owners who select the Finalists, [who are often themselves] and then vote on MOST of the categories without the public, seems odd to me. I would definitely let the Public Nominate, elect Finalist and vote on most of the Categories. But that's just me.

Drama and Opinions aside, it is what it is and its time to go vote for what you can that made the Finalist lists.

Follow this Link to Vote: LINK

5 Points Fest - A Clutter Event

A celebration of designer toys, comics, craft beer & food, and street art culture, Five Points offers an amazing alternative to the big box comic conventions, while still having the draw of being a New York City event. The new home of The Designer Toy Awards (www.designertoyawards.com), Five Points Fest will take part on May 20th - 21st, 2017.

Curated by Clutter and presented by Midtown Comics, Five Points is a convention focused on designer toys and comic art debuting next year in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Artists Present to include:  Ron English - Huck Gee - Tara McPherson - Scott Wilkowski - and Many More!

http://fivepointsfest.com/

One of several new events tied to the world of Designer Toys, such as the new CurioCon, and Designer Toy Summit. Following the lead of the long running Designer Con, of course.

Where will the next event start up across the United States? Austin? Kansas City? Chicago? Atlanta?

Posted By: Gavriel Discordia

Designer Toy Awards Nominations - by Gavriel Discordia

Not my picture...

Designer Toy Awards Nominations - by Gavriel Discordia

As a blogger of Designer Toys over the last year on Tenacious Ninja, everything gets my attention. These are the Artists and Items that got my special attention. Some of whom I have worked with, some who's goods I have stocked, some of whom I met personally at Designer Toy Summit last March, and some that just really got my attention as one of the best Custom Toys I've ever seen in over a decade of being a toy dealer.

So consider this my list of predictions if you like, but I just go with my tastes in everything I do. I just know what I enjoy looking at.

Serious Question though; If a Designer Toy comes out for pre-order at the end of 2016, and doesnt reach fans till this year, 2017, then does it count as a 2016 toy release, or a 2017 toy release?

BreadCat by Ratokim

SpiderTrooper by Topztoy TGU

MOO by KKAMoxo

24 Inch Hi-Def by kaNO Kid

Mario Trooper by Playful Gorilla

Popeye Grin by Ron English

ST1200 by Patrick Wong

Pennywise the Dancing Clown by Jaibantoys

Mr Krispy my Mr. Mars Studios

www.DesignerToyAwards.com

The Abominable Snow Cone - by Jason Limon

Designer Toy Award Winner - Toy of the Year 2016

The Abominable Snow Cone is the 3D manifestation of artist, Jason Limon's Cryptidbits series painting by the same name. Imagine a 50 foot Snow Cone monster loose on your neighborhood streets chasing after the ice cream man who imprisoned him in a icy hell for years. This cherry monster is ready to exact revenge on all those bratty kids who bit into his smaller brethren….

The Abominable Snowcone is a 3 piece set: a 7 1/4 inch tall Snowcone Monster, a 2 inch ice cream truck and a handy spoon ready to serve up some icy menace. Comes packed in a blister pack inside a box that designed by Jason Limon.

Standard Red Version 
Developed by Martian Toys

ONLINE HERE: LINK

Posted By: Starr Mignon

What are Designer Toys? by Gavriel Discordia

Fukno by Sucklord - now that is Art.

Ok Toy peeps, no holding back, time to take the gloves off, I'm going to tell you what I really think. From now own Gavriel Discordia is going to keep it real!

You want to know what I really think about Funko Pops? Do ya?!?!

Well I'm going to tell you. But first off, we need to discuss what a Designer Toy is.

Designer Toys are not Art or Toys.

'The F*ck you say?' Hold on, I'll explain it right here in one sentence.

Designer Toys are a Scene.

A Scene made up of Artists. Amazing Artists brimming with more talent than than any other Art Movement that has ever existed. A Scene whereby the best Artists of all other fields of Art come together as one. And its a beautiful thing. The world has never seen anything like it before. A Scene celebrated with books, Conventions, and its own Awards Event.

So next time someone asks you "What are Designer Toys?", just say "That's my Art Scene."

So back to what I think about Funko Pops...

Funko Pops will never have anything to do with the Designer Toy Scene. Because they are not Art and will never be considered Art. They flat out will never count as Art, will never be featured in an Art Gallery as is. And no one involved in their creation will ever be recognized as a Great Artist for having had anything to do with making them. And they will NEVER win a Designer Toy Award!

The only time those crappy little widgets will ever be remotely considered as Art is when they are being used by Designer Toy Artists as a raw material to turn into Art.

But that's just me.

Posted by: Gavriel Discordia