2012 is the year of the Dragon. This Red and Gold Dragon was a custom order for a new baby. I'm hoping it brings lots of luck! This design is definitely going to be added to our line of regular toys, but only available in size medium, large and xlarge due to the complexity of the design. Sometimes, when a toy has a lot of little pieces, it actually takes more time to make it smaller.
Our May 2012 Free Desktop Wallpaper Calendar features our latest plush design: The Zooguu Manta Ray! We will be bringing the first few rays to the opening day of the SoWa Open Market (Yankee Magazine's vote for best outdoor shopping in New England!!) on May 6. They will be available to order online later on this month, or by dropping us a line to request one.
For now, you can download the desktop wallpaper calendar for free on our Free Stuff page.
We're in the middle of a gigantic project right now, and I wanted to share progress shots of things as they develop. We love fairy tales: princesses, frogs, witches, disguises, wolves, candy houses and more! Whether everyone agrees on the messages that classic fairy tales deliver, the imagery involved has fascinated artists for centuries. We'd like to put our spin on the classics. This project has evolved a lot over the last few weeks, but I think we finally hit on something pretty great. The look is inspired by Brian's cut paper work, Jen's sewing skills and a bit of toy theatre thrown in. Jen has come up with all of the concepts and initial sketches. Brian has used his critical design skills to improve the compositions and develop the color palettes. The final pieces will be made of fabric with colored top stitching to bring out the details. Here are the first four designs in their computer sketch form. We're hoping for at least 12 total before any stitching begins. It even looks like we have a gallery show lined up for when these are complete! Enjoy this little sneak peek into our process:
Little Red Riding Hood
Hansel & Gretel
Cinderella
The Frog Prince
Our latest custom order is for fellow SoWa vendor Cody's Creations! Kerrie wanted a custom dog collar mannequin that resembled her beagle and her company branding. Standing at 14" tall, this guy is the perfect size for a table top display.
Zooguu is turning Four years old on May 1, and we couldn't have done it without your support. Every handmade toy purchased over the last four years has made it possible for us to have this business, and we can't thank you enough. To celebrate four years of being full time artists & business owners, we'd like to extend our thanks by offering an upgrade to your order. Here's how it works:
Order a TINY and get a SMALL - you save $10
Order a SMALL and get a MEDIUM - you save $15
Order a MEDIUM and get a LARGE - you save $20
Order a LARGE and get an EXTRA LARGE - you save $30
Order an EXTRA LARGE and we'll give you a free MEDIUM of your choice - you save $40
All you have to do is write the word UPGRADE in the comments box during checkout. If you are ordering an extra large, please put your medium toy choice in the comments box as well.
Now is the best time to pick up gifts for upcoming birthdays, rewards for a great school year, or even treat yourself to a new office pal to brighten your day!
This offer is good until May 1 - find your new friend today on zooguu.com
Here at Zooguu, we do a lot of custom work. We decided to showcase all of these unique projects into a brand new section on our web site, the Gallery. In the Gallery, you can browse through four years of our one-of-a-kind plush creations - Have fun!
This month's free desktop wallpaper calendar features my latest series of plush that combine mermaids and animals! I thought a bunny would be appropriate for the upcoming Easter holiday. You can download it free on Zooguu's Free Stuff page. Enjoy!
Our latest piece of sewn, fabric wall art. 14" x 17" Stretched on a wooden frame, and ready to hang. This piece and many others will be at the SoWa Winter Market tomorrow from 10am - 3pm | 485 Harrison Ave, Boston
Introducing MerBunny & MerFox!
Gubicza & I have been collaborating on some sewn fabric wall art based on his illustrations. After completing this recent mermaid shown below (20" x 24"), I couldn't wait to combine some of my animal toy designs with a mermaid tail. I've been using upholstery remnants that I received from a local business to create the colorful, patterned tails. I love the way the bunny & the fox came out. I'm planning on adding a MerMonkey and MerBear to the lineup soon.
I just finished this custom plush toy for Rhino Accounting, a Canadian company that develops small business accounting software for Google Apps. They asked me if I could turn their logo/mascot into a plush toy. The most challenging part of this project was creating the head. It took a lot of thinking and drawing on fabric to decide where to place the seams to get the best results. Here is the finished product:
It helps that I had a fun character illustration to work from. The finished rhino guy can stand up on his own and has jointed arms.
