Imagine a plush toy of your book’s main character...Wouldn’t that be cool?
You wouldn’t be reading this article if you haven’t at least thought about it. It makes sense! Kids love something to snuggle up with while they read! As a children’s book author myself, I recently had a plush owl produced to sell alongside my book, Everyone’s Invited.
Here are the steps I took to make it happen.
Step 1: Think it through.
Designing and ordering plush toys isn't cheap, and it isn't something you should do on a whim. Take the time to ask yourself these questions:
👉 Will my audience actually buy a plush along with my book?
I had customers telling me to make my character into a doll for the past two years. That doesn’t mean they will buy it, but it tells me that at least it makes sense.
👉 How much will people pay for this?
Research comparable plush toys. Go into stores and look at what's available, what it feels like, & what it costs. Once you decide what your ideal price point is, you can work backwards to determine your budget for manufacturing.
👉 Where am I going to sell this?
This is going to impact how you pick your manufacturer. Whatever your wholesale cost is per piece, multiply that by 4 to find the retail price. If you only plan on selling direct on your website or craft fairs, then you can stomach a larger cost per piece because there is more room for margin. If you are going to sell wholesale to retail stores, the store takes 50%.
👉 How many do I want?
Do I want one plush to take with me for story times? Or am I looking to produce several hundred to sell in retail settings? If you just want one - then ordering through an artisan on Etsy, or a place like Budsies, makes more sense. Please don’t waste a major manufacturer's time perfecting a sample for you if you have no intention of mass producing it.
👉 Are there any special considerations?
My brand is focused on supporting families with disabilities. Some children with disabilities may mouth toys later than what is typical, so safety was key. Is there anything about your brand that brings up additional questions or concerns?
Step 2: Decide on the Design
If your plush toy will be based on a character in your book - SWEET! You are already a leg up here, because you know what you want your plush to look like.
Now we have to move your character off your book pages and into a formal design. I collaborated with Tracey Jo Taylor, an independent illustrator and toy designer, who is well known for her work with JellyCats. I connected with her when she posted on FB about being open to custom work. Tracey was great to work with! It took about 3 months from signing the contract to receiving my design, and the cost was a little over $300.
Do you NEED a designer? No. You can just send pictures of your character to the manufacturer, who can use that to design and create your plush.
Step 3: Get Quotes from Manufacturers
I got three quotes:
*These quotes are only shared to give you a rough idea of costs, and are not intended to guide your purchasing decisions. Get your own quotes!
You always want to ensure you have apples-to-apples quotes. I recommend requesting the quote to include the cost of safety testing and labeling so you can know the full cost of manufacturing when deciding on who to work with. The quote from the Chinese manufacturer is probably a bit cheaper, but I also don't really know how much. Does it include shipping to my door? The required safety certification?
Things to consider when picking your manufacturer
Pricing
Safety testing
Shipping costs
Reputation
Risk tolerance
Timeline
Language barriers
Minimum order quantity (MOQ)
Materials and features of your plush
For various reasons, as a first time plush creator, I decided to go with the IAPC (For more details, follow me on my Patreon!)
Step 4: Approving the sample (two parts)
Part 1 is to approve the design via photos/video.
It is very common for this stage of the design process to take time and multiple rounds. My plush went through 4 main rounds of alterations. Here's an image that shows how Rose the Owl progressed from illustration, to design, and through four different samples.
Part 2 is to approve a physical sample, mailed to you for a final inspection.
When you receive the sample in the mail, how does it feel? Does it feel well made? Are the materials, size, colors and fabrics what you expected? Assess the seams and stitching. Is it the perfect cuddle weight? Have children hold it and ask their opinion.
If you are happy with it, then you move on to full production!
After seeing my sample in-person, I asked to change the color of the hat and move the positioning of the leaf to the center of the hat, and I opted to not do the embroidered blush. If I had wanted another sample mailed to me, that would have cost another $200, but I opted to approve the revised version via pictures/video.
Step 5: Safety Certification
Do you really need to have your plush toy safety certified? YES!
It is illegal to sell toys that are not certified. It is also dangerous! You are creating products for young children. This isn't an area to ignore or to cut corners. If you neglect to follow the required regulations and someone gets hurt or dies, you can be found legally and financially liable, never mind having to live with yourself if that happened. You also need to prove you've done safety testing in order to sell on Amazon.
P.S. Every country has different safety requirements. I recommend you focus on selling in one country initially, and then scale as needed.
To create toys for the US market, you should follow ASTM tests, which includes:
– Mechanical/physical testing : ASTM F963-1
– Flammability testing : ASTM F963-2
– Chemical testing (8 kinds of heavy metal) : ASTM F963-3 Then CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)
– Lead and phthalates test
– Labeling test
Your manufacturer should have a relationship with an approved safety testing organization in their country. If they don't, then you need to seek out a manufacturer that does. Here is a link to US approved safety testing organizations: CPSC- Accepted Testing
The manufacturer should be able to tell you the name of the safety testing company, and you can then double check that it is approved.
Remember, that ultimately, YOU need to do your due diligence around safety testing. For reasons I don't fully understand, manufacturers will often not educate you, nor care if you get full safety testing done. But you are the one left holding the bag if you can't sell your toy! So, take responsibility for educating yourself.
Connected to safety testing, you also need to register your plush toy. Different states have different requirements. You also need to have both butt tags and hang tags on your plush - this isn’t optional, and falls under the labeling test mentioned above.
Step 6: Place Your Order and Wait…Patiently
Rose owl is now in formal production and will arrive to my home is approximately three months.
Want more information on how to make a plush of your book character?
I am happy to share and answer questions as you go through your plush production process and have multiple articles and a webinar available on my Patreon. I ask in return that you pledge $20 or more to one of my pre-order campaigns and help me donate plushies and books to children with disabilities!
Katherine (Katie) Lockwood lives well with cystic fibrosis and diabetes on Cape Cod with her husband Arden and two little ones. A mental health therapist and prior educator who focuses on supporting families with disabilities, Katie is the mama of Rose with mild Moebius syndrome and Magnolia with hip dysplasia. Katie created Acorn Cottage Press, a social good company focused on creating authentic and empowering disability representation because everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the world around them. Children learn about what matters through the toys, art, people, and books they interact with. What does it say to them about their value in the world if they don’t get to see themselves represented?
You can connect with Katie on Instagram, via email at acorncottagepress@gmail.com, and on her website.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links to products we enjoy using ourselves. Should you choose to use these links, At Home Author or Katie Lockwood may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you.
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