Pony plushies too expensive?

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

i'm really sad about this, i actually cried after finding someone on DA who made some of the coolest plushies i've ever seen, but is charging like 200-2,000 dollars for them...  (i mean, the 2,000 dollar one was a lifesized Rainbow Dash, so that is somewhat understandable, but wow, 2 grand, that is more than what my computer and iphone is worth combined!).

 

i am sooooo envious of these people     with Rainbow Dash being my favorite pony, i think i am screwed, because after realizing the costs are determined by materials, and the explanations given, i am basically looking at a high price no matter what i do...  now i hate myself for loving RD so much...  and like, i like Twilight Sparkle a lot too, but she is a "safe" character at this point, she isn't quite a Mary Sue, but she doesn't get the same dramatic reaction as RD does, like, RD stands out, sometimes in a bad way, but because she can be such an arrogant fool, and sometimes does not-so-good things to her friends, yet still having some visible conscious of right and wrong, i find her to be a fun and epic sort of hero, or borderline anti-hero in some cases, but still mostly hero.  

 

 not to mention she looks awesome, and does awesome stuff, she is 20% cooler than any other pony, and i've seen the Hasbro plushies...    does Hasbro make things half-assed on purpose to make us want to hate them?  they can make it up to us by making D&D 6th Edition: My Little Pony: Adventures In Equestria, now that sounds like a brillian idea, they could even call it Dungeons & Ponies, you know, since Hasbro bought out Wizardsofthecoast, might as well milk every idea they can get.  who knows, maybe that will finally outshine Pathfinder    

 

well anyways...  i'm gonna go cry in a corner some more about how poor i am and how i need to get a new job so i can bleed money to have a RD doll someday that doesn't suck #BlameHasbro

[simba86 1,541]

pony plush prices pretty much plunged after hasbro and other big companies started making licenced pony plushies, even china makes knock offs of plushies that used to sell for hundreds of dollars.

look at the 4th dimension plushies, they are an almost exact copy of the hand made ones people used to make and sell for hundreds of dollars and now you can buy an official licenced one for like 20 bucks and it is pretty show accurate. not to mention that hasbro has been hitting the custom plushie makers pretty hard with C&D orders now that they are making plushies.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,984]

@@Nikola Xerdav, http://shop.4de.com/toys

If you have money to spare you may wish to order soon because I've been told that they're going to send out pre-orders relatively soon... possibly.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Tsaritsa Luna

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

@@Nikola Xerdav, http://shop.4de.com/toys

If you have money to spare you may wish to order soon because I've been told that they're going to send out pre-orders relatively soon... possibly.

oh my god...  this is amazing...  i almost can't believe it    i have to jump on this!  thanks so much for forwarding me to this site    

[alpinefroggy 451]

oh my god...  this is amazing...  i almost can't believe it    i have to jump on this!  thanks so much for forwarding me to this site    

Yes they are great. For reference here is a 4de twilight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite plushie of mine and I have a wide variety of liscensed ones. No company besides 4de comes even close to being show accurate and 4de does an utterly amazing job at a price that isnt absurd. I currently am awaiting RD in the mail myself and am extremely confident of their ability to make other ponies

[Snow Frostflame 3,568]

I own a Fluttershy plushy I bought in Disney Land last year... it cost me $50.... so yeah they're pretty damn overpriced

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

Yes they are great. For reference here is a 4de twilight.

 

Favorite plushie of mine and I have a wide variety of liscensed ones. No company besides 4de comes even close to being show accurate and 4de does an utterly amazing job at a price that isnt absurd. I currently am awaiting RD in the mail myself and am extremely confident of their ability to make other ponies

i also bought a RD, i am so happy  considering that fans charge so much, but i can somewhat understand, considering all the work and time that goes into it, i don't think 50 or 60 dollars is extreme, but i'll granted, without a steady job i wouldn't even pay that much, lol..  since i have some money saved up from my sporadic job i barely make 200 dollars a month with, i decided to jump on this 4de site to get a RD.  i kinda want a Twilight Sparkle too, but i don't want to go crazy with my money right away.  i also might want a Fluttershy...  ooo, dammit, i think i became a Brony, i tried so hard to deny it, but i think i am official a Brony now 

 

reading fanfics, buying t-shirts, watching episode reviews, on this forum more than i am on facebook, i think i can't deny my Bronisms any longer, i have been lying to myself, i said "well, it's only watching the show", "well, it's only watching reviews", "well, it's only buying 2 t-shirts", "well, it's only watching half of every fanmade videos that exists", "well, it's only reading a few fanfictions", "well, it's only a forum to go talk to bronies", "i swear, it's impossible, i can't be a brony!"

 

and now, some memes!

 

[MLS_Brony 177]

Yeah the price seems to be all over the place, 4de has some of the better ones out there. I actually just ordered my first one the other day so I guess I'm finally getting into it after a couple of years. Now if only I could find a good Littlepip plush 

[JonasDarkmane 19,785]

I find them to be really expensive. However, I think they are worth the prize if the one who makes the plushie puts a lot of work into it . 

[Troblems 5,617]

I was desperately trying to stay out of this topic. I probably should have, but honestly, I hate it when people complain about the price of plushies.

 

About a year ago I started toying with the idea of making MLP plushies. I have been sewing since I was a kid, since my family never had enough money to feed itself, much less clothe two children. So my mom taught me to sew.

 

And so began my trek to make MLP plush toys. I figured a couple hundred bucks would square me until I really got up and running.

 

That was a drastically low guess.

 

I started with a sewing machine I got for my wedding. It was simple, but I figured it would do a good enough job. Now I needed an embroidery machine for the eyes, so I dropped 300 dollars on that. I figured I was set.

 

I bought my first pattern. It was 12 dollars, and because I had never sewn a plushie before, I figured it would be good enough.

 

I started with some cotton fabric my mom had lying around. I made two plushies out of cotton before I figured I was skilled enough to start on fleece.

 

Sewing with fleece was a whole different animal. It stretched differently, and now my plushies were no longer standing. Whatever. Minky was stiffer, so it would all work out.

 

So I made my started my first plush with minky. However, by this time my sewing machine was being found more and more lacking, so I bought another one. Better, with programable whatever. You can see it in the background of the picture below. 147$

 

 

 

 

Now, to do all this I needed:

2 yards of minky. Figure about 15 bucks apiece full price from Jo-anne's.

Scissors, 2 pairs 18 total

Batting 15

Stuffing 16

Thread at 4 dollars apiece x5

Pins 3$

needles 5$

Curved needles 7$

 

My sewing machine broke down. At this point I had a choice to make. The embroidery machine I had was possessed. My primary sewing machine needed repairs. I could wait for the repairs, or I could fork over the money and buy a brand new machine (again) fix the other two, and have them as backups. So that's what I did. Another 360 down the hole.

 

I was now out of minky, and still wasn't anywhere close to selling quality. Another couple of yards of minky. Some more thread to match the new color. Turns out my printer was too small, so I forked over 150 for a printer that could print a bigger pattern.

 

My first pattern wasn't working for me. It wasn't exact enough, and I didn't know how to make one. Another 10. Nope, one more. 20.

 

Well now! Now I'm finally getting somewhere. In comes my first beginning to end completely finished plush. Finally. At about 6 months. 

 

 

 

 

Looking back on that plush now, she was a total wreck. The neck stitches were showing. She's lumpy as hell. I made her hair our of fleece, because that's what I could afford.

 

So I moved on to the next plush. It was coming up on Christmas, and MCM. And so for practice, I made my second plush, and auctioned her off for charity. She sold for 260, and I never saw any of that money, but I figured she was good advertising. 

 

Extra bobbins and machine needles. Was running out of both. 25$

 

I worked my ass off to get her done on time. Those weren't colors I had, so I ordered them. The first order they sent the wrong color, so I had to order 3 yards instead of two. I couldn't return the first and wait for a second shipment, so I kept one of the yards to use later. I also ended up making a Twilight plush that went to the winner so I could try out a filly pattern; another 20, one for the auctioned plush, one for the filly pattern. Plus all of the thread for all of these things. I spent most of January toiling over that Twilight, but in the end, I was proud of my work.

 

At this point I started making my own patterns. More precisely, my husband did. My husband who has zero interest in ponies. My husband who through this all was encouraging me as I toiled to get these plushies right. Through countless hours tearing out seams because I had mis-sewn pieces. Or the pattern didn't line up enough. Or because I had mis-cut a piece. Every time I screwed up, it cost me money.

 

I needed a breather in February, so I took a break as some personal stuff went on. March I was back at it, and I made another Pixel, this time for a convention. I figured that plush, too would be advertising. She would be on our table, and people would surely ask about her.

 

Except nobody did. Not one person. And while I was working my ass off trying to put out a product that someone might actually be interested in buying, I watched as a member of the group I was with bought a plush fro someone else. Someone they didn't know; I was completely crushed, and I scrapped the Rarity I had been working on to start again on a new pattern, because I had foolishly thought that someone else could cut out the pattern for me. That was my mistake, and a costly one. I had already done all the embroidery, used a lot of fabric, and then entire thing ended up in the trash.

 

And so again I started on that Rarity plush. As I assembled it, I came across even more problems. More sweat. More tears. More seams ripped, and pieces replaced, because you can only go over the same spot so many times. 

 

I've been working on this Rarity plush since April. The person buying in it showed interest in my work back in December, and for that I am profusely grateful. He is eternally patient.

 

All told at this point I am in over a grand in expenses, and I have not seen a single cent of that back. I have leaned on my husband to make patterns for me several times, and I've now crafted my own, since none of the ones I bought worked for me. They were good enough, but not perfect.

 

I'm getting to the point where I am *just* about to sell my first plush for a profit. Expect that it isn't a profit, because that money is going towards covering all of the expenses. That doesn't even cover the hours I've spent getting to the point where someone *might* buy one.

 

Plushie makers don't charge what they do because they want to rip you off. They charge what they do because this is a labor intensive project, and all of the money spent has to either come out of pocket or go on credit, which will make it even more expensive, since then you have to pay back the interest. 

 

Most plushie makers burn out. It's just a fact, because people pick apart the work they do, the hours put in, their fabric choices, one stitch being off, the eye color being not perfect, whatever. At the same time, we have to work within the limits of the fabric colors, thread colors, what a pattern is able to do, etc etc. Every aspect is picked apart, and it's grating, because you just want to put out the best product you can. Then people complain about the prices. Do you haggle with a plumber when they come to fix your fucked up toilet? Your doctor? The grocery store? Because plushie makers have to haggle for many of the pieces they make, and because their art if considered frivolous and they aren't positive when the next order will come in, they have to bargain.

 

I didn't type all this up to make anyone feel bad. What I want is for people to understand that we charge based on the expertise we have, the practice put in, the knowledge we have. It's tiring. We work longer hours than most people who work a 9-5 because our income is completely dependent on us. As a barista at Starbucks do you have to worry about when your store has a bad month? No, because business will pick back up. But a plushie maker has only themselves to answer to if they can't pay the rent because they didn't work hard enough.

 

We charge what we do because we have to get by, too.

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

I didn't type all this up to make anyone feel bad. What I want is for people to understand that we charge based on the expertise we have, the practice put in, the knowledge we have. It's tiring. We work longer hours than most people who work a 9-5 because our income is completely dependent on us. As a barista at Starbucks do you have to worry about when your store has a bad month? No, because business will pick back up. But a plushie maker has only themselves to answer to if they can't pay the rent because they didn't work hard enough.

 

We charge what we do because we have to get by, too.

i'm sorry i didn't realize the overhead could be so extreme, though i suppose some people who maybe take shortcuts or maybe have better luck don't mind charging less, after hearing your story, i feel kinda bad for complaining.  but from my side of things, i felt like it was an ultimatum, it's like "buy Hasbro's stupid halfassed plushie for 25 dollars, or save up a month of work checks to get a fanmade plushie".  i am somewhat sympathetic though, i realize there is a similar thing with Katanas, you can get cheap katanas for 100 dollars, but if you want fancy, hand made, 2,000 folded katanas, those go for thousands+, even tens of thousands depending on how intricate they are.

 

so i am very sorry, and i am a sad face to know how you struggle but i think if i was better off in life and didn't live check to check, i wouldn't mind spending that kind of money on a plushie, though i probably would want an autographed photo of the plushie artist holding the plushie if i was paying 100+ for one     hehe!

 

but anyways, my issue is resolved, i don't know how 4ed makes decent looking plushies for that low of price, but i don't dare to ask, for fear of jinxing myself.

 

i have to confess something, and granted, i was emotional last night because one of my online friends blocked me for no given reason other than "social suicide", he wouldn't elaborate, but then i looked up plushies, without knowing about 4ed, and i was just pining over these fan mades, they looked so good and soooo out of my capable purchasing power...  then i looked at Hasbro's plushies...  then i cried...  and cried...  and cried until i fell asleep and took a nap...  i felt so "cornered", like a part of me really wanted something, but knew i could never afford it, at least not in my current living situation.

 

i still haven't gotten my plushie yet, but i'll be the judge of the quality, probably not as perfect as some fan mades, but from the pics, it looks better than what Hasbro can pull off.  as for you and all the fan plushie makers, i'm sorry that i am pathetic and poor, if i ever get on my two feet into a career someday, if that ever happens, i will invest into a fan made plushie, but for now this is just wishful thinking.

 

again, i'm sorry that i was complaining previously, i am sad and pathetic, but don't let me bring you down, follow your dreams of making cool plushies, and i hope that you can find buyers someday soon   ~hug~

[Troblems 5,617]

@@Nikola Xerdav, My post wasn't meant to make anyone feel bad. Obviously I can't speak for every plushie maker, but I'd say most  make plushies for the love of sewing and the show, and the work we put into it is reflected in the price.

[SFyr 1,982]

@@Love, I'm honestly really glad you stepped in and said what you have. After knowing the other side of things (my girlfriend makes pony plushies too), I was amazed people were ballparking custom plushies as low as $20-50. I mean, sometimes it's sad how people devalue traditional and digital art, so the idea of minimum wage for your time is well off, or an hour of your time is basically worth a dollar or three, but the gap seems even larger for plushies.   It's kinda depressing.

[Nikola Xerdav 88]

@@Nikola Xerdav, My post wasn't meant to make anyone feel bad. Obviously I can't speak for every plushie maker, but I'd say most  make plushies for the love of sewing and the show, and the work we put into it is reflected in the price.

okays ~hugs~ even though i'm broke, i hope that others will buy and love your plushies <3

[best poni 1,519]

It depends on the plushies. If it's a life size and costs $300 I can understand that

[Simeon Leonard 119]

I hope you don't mind me addressing this, but I help out at a plush maker's booth at conventions and we hear people ask why the plushies are in the $400-$450 range all the time.

 

The reason craft plushies are so expensive is because of the considerable amount of time and effort that goes into making them, as well as materials and equipment costs.

 

Most plush makers must initially invest in a sewing machine ($200ish) and sometimes a separate embroidery machine (also expensive) in addition to fabric, thread, stuffing, etc. Minky fabric is the standard material for custom plushies and is almost always mail-ordered, which means buying in bulk and paying for shipping. 

 

Once an artist has everything they need, they usually go through a long trial-and-error period as they work on their pattern. This can take weeks/months/years and is an ongoing thing as they continue to make improvements to their patterns and techniques over the course of their hobby.

 

Once the pattern is finally presentable, they can begin work on making ponies. An embroidery machine takes hours to embroider eyes and cutie marks and must be monitored while it's working; you can't just "set it and forget it." Complicated parts of patterns must be hand-sewn and stuffing the plushies takes hours. You can't just cram the stuffing in, you have to carefully put it in a little bit at a time, usually with a tool like a dowel. If you get the firmness wrong or it ends up lumpy, you have to pull it all out and start over. 

 

After the initial investment of equipment and materials, and after all the work that goes into creating the pattern, it still takes the artist I work for about 30 hours to make a single plushie. If you buy that plushie at a convention, you also have to consider the travel expenses and booth fees he had to pay. But more than anything, it's the time that goes into making a plushie - both in making the pattern and actual production - that you're paying for.

 

It's unfortunate that custom crafted plushies are out of many people's price range, but thankfully there are lots of mass-produced items available now for people to cuddle. So if you happen to see a plush going for what seems like a sky-high asking price, please consider how much work probably went into it in addition to the fact that it's a unique, hand-made item. And if you're a new plush maker, do everyone a favor (especially yourself) and don't let your buyers decide what your work is worth. Consider what your time and effort is worth to YOU, and ask that. If you make a good, quality item, people will appreciate that and eventually you'll make a name for yourself. But don't under-value your work.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Simeon Leonard

[FluttersisBestPony 63]

I totally see your point on why the handmade plushies are expensive, I was wondering if there are patterns for making mlp plushies available on line?  I think it would be cool to try and make a plushie or two... 

[EverEverOn 346]

I think what most people need to realize is that some of these plushie makers are earning their living off of their plushies. It costs money to simply just buy the materials, not to mention the hours of hard work that are put into making the plushies. Any type of custom art can be pretty expensive, especially if that's where the artist is making most of their money. $200 in my eyes is a very reasonable price for a custom, handmade pony plush.

[Merion 783]

EverEverOn Simeon Leonard guys, I'm so glad you understand the struggle us crafters go through! Thank you! <3
 

I totally see your point on why the handmade plushies are expensive, I was wondering if there are patterns for making mlp plushies available on line?  I think it would be cool to try and make a plushie or two... 

 

There sure are! Try this one, it's really easy to put together, perfect for a beginner

 

http://voodoo-tiki.deviantart.com/art/My-Little-Pony-pattern-1-291118373

[Knightgem 158]

A lot of factors come in to play for me before even thinking about it, considering the Norwegian crown is crazy right now. Price, where it's being shipped from, the quality of the plushie itself, how show accurate it is, materials used and of course personality. I'm sure as children we've all had that one plushie that creeped us out by night, but was loved so much during the day? I want my plushies to have as much personality as they claim to have in the show, in the way they look, in the way they hold themselves. I mean could you honestly imagine Rarity as a monotone cardboard cutout of a personality with no spark, no zest and my personal favourite meltdowns? My plushies need personality!

[Guest]

I think the issue is the plushie market is sort of dried up at this point. Most of the "hardcore" bronies are either satisfied with all they have, or have left the fandom. We're sort of at the plateau of the fandom where the money to be made off of it is now on the slight decline. People are not buying merch as much now, evidenced by Hot Topic pulling a lot of product. Remember bronies unfortunately had to pay top dollar for any "decent" products because they were either fan made or specialty store items, so many of them are tapped out.

[Anonymous Old User Who Has Left 599]

I'll tell you all something:

 

When something is expensive and looks good, AND holds up very well (i.e. the product has gotten 10/10 stars every time), you know you are truly getting what you pay for. Believe it or not some people use plushie-making as their backup income (another reason behind the costs), and they put a lot - A LOT - of time, dough, and sweat into these plushies.

 

It's like an engine build.

 

B18c street-spec build: Turbo, BOV, Camshafts, pistonheads, rods, motor internals, block sleeves, fuel pump, fuel lines, oil catch can...

 

30+ inch Life-Size Rarity plushie: Fabric, embroidery (in precisely the right colors), thread (of the right gauge, thickness, etc.), stuffing (has to be the right density), sewing wire (for certain manes and tails)...

 

All of the above may seem easy at first, but in reality they take some time to find, purchase, and assemble.

 

So:

 

Fully built turbo street-spec Civic Si EM1 = $5,000 - $15,000

 

Stock/beat-up Civic Si EM1 = $700 - $1,500

 

20-inch Funrise Rarity plushie (commercially produced) = $30

 

30+ inch show-accurate Rarity plushie (custom-made by at-home plushie maker; one-off) = $300 - $500

 

(Even in the car world the cost ratio is bigger   )

 

Furthermore these people range across many countries. Heck, most plushie makers aren't even in North America like some 60-70% of us bronies. Shipping isn't easy either with such delicate items as well (and rubbish service. If you've used UPS, you know what I'm talking about  ) 

Edited July 13, 2016 by Shabb3r