Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview series where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

Animoodles are a unique take on stuffed animals featuring interchangeable and posable magnetic parts allowing you to create fun combinations. We recently spoke with co-creator Marissa Louie to learn more about her crowdfunding journey and these cute building toys.

Why Crowdfunding?

Community! We aspire to build our own strong community of fans so we can co-create Animoodles together in the future. For our launch collection, we wanted to reach out to an existing community of people who love supporting new, innovative projects to bring Animoodles to life. We’re using funds raised to place our 1st big factory order! Animoodles are buildable plushies that bring the best of stuffed animals and building toys together in a completely new kind of toy. Our mission is to inspire the next generation of compassionate little makers, and what a better place to get started than on Kickstarter – a place that celebrates making!

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)

I absolutely love the Bears vs. Babies campaign. It’s one of the coolest I’ve seen from the product itself to how the campaign ran to involve its community. Special surprise touches make all the difference. I loved getting a personalized comic with MY NAME in it as a backer, and I loved the furry packaging box too.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?

As a “Superbacker” on Kickstarter, I encountered BackerKit as a project backer first. I’ve always found it amazingly straightforward and easy to use. I love adding extra rewards I accidentally forgot to order up front or getting extras as gifts for my friends. When I asked around the community of crowdfunding campaign creators, it became super clear that BackerKit is the best choice for facilitating smooth fulfillment for your campaign.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?

STUFFED ANIMALS! My passion for them came from my mother. She grew up dirt poor as a kid, with very little food to eat: most nights dinner was just a bowl of plain rice. She dreamed of the day we could have as many stuffed animals as we wanted. She really made her childhood dreams come true. Growing up, we were surrounding by stuffed animals, and we always saw them as more than just cloth and stuffing; They were our first friends, who taught us how to love, tell stories, and most of all, how to imagine.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?

Our campaign ends November 29th, so there are just a few more weeks to get your Animoodles. We’re looking to roll out more stretch rewards, including the #1 most requested backer reward soon… so now is a great time to join the fun if you haven’t already! Some of the currently available characters may never be available at retail, so grab your favorites before they disappear.

BONUS ROUND!

What’s your approach to designing Animoodles?

Like leading animation studios, we start with developing the story and characters before jumping into sketching and prototyping. The story and characters behind of the Animoodles are what give them heart and guides their physical design. We’re proud that much of the design of Animoodles has actually been driven by kids. We’ve tested everything from which types of animals, which type of fur, to what colors appeal to kids most. The fun of Animoodles is powered by the imagination of kids, but the development of the actual product is kid-powered too.

What’s the craziest Animoodles creation you’ve seen?

So hard to pick! Kids (and adults) can get super creative with making all sorts of endless combinations with Animoodles. I love seeing new creations I’ve never seen despite having played with Animoodles the most out of anybody in the world! One of the best and most surprising was the 5 headed ring creature that one of the kids in our launch video created. That was completely unscripted, and totally amazing!

