Creating your own Vinyl Toy (with LoomingDoom)
I had the honor of sitting down with Jeremy Heyer, the brains and grunt of LoomingDoom Toys to chat about the tricky ins and outs of producing a designer vinyl toy. I believe these types of conversations leave the door open for other aspiring artists and designers to get a realistic idea of what the process entails. As we can all agree, producing a figure can be a somewhat long winded affair that takes time, energy, and mucho money. Often times a rookie designer (myself included) confidently ventures forward to mass produce a piece only to become extremely discouraged by any number of factors. The more we can learn about this process from start to finish the better we can accurately plan!
With that being said, both Jeremy and I hope this can help at least one of you "shoot for the stars" designers!! Alright, let's jump right into it.
Q: So you've sat down and thought to yourself "This is it, this is the idea that'll wow them all." And you've formally decided you'll produce a figure. What are the immediate following steps?
A: Well, once you’ve decided that you are going to build out a figure in the physical form (you’ve done the sketch/drawings, you know the colors (preferably in pantones), and you know what you want to make) the first thing you’ll need to do is consider what type of material you’ll want to make it out of. We are obsessed with vinyl (so most of our toys are vinyl) but resin is always a brilliant option. Once you’ve determined the material you’ll want to consider size. Size is important as it dictates the price you’ll pay to make it and your box/packaging. It’s essential to know these things before you start a conversation with a developer, 3D modeler, and/or company. Some companies have the resources and capacity to make their toys in-house, so these conversations are internal but if you do not have this capability (as many early toy makers, including us do not) then you’ll have to outsource the work or do it yourself. We chose to work with an external company. When thinking about which company to work with there is one word that comes to mind. Research. Research. Research. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of companies that can help you make a vinyl/resin figure to the specs you want. Some are state side (U.S.) while others are in Mexico and International. Research the company, ensure that they produce quality toys and open a dialogue via a message. Inquire about what type of work they do, look at the figures they’ve made in the past and then ask some important questions. Will they 3D model from a drawing or do you need to provide a file? How much does it cost to 3D model, mold, paint and produce the number of toys you want? Price is typically quoted based on size, complexity (this is for the mold), painting, the number produced, and box style. After you’ve had these conversations and feel comfortable with the company, send them your work and jump in. Be honest about what you want. Always provide timely feedback and don’t ever stop making changes until you are satisfied with your work. A lot of it is taking a risk and being adaptable. We had literally no idea of what we were doing when we made Dhy Guy. We had a drawing, a dream, and some money in our pockets.
Q: When you're conjuring up a new character to ideally sell, do you create what YOU love/enjoy or do you put yourself into the buyers shoes and attempt to anticipate market trends?
A: Honestly, we make what we love. Growing up as an 80’s – early 90’s kid I collected all sorts of toys and often the weirder the better. Our company motto is ‘we’re not world famous’. To us that means we’re not in it for the money. We’re in it for the toys. Sure, we sell toys and have made some money but designing and creating something is about the art. The feel of the vinyl. The happiness someone can get from something you made. The best moment that I’ve had since starting this company was when someone posted a picture of our figure and said it helped them smile through graduate school. That’s the stuff that makes us grateful and delighted. Now, there’s nothing wrong with watching market trends, I think a wise businessperson will always be on the lookout for what’s hot, but for us, we make the stuff we would want to buy and hope that other people will want to buy it as well. In the end, if I wouldn’t buy it, I wouldn’t make it.
Q: As I understand it, there's frequent back and forth with the company or factory you choose to produce with. Are there any language barriers you face? Do you have a hard time being assertive with what your expectations are? How many "chances" do you get to refine your figure before you are forced to move forward with the product?
A: This is a really good question. For us I’d say it hasn’t been that challenging working with an external company. There is tons of back and forth when looking at 3D models, pantones, box art, and pricing so it's imperative to be able to communicate effectively. While there are some language barriers, specifically as it relates to context, we didn’t find it too difficult to relay the changes and feedback we had during product development. Now these other two questions are a bit trickier. Being assertive is important as once the figure is molded, it's molded. Molding is one of the most expensive parts of toy making (for us) and it is the final iteration of the figure. So, the mold must be perfect. I often pushed on small things that I felt needed to be changed and in some cases, those changes were as minor as moving something .2 inches to the left. But no matter what, I never had anyone from the company we worked with say they wouldn’t or couldn’t change it.
"I would say it’s not hard to be assertive but if you tend to be more passive, then you may have to push yourself to be more forthcoming when making suggestions for changes"
I can say (to our knowledge ) We have made no enemies making multiple changes to one toy. Ultimately, make sure you are making what matches your vision.
Per chances, for us, it’s as many as you need. The company we work with will not move forward until we give final approval and I’d like to think that is the case for most companies. In that sense, the figure is not done until you approve what they are showing you. My advice would be to always voice your opinion and concerns and make it clear what you need to have done.
Q: Without delving into your personal financial status, can you speak on the cost of producing a figure? I'd argue price is the main deterring factor for artists when seeking to create a toy so any insite we can offer is helpful. Did you ever face the reality of taking out a personal loan to pay for upfront factory costs?
A: Making toys is expensive. No arguing that. I’ll run down the basic costs of making an 8-inch vinyl figure through our external company. Mind you, these are just the prices that I know of, I’m certain it varies greatly. Also, from our experience, the more toys you make with a company the better the deals become (this is with our company at least, I cannot speak to others).
· 3D modeling = around 150-400$
· Mold = 800-1600$ (good thing about this is that once you have the mold done you never have to pay to remold it. So, you can create new colorways without paying the model and mold costs).
· Painting = 75- 300$
· Production = 1,500-3,000$
· Shipping (hidden cost if you don’t think about it up front) = 100-500$ (depending on where it comes from)
· Boxes (so many different types) = 50 – 400$ (small plastic bags with cardboard headers to full box with colors and blister pack).
Of course, if you make things in-house they might be cheaper on some levels but more expensive on others. For example, if you do the 3D model and print yourself, you might also have to polish the toy, which takes time. In the end, there are many ways to make a toy, but I would say they are all somewhat expensive. But, if you want to try it at home, which is how I created the very first Dhy Guy, I’d suggest getting some epoxy modeling clay, sculpt a figure you like, buy some Smooth On Silicone Rubber (I like the oomoo 30), and mold that bad boy yourself. Then get some resin and make a few copies. It gives you an appreciation for the process and honestly, you could always start there. Make a site and start selling them.
"Financially, I did not have to take a loan out. I funded the business myself from the ground up. This was something that I saved for."
Q: What's the future for you? You've recently dropped not only Dhy Guy, but your preorder for the adorable "Double Ply: Roll or Die"; a facetiously cute toilet paper roll lit ablaze with a finger gun to his "head". These are two toys arguably from very different genres so would you say LoomingDoom will produce an umbrella of toys or stick to one theme?
A: Despite our name, we hope that the future is bright (haha). In all seriousness, we intend to keep making high quality and unique toys. We don’t want to fall into any type of genre and believe that diversity is the key to our success. At this point, I can say that we will definitely be an umbrella toy company, one that makes figures from all sorts of genres and with many different styles. Currently, we are looking to expand with a few different items, a themed collection, and turning a certain smiling toilet paper roll into a coffee mug.
Q: Any parting advice for our readers?
A: I’d say go for it. If you love toys, make one! Start small and understand the process, then see how you feel about it. It is daunting but you can do it. If you choose not to make one yourself there are companies that will make just one toy, a prototype. You can start by making that one just for yourself. Put it on your shelf and see how you feel about it. If you love it, then put it out there and test the market. See if others would like it. Maybe want to buy it. Then do a small run. If money is tight, start a Kickstarter. There are so many amazing toy companies, painters, modelers, and illustrators that work in this field, but there is always space for more.
Well there ya have it folks! The good, the, bad, and the expensive.....while taxing in many ways I'm sure there's nothing more rewarding than to see your concept come to life in the tangible form. We can't thank Jeremy enough for sitting down with us to talk shop and give us the tough yet honest answers, you can find more of LoomingDoom and the Dhy Guy on Instagram @loomingdoomtoys and www.looming-doom.com !!
