Q: CAN WE COLLAB ON A TOY?
A: Thanks for contacting Tenacious Toys about a potential collaboration!
We appreciate your inquiry, but please note that we are extremely selective about the projects we take on, especially with strangers. Most of the toys we produce are designed by artists we have been working with for a decade or more.
The entire project from start to finish takes a year and could cost from $20K to $100K depending on the details. This is the fundamental reason why we are so selective: cost and time.
Q: WHY IS THE PROJECT SO EXPENSIVE?
A: Designer toys are by definition very limited in production numbers. That is why the cost of production and the retail price is so high compared to mass produced toys.
The tooling cost is very high no matter how many units you make ($5-50K). So if you pay $3K for 3d design, $2K for painted prototypes & $10K for tooling, but you only make 10 units, your cost per unit is $1500/unit. Not awesome.
This is why art toy manufacturers make 1000+ units (not to mention the fact that a factory in China doesn't want to make 10 units for us, they can't make a profit on that project when their other clients ask them to make 1 million units).
Q: WILL YOU COVER THE COST OF THE PROJECT?
A: No. We are not a bank. For any collaboration we expect you to pay for AT LEAST HALF of the cost of the project. If we pay half, we then own half of the units of the resulting products. You may feel free to hire us and pay for the full project plus our project management fees. Fees are TBD and based on the scope of the project.
Q: WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT?
A: If we have no history together, then I will be looking at the following factors when I consider your project:
- Do you have interesting designs that I think will sell well in high quantities?
- Do you have finished 3D files of your toy designs?
- Do you have a strong, engaged community of followers?
- Do you routinely sell hundreds of expensive products to your followers?
- Do you have 2D digital art skills so that you can create deco files, packaging designs & promotional flyers?
- Are you NICE and FRIENDLY?
- Are you professional?
- Do you have enough money to cover half of the cost of the project, or the ability to find funding?
The above are just some, not all, of the factors that play into our decisions. Contact us to discuss your project further.