Some thoughts on making your own toys
Hey All,
Project Rawhide is all done! All preorders have been mailed out and our favorite sheriff now adorns the homes of Long Gone Gulch fans around the world.
Some quick thoughts about how it went--
I’ll say this—Independent projects are tough to do. They usually don’t get funded and even when they do, there are often unforeseen production or cost issues that can sink the whole thing.
Project Rawhide had its share of problems. In addition to the usual stuff you run into with overseas production, the pandemic screwed up the international shipping pipeline, which caused delays. Some damage also occurred while the figures were in transit. Many of the packages placed in the corners of the shipping crates got pretty dinged up. The factory had to send me replacement packaging shipped flat which then had to be assembled and repacked. Getting over 200 packages mailed out to customers was also a challenge.
These are just a few of the problems you're bound to run into if you try to do your own toy project. So if you manage to complete it without losing a ton of money, you’ve done better than most.
With that standard in mind, I’d call Project Rawhide a success. Partnering with Tara and Zach, we managed to create a great little collectible that made a lot of Long Gone Gulch fans very happy and more or less broke even after all expenses were paid. Planning to do a Snag figure next, but taking a break from the toy business for now. I'll make a preorder announcement when the time is right and subscribers will be the first to know!
On Monday, I’ll be making the remaining Long Gone Gulch Rawhide figures available for sale. I’ve got around 12 of these left, so if you want one, email me before they’re all gone!
Cheers,
Chris