Nouns plush by Sun-Min + David, creators of Uglydoll
Sun-Min Kim and I are creators of character brands loved around the world. Some may know Bossy Bear... our Nick Jr show produced by Ron Howard and his company, Imagine, based on our Disney books and best selling character brand goods... and Uglydoll, a best selling global character brand now in it's 22nd year.
Our community driven, collabortive journey with Nouns started in November of 2021 when the founders of Nouns invited us to lead Nouns Studio 1.
Here are some examples of our work:
Uglydoll is a lifestyle character brand selling mostly to adults around the world... to the Snoopy, Sanrio and Miffy customer. We use specific retail in Japan and Korea to have impact on the locals, certain tourists, and ultimately on culture, locally and in surrounding territories.
Plush serves as a mechanism to make a connection and the rest of the program (bags, ceramics, and goods used in daily life) inspires our tribe members / fans / customer to draw our brands inward, to become part of their lives, rather than be thought of as "collectibles".
The secret to crafting a successful lifestyle character brand in formative stages is to be discovered... for your future customers to find you all on their own, on their turf, in their stomping grounds... and for drawing your brand inward into their lives to be 100% their idea.
To achieve this, we must avoid association with the pursuit of their attention.
We grow and nurture our brands by becoming one with culture, rather than marketing towards it... by being discovered in physical places our future fans already care about and have assigned meaning to.
Being part of culture and nurturing the relationship with our fans over decades via "culture micro transactions"... thousands of seemingly tiny projects which cumulatively make up one brand story.
The above is "Ugly Dolls" produced by Robert Rodriguez, based on our character brand.
The above is a music video about our characters, performed by Kelly Clarkson and produced by Marshmellow.
After turning down Walmart and Target for almost 20 years, we agreed to a global toy line with Hasbro, featuring both the classic characters from our plush and Random House book series, and toys based on the Ugly Dolls movie.
While the film performed below what all had hoped until it reached the top 10 on Netflix in 2023, the Hasbro Uglydoll toys sold phenomenally well.
To give our Hasbro line the proper shelf space needed to thrive, in 2019 we took the Classic Uglydoll plush line off the market (other than in Japan) with plans to relaunch in 2021.
The pandemic had other plans for our factory and timing...but we are now up and running at full speed, and Classic Uglydoll will return to specialty gift and museum shops around the world in Q4 2024 and hit full stride mid 2025.
We wish to bring the fast selling Nouns plush along for that ride into our global specialty network of high end retail and museum stores, starting with Japan.
Uglydoll has thrived for decades everywhere from the MoMA stores in NYC and Tokyo and LOFT in Shibuya, to the LOTTE and Hyundai Department Stores in Seoul and more than 7000 specialty and museum stores around the world.
The above program, based on our book series and best selling toy brand from 2007, was released in May of 2023 on Nick Jr and Nickelodeon, breaking the record previously held by YouTube sensation "Ryan's world". http://www.nickalive.net/2023/03/series-launches-of-bossy-bear-and.html
Bossy Bear thrived as a series of kids books by Disney but was most known around the world as a lifestyle brand across Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, through bags, apparel, high quality toys, and sofubi.
We are also the creators of the Sony Japan produced weekday morning animated program "Littlebony" ( リトルボニー ) which aired on NHK, beating Pokemon in the ratings with both boys and girls.
We also sold Littlebony apparel at BEAMS, a chain of high end retail stores.
Through our experience with Littlebony and spending time with Sony's character licensing arm "Sony Creative", (same team leading Snoopy in Japan) we learned the clear difference between media driven "collectibles", children's entertainment driven consumer product programs, and lifestyle character brands (such as Hello Kitty or Snoopy) and how each should be grown in an entirely different manner...
The World of Lifestyle Character Brands
We made sure our character brands were discovered in physical places which already held meaning for our future tribe members... so that meaning may be assigned to that which is discovered there.
The plush brings them over from across the room, and allows a connection to be made as they hold the brand in their hand and discover the rest of the program.
Our goal is to create a Nouns lifestyle character brand using the Nouns plush which already saw great success at LOFT in Ginza, Tokyo. We will use the same methods we deployed with much success through our own brands.
My time with Nouns: 2021 - 2024
In 2021, I was invited by the Nouns founders to introduce Nouns to Hollywood, in hopes of getting a Nouns theatrical movie made. I introduced the "nounders" to the founders / CEOs / presidents of Illumination, Dreamworks, Universal, LucasFilm and Disney Korea, Imagine, Netflix Animation when lead by Mike Moon, and industry leaders such as the producer of Despicable Me and Ice Age, Robert Rodriguez, Mo Willems, and companies such as Mattel, Playmobil and leadership from Lego. This collaborative, long term effort went very well, but cost was the primary pain point.
I was also first contact for Stoopid Buddies, which went on to become the incredible Rose Parade float and documentary (of which I had zero involvement, they are 100% brilliant!)
Studio one also served as a website for first contact from all in Entertainment who wished to build on nouns. We found the website to be less useful. The nouns founders shut the website down at some point.
The other part of that prop involved producing sofubi Nouns to insert into high end retail in Tokyo at LOFT in Ginza and at Marui in Shinjuku.
The creation of the sofubi was 100% community driven. (Below: grabs from the pages of collab community discussions from the old nouns discord.)
To supplement my previous prop, Sun-Min Kim, creator of Uglydoll, created Nouns plush from our original Uglydoll fabrics, produced in our Uglydoll factory. 100 of these dolls were sold alongside the other Nouns items we produced.
We also produced bags to fill out the program.
While all of the nouns items in this section at Ginza LOFT were well received and sold out faster than expected, all nouns plush sold out the fastest and received the most inquiries via the display model kept under glass for all of July to mid August 2023.
Through the LOFT retailer, will expand into the Shibuya 6th floor and other locations.
Is the design final?
Yes, we are reacting to success, and very fast sales at a retailer we often use as a proving ground for other goods or IP. LOFT is not just a store, but a cultural touchpoint held in high regard by many, from Japan and via tourism.
Above: another example of a massively successful lifestyle character brand, UAMOU, using plush discovered in places of meaning to create relationships and draw customers to the entire program. UAMOU still exhibits goods at LOFT, and commands massive displays at high end specialty. (see below)
LOFT is 120 high end “everything creator stores” and a place of meaning for many. FewMany is a high brand character culture boutique in the high end Marui department store. (Our previous prop held the nouns sofubi launch at Marui FewMany in October of 2022)
What’s the plan?
We are bringing classic Uglydoll plush back through our specialty distribution network around the world at the end of 2024, with expansion and full capacity by mid 2025.
We wish to produce greater quantities of the Nouns plush, which had success in one of the toughest high end retail environments in character culture in Tokyo, and distribute into the same high end specialty and museum / high end dept stores we will bring Uglydoll back into through Japan.
Once profitable, we will expand through other territories.
How?
We enter Japan first.
We will exhibit at critical public facing and "buyer only" exhibitions, such as the Tokyo Gift show at Big Sight, Design Festa, and Super Festival at the Budokan.
If you have ever visited funky little stores in Kyoto or Osaka, or fancy high end shops in Shinjuku... the buyers all walk the Gift Show, as do buyers from the larger museum stores and department stores. Sales reps also walk this important show.
We will also enter the ASTRA show in the USA in 2025 or 2026, and the TTF Taipei show in Taiwan (which has great influence on the surrounding territories) based on sales growth / performance.
Nouns plush at high end retail and museums can retail for $20.00 / mini bag clips for $12.00, via a network of a few hundred stores initially.
We will supplement the plush with bags & wallets, a critical part of the program. (which we will self fund.)
All tags lead to the protocol and community.
we will self-fund the bags (above) which are an important component of the program, to make it clear that the plush is not a "toy" or "collectible". The mission is to then open shelf space for other nouns builders of quality goods.
How much?
The plan is focus on museum and high end specialty.
We can produce the nouns plush for $4 each and wholesale at $10.
Mini plush bag hangers cost $3.00 and can wholesale for $6.00
Distributors take 22 to 25%.
Sea freight costs are unusually high.
Costs also include insurance, safety testing, certification, and show attendance.
We will establish a responsible party and note such on SIL sewn in labels.
$73,500.00 for production, insurance, testing, freight, translator / assistance (one person) on the ground at each Japan show / booth space at shows. Travel to industry events. (coach flights, hotels sub $40 USD per night in Japan. No taxi, no meals.) All receipts and expenses scanned. The responsible party will cover all taxes in each territory and hire Above and Beyond Tax Services in Cypress, California for all tax purposes.
$80,000.00 for my time. I will attend all trade shows in first 24 months, take meetings with potential buyers, oversee all design, samples, factory production, and communication with potential reps and distribution partners.
Total Cost of Propopsal $153,500.00 USD / USDC, in one payment. (One single payment needed to secure space at shows spanning a full year+ and commit to travel, on the ground help, and begin production.)
Additional Financial Information:
$4.00 per piece 10 inch size 3500 of each 3500 plush dolls x $4.00 = $14,000.00 USD
$3.00 per piece mini clip size 6500 pieces 6500 mini clip dolls x $3.00 = $19,500.00 USD
Sea freight est: $0.50 ea $5,000 USD for all 10,000 pcs all to Japan
$38,500.00 USD landed.
$35,000.00 for Insurance, testing, certifications, responsible party fees, translator / assistant (one person) on the ground in Japan, booth space and printing.
Profits will be used to expand into Korea, Taiwan, US / EU / AU / rest of Asia, growing exhibition space each year and present at a greater number of trade shows and public facing events, which will serve as a critical suplement to high end specialty retail and museum stores.
We can also open nouns mini-retail in key areas of Seoul as we have with Uglydoll, as such carries a great opportunity to have meaningful impact in surrounding territories via specific tourism.
Please note, this will be a far more drawn out timeline than in the previous version of this prop and will take longer to reach beyond Japan. (which is not a bad thing.)
While we will cap our sales at a certain level to avoid saturation in favor of longevity, once profitable, the responsible party we establish to produce and sell nouns plush will purchase nouns as finances allow, and as long as permissible by law / regulatory, once nouns plush grows into distribution through the US, EU, AU and rest of Asia retail / trade shows for the year and factory orders are paid.
Then what?
The project will propel itself once funded with no need for further treasury draws.
Ultimate goal:
For the world to fall in love with Nouns. To bring all new people over to the protocol via organic discovery in places which already mean something to them, and create “shelf space” around the world for Nouns… not for endless “merch” but via specialty retail for other nouns creators to bring about culture immersion goods.
When we see success with our own brands and products, retailers, in general, often ask for more products of the same property. The community can fulfill the demand through other goods via shelf space we establish.
Retail:
Start: The Tokyo Gift Show.
Then make best efforts to expand to:
JAPAN: 100+ LOFT stores, MoMA on Omotesando, high end dept stores (PARCO, Seibu, Marui) and create limited special run versions for BEAMS. Daikanyama and Ginza TSUTAYA Books, Kyoto TSUTAYA, then enter Village Vanguard's 350 locations across Japan.
Eventually go to Medicom Toy with hopes for distribution, as they have been our distribution partner for Japan.
Future:
KOREA: Hyundai Department stores, all locations. Kinkirobot all locations. Starluxe can distribute and insert into smaller shops in specific neighborhoods which have impact on buyers from retailers in surrounding territories , local fans, and key tourism.
TAIWAN: Will seek out distribution partners among those in our network while showcasing nouns at the Taipei Toy Festival, once able to attend. This show has high impact on surrounding territories.
Trade shows:
Tokyo Gift Show (at Big Sight) by far the most important from day one
and also set up small understated tables or spaces at:
All 3 Super Festivals (by the Budokan) along with our nouns sofubi
and upon a certain level of success, exhibit at:
Both Wonder Festivals
Design Festa
and once Japan is underway:
Taipei Toy Festival TTF
ASTRA show (show for 700+ specialty toy & gift retailers)
BONUS
we will produce very low quantities of Uglydoll plush with nouns glasses / noggles once the nouns plush has had time to succeed in key stores in Japan. These will be offered to one retailer or serve as a method of entry. (For example only, would make sense to do this at BEAMS and all the plush be made with orange fur, their brand color. Like most retail in Japan, this store is very tough to enter... but we feel strongly based on our experience and how well nouns was received, and will do our best.)
NOTE: Some have asked why not set "Uglydoll plush wearing noggles" as the focus of this entire project, but we need to be able to establish nouns as a brand first, with offerings as close to the "on model" art one finds on the website as possible. (and it would make no sense to produce Uglydoll wearing nouns glasses in the qty required for this to work, long term... and likely be a source of confusion with the existing retailers / defeat the purpose.)
Above: Nouns X Uamou.
Is nouns a character brand? Nouns is a protocol, culture, and community with a character-art based top layer... the character art is the entry point... first contact with the wider world.
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Built to be self propelling, the objective is for this plush line to reach specialty retail and museums around the world, with hopes of opening wider shelf space for other Nouns creators as the tags on the Nouns plush leads new people to discover the invitation to build on Nouns and join the ever growing community.
