These s’poreans sold 1,000 stuffed animals in 2 weeks – Wired PR Lifestyle Story

Janus Ong, Ami Lu and Cindy Wu have been friends since college.

They can be trained in a variety of fields — especially gaming, accounting, and social work — but one thing is for sure: they have a common love for food.

Upon graduation, Ami and Janus entered entrepreneurship. In particular, Janus founded technology, F&B and gaming companies.

Although each had its own thing, the three decided to come together to create a wider version of the food, which they launched. Plush Name Plush.

“What was a passionate project turned into a business opportunity,” Janus said.

Sold 1,000 food stuffs in two weeks

It all started when the group was conducting a random interview about noticing that they were producing cushions of ordinary international food. They then decided to produce cushions that represented their culture.

Founded in 2016, Nom Nom Plush started out as a passion project when the band wanted to turn nostalgic local food into fun food cushions. The main goal of Nom Nom Plush is to touch the hearts with the memory generated by each food.

At the 2017 Chinese New Year celebration, the group unveiled the first product known as Pineapple Tart Plush. That year, the nation celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, where the spirit of nostalgia was high and most people were enthusiastic about local issues.

“All we wanted to do then was have fun and we were amazed when we sold all 1,000 units in the first two weeks after it was released,” Cindy recalled.

Over the years, the trio experimented with a variety of products including stationery and lifestyle items. However, he learned that the trio had moved away from the original view of creating food cushions and chose to return to basics.

“Along the way, we saw the importance of vision and clarity,” Cindy explains.

Expanding the plush toy business to adopt pets

Driven by the success of Nom Nom Plush, the trio launched a sister brand called Collective Furball.

Founded in 2020, the group realized that customers used cushions and key chains as a pet toy.

Over time, the group received requests to produce cushions that could be turned into chew toys for their pets.

“We decided to experiment with this new product and have had a great reception and love from the pet community since our inception,” Cindy shared.

The brand’s focus was to create pet nose toys, as there is a lot of unexplored ground in the pet toy domain.

They started creating chew toys from existing Nom Nom Plush designs, but they have ventured beyond that as part of their creative endeavors.

“While the focus of this brand has not changed, what has evolved is strengthening our confidence,” Cindy said.

He also noted that the brand’s story promises nostalgia with a touch of playfulness. Hence their motto, “Zero Calories, 100% Goodness.”

In January 2021, the group launched its six-piece Curry Fish Head pet bed. The set consists of a bed with work toys attached to the nose, and became one of their best sellers at Christmas time in 2021.

In December of the same year, the group launched the World Round Collection of International Food Cushions. They currently have three designs: Bolo Bun, Egg Tart and Dumpling.

Following the release of another product in December 2021, the hotpot nose job will be a hit for this year’s Chinese New Year.

“The reception has been tremendous so far and we have received international inquiries from pet owners in Canada, the US and Indonesia ever since.”

The two brands – Nom Nom Plush and Furball Collective – will surpass the 100,000 unit mark sold in 2022.

How they created the stuffed animals for the local food

Nom Nom Plush and Furball Collective plush toys are designed by teams and are usually conceptualized after a few repetitions.

As part of the product quality control process, the team would study the market for interesting food concepts that are very popular in society.

Teddy bears need to ensure a good balance between realism, beauty and recognizability.

Janus is in charge of design planning; would come up with a design concept when the study of the food concept market is completed.

In the design planning process, purchase different versions of a particular food that will be prototyped, create videos of those foods, provide 3D artwork to manufacturers, create samples, and reach out to potential users for feedback and feedback.

To put things in perspective, pineapple cakes are made differently by different bakers, love letters are in different ways, and ice cream tastes different.

With these different elements, the team decides which designs will be embracing, but aesthetically pleasing, for its customers.

“The whole process from conceptualization to market launch can take up to six to eight months because we have high standards to ensure fun without compromising quality and usability,” Janus said.

Before sending the products to mass production, a final prototype would be created with the group and potential users for final evaluation.

“It’s important for us to have a design that is aesthetically pleasing, but of good quality,” Cindy said.

However, it is not easy to constantly innovate and respond to market demands. Appropriate is more difficult when it comes to brands that have plagiarized product designs.

“It’s disappointing, but it doesn’t put us in shock, and what can’t be repeated is the brand story we’ve worked on over the years,” Janus said.

In addition, Nom Nom Plush faces the challenge of retail partners with business practices that have turned red, and causes a number of problems, such as loss of stock without compensation and failure to pay for branded goods.

They have sold over 10,000 stuffed animals

As mentioned earlier, Nom Nom Plush was a big hit: 1,000 stuffed animals were sold out in the first two weeks of release, which served to boost morale.

To date, the brand has sold more than 10,000 plush toys, including its keys and pet products.

In particular, he believes that his greatest success is being a pioneer in the market for stuffed animals inspired by local foods. “We’re the first brand to do it in Singapore and so far it’s been pretty amazing,” Janus said.

Meanwhile, the Furball Collective has partnered with notable companies such as Hotel Intercontinental in the 2020 and 2021 Paw-cation package, and provided toys to guests at the hotel’s welcome basket.

In addition, the brand has nurtured a community of pet owners and is appreciated by their fans and customers.

“Although they say we have encouraged them to appreciate the heritage, we want to give them a shout out and say they have encouraged us to make more creative toys for their beloved pets,” Cindy said.

Looking ahead, the team wants to focus on the Furball Collective as it wants to launch some fun stuffed animals. It also expects the two brands to expand internationally in 2022 to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States.

Shop Plush Name Plush and Collective Furball In the VP Label now and get a $ 20 discount (spend at least $ 80) When you pay with Pace using the PACEVP20 code:

Featured Image Credit: Name Name Plush