Posable Cuttlepluff Weedyreeds

I finally finished the picture showing some of the dynamic poses I got from Weedyreeds' shots!

This is my latest pride and joy in toy making, that being because it’s fully articulated, mouth n all! Cuttlepluffs, in the wacky fantasy world they exist in, are very agile and not just adorably unusual footballs that float about motionless, so I’ve made one that can ham it up for that camera.

I not only got to borrow some amazing equipment and space to make the shots happen but even learned some new tricks in exchange for helping to capture some splashes. As you can see, I got to keep a chunk of the amazing water shots we worked to get too. Very awesome stuff!

Type: Common Cuttlepluff
Nickname(s): Weedy
Personality: Independent, Loyal
Likes: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tricking the family cat
Pebble Heart: Marbled green with a speck of red
Other: Has a cautious trust and curiosity for humans but remains wild

His Story
Weedyreeds is a curious, willful little guy who got his namesake from being found exhausted and all tangled up in some seaweed amongst the reeds during low tide. Though a wild animal, this cuttlepluff took quickly to the humans he soon understood were trying to help him, and he'd often snuggle up with them before returning to a pool they set up for him in the attached garage. His caretakers and he soon learned he went crazy for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well and even snuck a sandwich off to his kiddie pool one time during a picnic in the yard. When he was better, Weedy at first didn't want to go back to the estuary, but once in the water he took off with only a single look back. The family remembered him fondly, and when one of them left a slice of pb&j on the windowsill, by the end of the day, they noticed it was gone. After that, it became a tradition from generation to generation to leave a slice on the windowsill, and to this day, every single slice has gone missing.


The Making-of Details:
Articulation and skeleton building! A posable figure is way more fun than a static stuffed animal. I thought for a long time about experimenting, wondered where to get certain odd shapes in bulk I ran across, and finally got a more concrete idea in my head of just how to go about everything. Drills, saws n all. This thing is fully articulated from head to tail, and boy do I love showing it and getting this one to ham it up for the camera!

I placed weight into the stomach area inside belly batting, and this boy can now rest on a stand with zero tilt and the weight of a small cat.

And finally, colors! Colors! Colors!
Finding Weedyreeds’ colors was really difficult. I love the color green and wanted my first green cuttlepluff to come out JUST right, so the search was on. First, I tried dying my fabrics with yellow. Nope. Then acrylic dye. Too scraggly a result on long hairs after much effort with something I can pass on as quality. You can find shots of that mess here or there in my gallery, I’m sure. But the facial green came out great with the tinting technique! After a long and grueling search, I finally found the perfect, bright color.

I was also patiently waiting after asking a connection to put my little project’s face into a very expensive and very amazing machine and have it embroidered. Thankfully, things worked out quickly this round, and I’m told that hopefully sometime in May, Sunstorm may just get her chance too! But to skeleton or not to skeleton? After seeing how nice Weedyreeds came out, it’s going to be really hard to see any of my future cuttlepluffs immobile. Articulation is really a feat, but the results are just so freaking cool!


 What is a Cuttlepluff?