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Limited-Edition Puzzles: Anime Illustration by Fuzichoco

Created by Playing Grounded Puzzles

Enchanting anime-inspired masterpieces by Japanese illustrator Fuzichoco. Be one of the first to own these 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

They have arrived!!!
almost 7 years ago – Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 07:26:48 PM

Well, the postcards and certificates, that is. Eric picked them up from the printer yesterday, and we think they look fantastic. Here are a few snap shots!

 

 

We’ll be dividing them up this weekend, separating the ones that go to international backers and those that stay here in the US for backers in the states. The cards for international backers will be shipped to Happyshops to include with your puzzles. I will be placing both the postcards and certificates in clear plastic envelopes to protect them and to ensure that everyone receives the correct ones. Each backer will receive one “packet” containing one certificate and one postcard for each puzzle pledged for. Just so you know in advance. There won’t be separate packets per puzzle; they’ll all be in one.

 

Also, for those of you who previously purchased Flow of Goldfish through our website, Amazon, etc…. you will also receive the postcard and certificates for FOG.

 

When are the puzzles coming?

Our manufacturer has given us an expected ship date of 7/24 – 7/28. We’re finalizing the logistics details now. The benefit of having placed our first order last year – for FOG - is that we learned what was required and all the little (and BIG) things to watch out for. For example:

 
  • Choose your port of entry wisely; closer to home is better, thus we chose Baltimore over New York. 
  • Insure, insure, insure! Always insure your precious cargo. 
  • And finally, makes friends with someone who owns a warehouse with a loading dock, unless you’re fortunate to own one yourself. And, we’re not. So, we made a friend. Just kidding, we’ve known the guy for years now. 

Anyway, we’re trying to cover all of our bases NOW, to avoid any avoidable issues with our shipment.

 

Once the puzzles arrive in the US early to mid-August, we’ll get to work with fulfillment and shipping. We’ve got everything set up to make things run as smoothly as possible.

The puzzles being fulfilled by Happyshops – for all international backers – should arrive at their facility by August. Thus, if all goes well, those rewards will be shipped out between August and September.

Address Lockdown

Almost all the surveys have been completed, locked down and payments have been processed. We’ll be locking down addresses this Saturday, July 1st. Please make any necessary changes to your address or phone number before then.

If you need to make changes later, since life can be unpredictable, just let us know and we’ll unlock your survey.

For those few of you who have not filled out your survey, here is the link to do so: https://anime-puzzles-by-fuzichoco.backerkit.com/

Reviews Appreciated!

Once you receive your puzzle(s) we would greatly appreciate if you could leave a mention or review on social media. Thanks to those of you (you know who you are) who have been hugely supportive on Facebook and Twitter. For a small company catering to a niche market, this kind of support and public enthusiasm helps us to build brand awareness. And when you finally have the finished product in your hands, it’ll be that much easier.

A Golden Opportunity

Lastly, Eric and I have the good fortune to be working with some exceptional and rare wildlife photography to help build awareness of endangered species through our puzzles. Whether this is your thing or not, we just wanted to share a project that we will be pursuing in the near future. We’re not steering away from our love of anime and gaming art, but expanding our reach with our “Into the Wild” series, offering  a selection of beautiful and breath taking imagery of critically endangered creatures in their natural habitats. Here’s a peek at the first in the series by Switzerland based professional wildlife photographer, Thomas Marent.

Join our mailing list if you would like to follow along, and keep up-to-date with the latest news and information. http://www.playinggroundedpuzzles.com/my-account/

Thank you all! Have a wonderful week =)

All the Best,  

Lara and Eric

Last call for order updates!
almost 7 years ago – Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 07:46:02 PM

Final Call!!!

The “last” day to make final updates to your order is this Tuesday June 20th. After this date, we will lock your reward selections and charge cards for add-on purchases, pledge upgrades, and pre-orders. You will still be able to update your shipping address up until we lock addresses for shipping fulfillment (planning on July 1st). Please remember to include your contact phone number with your shipping address. This is really important, especially for international backers.

For backers who have not answered their surveys yet:

If you fill out your BackerKit survey or pay for extra shipping after the June 20th order due date, we will still receive your information, but your shipment may be delayed; “may be,” depending on how late you fill it out. The earlier the better.  

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can request your survey at https://anime-puzzles-by-fuzichoco.backerkit.com. THANK YOU!

And for those of you who have...

Thank you all again for being so responsive to answering our BackerKit survey— you have no idea how tremendously helpful this has been for us when trying to keep track of all 183 of you! Since we’re new to Backerkit and just learning the ropes, you’re quick responses have really helped things to move more smoothly.

Thanks everyone for your support! We’ll send out an update, hopefully, later this week on the status of the puzzle order, postcards and certificates.  

Have a great week!  

Lara

Here’s Proofs!!
almost 7 years ago – Fri, Jun 09, 2017 at 01:34:25 AM

Hello Everybody,


Speedy Delivery!! As I hearken back to my childhood memories of Mr. McFeely, that always bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm postman from “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood”.

 

Proof Positive

Well, the proofs are in, and we think they look su-perb, minus the crumpling of today’s speedy delivery = ) We hope you agree. But since these were only meant to be color match proofs, ascetics weren’t required.

 

 

 

As you can see the colors are dead on with the chart. I took the photos in our backyard out in the mid-day sun, so there are some spots of glare and a bit a of hazing from the sheen of the prints.

 

Taking the picture outdoors allows you to see the colors in their full glory. You can image how fantastic they they will look first hand when you get your puzzles = )

 

 

   

 


So, where are we now?

With the approval of the color match it’s on to the production stage. So, for all of you who have yet to fill out your Backerkit surveys, the deadline is fast approaching, 06/20. We want to make sure you get your rewards; after all, you paid for them. If you didn't receive your survey, here's the link: https://anime-puzzles-by-fuzichoco.backerkit.com/

 

 

Next week we will be setting up the logistics for the shipment of the puzzles. We have the finalized designs for the cards and certificates, but since we’re having them printed here in the U.S., we need to send those to our fulfillment center out of the country to be packed with all international rewards.

That’s it for now, have a great weekend. If you have any questions or comments to add we’ll be around.

Eric, Lara & Mike

Surveys Are Out, Lock Down Date Announced!
almost 7 years ago – Tue, Jun 06, 2017 at 12:54:33 AM

Hi Everyone,


Thanks to all of you who have answered your surveys already! We’re glad to see that many of you who didn’t get to upgrade during the campaign, had the chance to do so on your surveys. And we’re especially thrilled with the overwhelming response we’ve gotten for DKD.

If you didn’t receive your survey, for whatever reason, please let us know so we can resend them. I know we had a few “invalid emails” that weren’t actually invalid.

We’ll be locking down surveys on Tuesday June 20th. At that point all additional funds (for those who upgraded and/or need to pay shipping) will be charged at that time. Let me reiterate, any shipping fees that were overlooked during the campaign will be charged on June 20th. For example, if you live in Australia and you pledged $69 for the double pack, you still need $8 to cover the shipping. Backerkit automatically calculates that in. So, if you noticed a negative balance on your survey, chances are that’s why.

Also, please make sure that your payment information and credit/debit cards are correct. We want to make sure that everyone is able to receive their rewards, so we’d like to clear up any issues early on.

After the surveys are locked down, you’ll still have the chance to make changes to your address and contact information until July 1st. We’ll post reminder updates for all lock down dates.

The Proofs Are on the Way

 

Once again, we are eagerly awaiting the sound of that big brown UPS truck outside. Eric’s got his camera charged and ready to go. You can expect another update this week showing photos of the puzzle proofs (NOTE: these are posters to show image quality, not the actual puzzles). This allows us to ensure that the borders and coloring are all correct. This hasn’t been an issue before, but it’s protocol.

And Then…

If all goes well, we’ll place our official order for AITF and DKD next Monday, June 12th. In the meantime, we’ve touched bases with our local printer to let them know that we’ll be placing the order for the certificates and postcards sometime next week.

That’s all for now, until the doorbell rings...have a great week!

All the Best,  

Lara

BackerKit Surveys are coming!
almost 7 years ago – Wed, May 31, 2017 at 11:16:21 PM

Hi Everyone,  

More Pretty Pictures to Come

Thanks to all of you who wrote in to let us know what you thought of the revised box designs. We’re really pleased with the changes, so your “thumbs up” means a lot!! We had just sent the puzzle image files to our producer as our contact left for a long holiday weekend followed by a business trip. So, we're still waiting on the proofs, but when they arrive, we’ll put out an update with photos. 

Also, there were a few payment issues, but as they have all been cleared up (thank you) it’s time to get your information. 

Now, About Those Surveys…

Tomorrow, June 1st, we’re going to sent out an email with a special link to the Backerkit surveys. It is important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information for fulfilling your rewards.

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey, just click on the survey link, fill it out, and you’re all good to go! You will be able to answer questions about your rewards preferences, provide shipping information, and pledge for more “add-ons” if you'd like. You do not have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

If you decide later that you want to edit your survey response, you can go back to your survey and change it any time before we lock down the surveys for processing.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you will be able to recover your survey here: anime-puzzles-by-fuzichoco.backerkit.com.

If you use your Facebook login for your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you would prefer to use, please contact support at anime-puzzles-by-fuzichoco.backerkit.com/faq and we'll get you sorted out!

Please note: Using Backerkit is optional. We’re using their system because it allows us more time and energy to focus on fulfillment. If you don’t want to use Backerkit, that’s okay. Just send us a private message and we’ll do everything manually.

Tradewars

We just want to say congratulations to Mike and the team at Outer Limit Games for their huge success with Tradewars - Homeworld: Exterra Edition campaign. If you missed it, you can still pre-order the game here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/outerlimitgames/tradewars-homeworld-exterra-edition Way to go guys!!

That's it for now. Thank you ALL!

The weekend is almost upon us, so have a great one:) 

All the Best,

Lara, Eric & Mike