Do you have a creative kiddo, with a penchant for doodling? This company turns any kids' artwork into real custom stuffed animals.
Most kids love to doodle, and they'll often draw something from their imagination, creating amazing creatures. Whether quirky, weird, adorable, cute, or even scary, the drawings will end up adorning the walls and fridge.
Sometimes they end up stored in boxes or sadly trashed.
Fortunately, that will no longer be the case, thanks to a company called Budsies that turns these cute creative kids' drawings into real-life plush toys.
Alex Furmansky founded the company after getting inspired by his little sister's drawings. And as he watched her cuddling her stuffed animals in bed, he thought to himself, "What if I could turn a drawing into a stuffed animal friend that would last forever?"
He acted upon the idea and borrowed one of his sister's cool drawings and made a dog-like stuffed animal that his sister named Dongler. As soon as they created their first Budsie, many others followed it.
The company has since grown in leaps and bounds. Initially, it created Budsies from children's artwork and evolved to creating book characters for authors, sports team mascots, including Petsies and Selfies based on photographs of people and pets.
Budsie's representative, Melissa, told Bored Panda:
"In the beginning, most of the orders were of kids' drawings, doodles, and other artwork."
"Now, we see everything from a child's first drawing, to detailed original characters, author's book characters, sports team mascots, and more. The idea is truly limitless, and that's what makes Budsies so special."
According to their website, they've created more than 76,000 Budsies since the first toy in 2013, and they have clients from over 60 countries who have ordered their custom pieces.
The company is currently offering custom plushies that start at the price of $99 on their site. But the cost depends on what you request, the size of the plushie, and the material—they can be made from "super soft plush or include faux fur and custom embroidery."
Melissa describes people's priceless reaction to their Budsies:
"We've had people cry, scream, lots of hugging their Budsies, and people who are just speechless. We've also made Budsies in honor of someone who has passed, and those are very emotional reactions that really touch our entire Budsies team and community."
She added that they also have a program called Budsies Pals, where they work with healthcare providers to supply free Budsies to kids who'll benefit from getting a huggable plushie.
She said:
"Some of the Budsies that we have made are from drawings of kids who unfortunately passed away, and the Budsies are given to the family. It's very touching knowing that we have given something to these families who have been through so much."
