Mikey Schumacher on celebrating imperfections with his new plush brand, but cute

Mikey, to kick us off, for anyone new to but cute, how would you pitch the brand?
but cute is a plush toy brand built around celebrating imperfections. Each character is a quirky mash-up – like a moon bunny or a croissant crab – and each one embodies an emotional “imperfection” like anxiety, or grumpiness. We believe that being weird, emotional or different isn’t something to fix. It’s something to celebrate!

Terrific! And do you have a background in toy design?
Yes, I started designing toys when I was a junior in college in 2016. It quickly became my passion and I fell in love with the industry. I have brought multiple toys from idea to production and I have been granted design and utility patents for my creations.

How did the concept behind but cute come about?
I have always been a super anxious person and toy design has been a creative outlet to help manage my stress and anxiety. One day, I was drawing an anxious moon bunny character and I knew she needed to come to life. I contacted a manufacturer to help with making some samples and people adored her… Everything took off from there.

And that’s Luna the moon bunny. Can you talk us through the first range?
Absolutely! The first range features our four core characters. So yes, there’s Luna, our anxious moon bunny, who’s soft, shy, and always a little worried – but she’s also quietly brave and deeply empathetic. Then there’s Claude, a grumpy croissant crab, who’s all sarcasm and side-eye on the outside but secretly the most loyal one of the bunch. And Peeko, our dragon fruit dragon, is big, squishy and all heart – his chunkiness is his superpower! Lastly, Dulce, the cinnamon roll bunny, is pure chaos in frosting form. She’s quirky, unpredictable, and sees the world in her own beautifully bizarre way.

I relate in some way, shape or form to all of them! Now, the range launches on Kickstarter on June 17th. Why opt for the crowdfunding route?
Instead of chasing retail or investors, we’re turning to our community to help launch but cute the right way: with care, creativity and community. Crowdfunding gives us the chance to bring but cute to life alongside our earliest fans and I thought there was no better way to do it!

What does the future hold for but cute beyond the Kickstarter?
The Kickstarter is just the beginning. I’ve already dreamed up over 300 but cutes, each one with its own odd little mash-up and emotional backstory! So after this first launch, we’re excited to keep introducing new characters, each one designed to help people feel seen in a different way.

And do you see brand potential for these characters beyond the toy aisle?
Absolutely! We’re not stopping at plush. Our bigger vision is to turn but cute into the go-to brand for celebrating imperfections through storytelling and other means. Whether someone’s anxious, moody, or messy, we want but cute to be a world where they feel like they belong.

I have one last question! What fuels your creativity?
Creating something that makes people feel seen fuels my creativity. There’s something powerful about turning imperfections into joy, and doing it through a brand that’s playful, weird, and full of heart keeps me going!

Thanks again Mikey – congrats on everything you’ve done so far with but cute, and good luck with the Kickstarter. Folks can sign up to stay in the loop with the launch at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/butcute/but-cute-plushies-that-celebrate-imperfections

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