Our story
It started with my daughter. We were at an artisan market and she spotted a bin of 3D-printed “toys” being sold in bulk. I told her the honest version: those are the disposable, fun-for-ten-minutes kind of things that end up forgotten in a drawer a week later.
But it got me thinking. What if a print could be cute and actually useful? What if it earned its spot instead of ending up as clutter? That is where the magnets came from. Now your critter can hang an art project on the fridge or hold down a to-do note while it looks good doing it.
I made a few different models and my daughter was the judge. What you see here is what she liked, so if you have a complaint, you can take it up with her.
She also started telling her friends about them, and just like that she made our very first sale.
Our mission
We make small, joyful objects that earn their place on your fridge, desk, or lunchbox. Things you actually like looking at. Things that survive a real life.
We'd rather make a hundred good critters than a million forgettable ones, and we'd rather you keep yours for years than buy another in six months.
How we make them
Every CritterPal is 3D-printed in PLA, a sturdy bioplastic, using print-in-place joints so the segments articulate without any assembly. We pop in the magnets by hand, finish each one, and post it from Lincoln.
Wherever we can, we print with refurbished and repurposed plastic, giving material that would otherwise end up as trash a second life as something you'll want to keep. We like to think of it as adding purpose to trash.
Nothing is mass-produced. Each critter is printed and finished in small batches, so you get something made with care rather than something that sat in a box overseas for a year.
Who we are
We're not a big team. We're a father with a 3D printer and a very judgy quality-control daughter, based in Lincoln, New Zealand. If you want to get in touch, whether it's questions about an order, a custom request, or just to say hi, we'd love to hear from you.