Hello there! I'm CJ, the artist and creator behind the original Cosplay Onigiri here at The Onigiri Stand. My claim to fame is my Cosplay Onigiri characters, which are riceballs who have dressed up as anime and video game characters. :) These little guys pop up in a variety of mediums, but our primary product is hard enamel pins. We also carry vinyl stickers, reusable sticker books, acrylic charms, parody print postcards, lanyards, and washi tape. Soon, we are hoping to expand to plushies as well!
Below are some examples of my products as well as my physical stand which I use for artist alleys and markets. :) If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to my email (theonigiristand@gmail.com) or message me on Instagram (@theonigiristand). Thanks for considering us for your event! :)
The Stand
Welcome to The Stand! Our display is a 3'x5' set up plus a 2'x6' banner. The Stand is composed of square, interlocking, modular wire-frames and is covered with foam-board panels that are decorated with woodgrain poster prints and display signs. A high quality woodgrain tablecloth plus the Japanese-style roof banner solidifies our visual as a Japanese-style food cart.
Hard Enamel Pins
My primary product is hard enamel pins. We have a wide array of designs, ranging from popular sets to more obscure single pins. All the pins are designed to go together, in the Cosplay Onigiri series. So the base size of a pin is 1.25" tall--Armstrong and Kirby are the best examples there. But characters with more hair, clothes, etc., will be a little bigger.
Several designs feature special effects, such as Dark Shadow's glitter and glowing eye, Link's glowing tattoo, and Titan's pearlescent smoke. I've also recently introduced mini pins into the mix, such as the Kanto starters or everyone's favorite Cat Sensei.
A regular sized pin is $15 and mini pins are $12. I also have a "Bento Box Deal" for $50 which gets you four pins, a lanyard, and a sticker of your choice.
The pins featured on the "Coming Soon" panel will be here in January. :)
I also have what's called the "Secret Menu", which features my kickstarter- and convention-exclusive pins. These tend to be more obscure characters or more elaborate designs. All of these pins are limited edition and typically only available at cons. You'll also notice the gachapon below--more on that later!!
Here's a closer look at some of the pins, as well as their backer cards:
Vinyl Stickers
My secondary product is vinyl stickers. There is, generally, a matching sticker to every pin. But I also have several designs that have not become pins yet. This large panel display rotates different designs at each convention, based on elements like what voice actors or artists will be present at the con. With over 100 designs to choose from, the panel is constantly changing, hahah!
Much like the pins, the stickers are sized and designed to work together in the same series. Armstrong and Kirby are the base size at 2". I have several mini stickers that I hand out as freebies for new followers, returning customers, or awesome cosplays (like Meowth when I see a Team Rocket duo).
These stickers are water-proof, weather-proof, and UV resistant. My manufacturer recommends indoor use, but I have had several returning customers express how well my stickers hold up to the Florida sun--better than most car decals, they claim! One customer has had a Doggo-Demon sticker on her car for over a year and it's still going strong!
The stickers are priced at $3 each, or 2 for $5.
Here are some close-ups of the stickers:
Sticker Packs
A fan favorite has always been my Mystery Packs (center), which include four random stickers. I designed and make these containers myself, and do my utmost to fill each pack with a wide assortment of characters, genres, and series. These packs probably get more comments than anything else at my booth, hahah! They are priced at $5 each, which is essentially two free stickers!
Below the Mystery Packs are my "To-Go" packs, which are premade, assembled packs based on series or genre. Each pack comes with 4 stickers (or 5 when a mini sticker is included). I designed the packaging myself here as well, and my husband designed the wooden peg fixture they hang on.
For especially popular series like DS or S+F, there are three varieties to choose from. There are also genre packs like Modern Shonen, Classic Shonen, and Girl Power styles. To-Go packs are priced at $8 each, which is $2 off from buying four individual stickers.
Below are a few picture of some of the packs:
Acrylic Charms
Above the Mystery Packs are my newest product: acrylic charms. These will feature a rotating cast of characters, again with an eye on a good array of genres, shows, and popularity. They are made of clear acrylic with an epoxy coating on the front to give it a little body. They come with a green clip (obviously ;) ) and are 2" by their longest side. These are priced at $8 each.
Below are some close-ups:
Sticker Books
One of my most popular products: the reusable sticker book. These spiral bound notebooks contain 50 pages made of sticker-release paper (the kind of slick, waxy paper stickers normally come on). These pages allow you to place a sticker down and then peel it up again with ease, and with no damage to the sticker or its stickiness! These books are perfect for people with sticker anxiety (like me...) who just can't decided on where to put a sticker permanently. They also provide a great place to store and collect your stickers without just tossing them in a drawer.
I designed both covers myself, naming them "Peeker" style. I have three new designs in production now. :) The books are A5 size and priced at $20 each.
Below are some close-ups:
^ My personal book with stickers from some of my favorite creators. :)
Bookmarks
My newest product is my collection of bookmarks! Featuring our favorite Onigiri characters (obviously!), these bookmarks give a nice level of practicality to our product line. I'm an avid reader myself (it came free with my PhD in English, hahah!), so I am super excited to have these items. A personal favorite for sure!
The bookmarks are locally printed (I'm trying to move away from big-name places like VistaPrint and work with local shops where I can) and cut to standard 2x6 bookmark size. I personally select thematic beads and hand-thread them all. Part of the fun is figuring out what works best for the tassel--like the little blue and white beads representing the small Totoros. :) These bookmarks are priced at a modest $5 each. I look forward to expanding the line!
Below are some close-ups:
Parody Postcard Prints
A personal passion project is my line of parody postcards. These take famous anime scenes and re-imagine them with onigiri characters. I have an artist draft up the backgrounds for me and then I bring in the onigiri. They always get a hearty chuckle at the table. They are standard postcard size (2.5" x 5") and priced at $5 each.
Below are some close-ups:
Lanyards and Washi Tape
My two little add-ons are my nori-style lanyards and washi tape. While both products are $5 each, the lanyards tend to move most with the Bento Box deal. The lanyards are made with dye sublimation to remove the fear of bleeding, and the washi tape is made with NoIssue, who offers the most eco-conscious options on the market. We use the washi tape in our own product packaging and shipping. :)
Below are some close-ups:
I plan to have new designs of both products by the summer.
The B-Grade Gachapon
First and foremost, this is NOT A GAME OF CHANCE. Each ball is guaranteed to have a pin inside--and some have two! The gachapon is full of what's called "B-Grades." As pins are hand-made, there are always some in the batch with minor imperfections.
Whenever pins come in from the manufacturer, I "grade" each and every one personally, and organize them as A-Grades (practically perfect pins that go on cards and are sold at full price), B-Grades (those with minor imperfections and are discounted into the Gacha), and C-Grades (damaged pins or pins with errors that are not sold).
Each "spin" in the Gacha is $10 (so $5 cheaper than a regular pin), and gets you one random pin. The machine is full of silver and gold balls at a 50:50 ratio. If you get a gold ball, you are able to trade for any pin you want off of the trading board. It makes it a fun and interactive experience for customers. And, frankly, even if someone gets a silver ball and doesn't want their pin, I let them trade anyway. ;) It's more about the experience!
The Gacha has always been a staple of the Stand and remains a fan favorite at every con we go to. :D
Misc. Packaging
Finally, here is some of my packaging that never really gets a chance to shine. :) All of it was personally designed and a major labor of love. Weirdly, having fun designing the packing is one of my favorite parts! It's these little touches that I think make my product both unique and memorable.
For left to right: Onigiri Keyfobs for the charms (an Audi-giri, naturally), our "Enjoy" packaging for customers with their purchase, soy sauce "Thank You" card, pin backer card, business card, front and back of our gachapon card.
Thank you again for reviewing my portfolio. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to my email (theonigiristand@gmail.com) or message me on Instagram (@theonigiristand). Thanks for considering us for your event, and we hope to hear from you soon! :)