Cuddly Octopus Update – May 2020

Welcome to the May ’20 Cuddly Octopus Update!

Hope you are all staying safe in these non-cuddle-friendly times. But I’ll tell you what you don’t have to socially distance yourself from. Your daki. So, while you’re all locked in your rooms anyway, why not pick yourself up a new cuddle buddy? And speaking of cuddle buddies—oh boy, do we have an update for you.

This month, we have a mix of the good, the bad, and the beautiful.

I’ll start with the bad news first. Rip off the Band-Aid® and be over with it, I say! The bad news is, as I’m sure many of you are aware, Corona-chan continues to make a mess of international shipping. With drastically reduced flight capacity, shipments are moving very slowly. And due to the reduced flight capacity, prices charged for the various shipping services have been skyrocketing. ePacket, which just recently allowed us to ship your order for a flat $7, has grown into a $15 fee + $10 for every additional cover. That brings it close to our expedited shipping methods, such as DHL, which are currently costing us roughly $25 + $10 for every additional cover. Since ePacket right now can take 30+ days to even begin moving, we highly recommend selecting expedited shipping. The price difference, for now, is always just $10, irrespective of the number of covers ordered. Of course, all of this is subject to change and we’ll be constantly keeping our eye on international shipping prices and adjusting accordingly. We just really hope Corona-chan doesn’t continue to make it more expensive in the future…

Okay, the Band-Aid® is ripped off and the bad news is over. Let’s deliver the good news now.

A few months back, in what feels like a completely different era, we switched most of our production over to a new factory. That new factory had a drastically different way of working with our SKUs and source files for printing. Due to the complexity of working with mix-and-matching with the new factory, we decided to suspend the service, but promised we would keep our eye out for a way to simplify the process and make it tenable to work with at the new printer. Well, we’ve finally put our tentacles together and figured out a clean and efficient way for us to handle mixes-and-matches again!

There’s a few differences this time around. First of all, you no longer request mixes-and-matches through the “Order Notes” system during checkout. Instead, we have a brand-spanking new product page for mix-and-match ordering with clear instructions to follow. Mix-and-matches are a bit more expensive than they used to be (i.e., free), but this is to cover the additional work involved with preparing the orders and the increased probability for mistakes. But still! The service is finally back, so you can again combine your favorite designs to your heart’s desire. Just make sure you follow the instructions listed on the page, otherwise we’ll deliver an angry octopus to your door instead. You don’t want that. Trust me. Their whips hurt.

And finally, it’s time for the beautiful. Starting with our May ’20 update, we will be launching 22 new dakimakura covers designs!

Dakimakura Covers

  • Holo (Spice and Wolf) by KyuriTizu
  • Rem (Re:Zero) by Brora
  • Kizuna Ai (Virtual YouTubers) by Shadowgrave
  • Poppy (League of Legends) by Krokobyaka
  • Ruby Rose (RWBY) by Tsukimaru
  • Kasumi (Azur Lane) by Tsukimaru
  • Hatsune Miku (Vocaloid) by Tony Guisado
  • Atago (Azur Lane) by Ikazu
  • Suomi (Girls Frontline) by Stira
  • Isabelle (Original) by Popolocroits
  • Sagiri (Eromanga Sensei) by Chintora
  • Emilia (Re:Zero) by Ponya
  • Kazami Yuka (Touhou Project) by Okita Kung
  • Sinon (Sword Art Online) by Renko
  • Kokkoro (Princess Connect) by Nullpuyo
  • Shaw (Arknights) by Xo
  • Bremerton (Azur Lane) by Mukuhai
  • Illyasviel (Fate Series) by –
  • Tirpitz (Azur Lane) by Zerocat
  • Jeanne Alter (Fate Series) by NDGD
  • Saber Alter (Fate Series) by Gray Fox
  • Blanc (Hyperdimension Neptunia) by IP3

As usual, the premium P80 2-Way Silkette versions of most of our new designs will be available on Sakura-Palace.

We have also added a couple of new keychains. Feel free to check them out in our Miscellany section!

Again, thank you for your continued support of Cuddly Octopus!

Until next time!

– The Cuddly Octopus Team