UK fans bring small batch toy manufacturing to Cincinnati

Two University of Kentucky fans have embarked on a journey to bring locally made collectibles to the region's sports fans.
 
Their business, Monster Mascots, is a small-batch production toy company that draws inspiration from the Japanese monsters of lore. Monster Mascots uses 3D printing technology to create molds for 9-inch mascot figurines which are manufactured and hand-assembled in the United States.

Founders Natalie Mathis and Quincy Robinson are no strangers to the 3D printing game. Their other company, 3DKitbash.com, has established itself as a source for 3D printable toy designs and 3D printer test kits. The company hopes to make 3D printing at home easy and affordable.
 
With a successful company under their belts, the idea for Monster Mascots emerged when Robinson and Mathis were enrolled at First Batch, a Cincinnati manufacturing accelerator.
 
"Since we were already working in this space, we had a natural curiosity for seeing whether we could discover a new process that could push the limits of traditional manufacturing," Mathis says.
 
First Batch helped the team to establish their concept of an American-made series of plastic mascots that mimicked the Japanese tradition of battling monsters. Mathis and Robinson graduated from the program in 2014 and now have a prototype of their product. As die-hard University of Kentucky fans, their first mascot is a bright blue Wildcat.
 
"The idea is that mascots will battle it out, as you see in Japanese monster movies, on a national level in online communities," Mathis says. "We think fans will get a kick out of posting selfies with the Mascot online with messages for UK and for their rivals."
 
The online community aside, Mathis and Quincy see a growing market for sports memorabilia in general. They do recognize, however, that they face a lot of competition.
 
"UK's brand is strong, and we know that fans clamor for UK-related items that represent their personal relationship with one of the most unstoppable teams in history," Mathis says. "The market for this sort of item is also crowded, which is why we differentiated our Monster Mascots using the Japanese monster narrative."
 
Mathis and Robinson first attempted a campaign on Kickstarter, but the idea has yet to pick up steam on the crowd-funding website. While 3DKitbash.com found success with Kickstarter, Monster Mascots needs to find another source of funding.
 
"We've proven that Kickstarter is not where UK fans buy UK-related figures, not yet anyway," Mathis says. "It just isn't the right fit."
 
Instead, Monster Mascots will begin selling their bright blue wildcats through more traditional routes, both on their website and in several brick-and-mortar stores. They will look to obtain licenses from other universities based on the success of their Wildcat prototype.
 
"We're proud of what we've accomplished so far, and we have a vision for the future," Mathis says. "There's a lot yet to do in the space. We're grateful and excited."