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1) We would like to welcome you to Underworld Magazines. Please introduce yourself, and explain to us how and why you started your store?

Thanks! My name is Shawn Smith, creator and owner of Shawnimals. A lot of people call me Shawnimal. We started our company out of love of all things weird, cute, and mundane. Plush toys seemed the perfect medium for such things, so Shawnimals were born from that. Although we started making stuff in 2002 or so, we really made a big push in 2006. We sell from our web store, as well as from shops around the world. Designer toy shops, design boutiques, museum stores, etc. In addition to plush toys, now you can find Shawnimals vinyl, t-shirts, stickers, the Nintendo DS Ninjatown game, and much more.

2) How did you come up with the concept of Shawnimaland? How do you decide where each character resides in Shawnimaland?

We created and developed things very organically over the years. We never try to shoe-horn anything into place. We ask very simple questions, and then make design and development decisions based on that. Some characters are simple to place (Ninjas for example), while others are more odd and require special consideration. In rarer cases, a new character is developed that requires its own new land (like Professor Fliggins).

3) Is there anything in your stores’ inventory that you have designed yourself? Would you ever be interested in designing something for your stores’ inventory?

We design everything in house, and, in fact, in some cases even make the products you see. We love it that way, though as we grow we have made some decisions to have some things manufactured in a factory. We do love collaboration however, so you’ll see some cool, new stuff coming along in 2010 that speaks to that.

4) Out of all of the toys you sell, which one is your favorite and why? Is it because of the designer that designed it, or you just happen to take a shine to it?

Wee Ninja by far. It’s something that’s simple on the surface, both cute and sort of bad ass, and allows for a ton of creativity in developing the world and its characters, while setting up parameters (since everything is within the scope of Ninjatown or the Dark Forest). That said, we never want to be a one-trick pony. We always want to innovate, even if that’s creating variations on a theme.

5) Are there any designers that you work with? If so, could you name a few and how you got started with them. If not, would you ever be interested in working with designers. How can designers that are interested get in touch with you?

We’ve collaborated with a ton of artists, designers and companies over the years, in a variety of capacities. Just a few that come to mind: Kidrobot, Rotofugi, Double Punch, Formula Werks, Phoneticontrol, OhNo!Doom, blUtt, Joey Potts, Joey D. and so many more. While we have a pretty full plate at the moment, and for most of next year, we always like hearing from designers who have a great idea, or are making rad work.

6) How many online stores do you currently own? Which one was your first one. If you own more then one could you take this time to give an explanation about the reasoning behind each?

We have our own online shop, which is a hub for our entire product line available at all stores. We also have a variety of Shawnimals.com exclusives showcased there that you simply can’t get anywhere else. Outside of our store, we’re available in around 100 – 150 stores around the world, depending on the time of year, etc.

7) We want to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. A lot of our readers are very interested in what you do. Do you have a final thought for them.

We just announced our newest subscription based project called Ninja of the Month. If you subscribe, you’re guaranteed 12 handmade, limited edition Ninjas for each month of 2010. You also get all sorts of add-ons like a personalized certificate, poster, and more. You don’t HAVE to subscribe, since we’ll release them monthly on a first come first served basis. But of course since they’re limited there’s no guarantee. Each Ninja is $30 each, and comes with a button, sticker and accessories. The poster will be available for purchase in January, as will the first Ninja release. Beyond that, we will definitely have some additional announcements after the first of the year, sent out to our mailing list and eventually posted to our site.