In what might be one of the unlikeliest of pairings, hardcore bands are teaming with a company to create their own signature plushie.
If you’ve never heard of a plushie, maybe you call it a stuffie or a stuffed animal in your house. Either way, bands including Power Trip, Turnstile and Scowl have all signed up to have the stuffed creatures designed for their fans.
The Company Behind The Mashup Of Hardcore and Plushies
Boston natives and twins Emma and Sophie Hendry were living on two different sides of the U.S. and playing in bands before starting Plushie Love. There would only be a couple times a year when their bands would share the same bill, allowing the twins to be together in the same room
“We felt like we barely knew each other anymore,” the Hendry sisters explain on the Plushie Love website. “Whenever we were together we dreamed up the idea of designing a plushie line inspired by our interests.”
Most plushies on their site run around $50-60 and are stout versions of creatures that look like bears or furry ducks. To Emma and Sophie and their fans, these are Snoozles.
“We were inspired by retro toy names that were mashups of cute-sounding words – Furby, WuvLuvs, Popples, Chubbles, Puffkins, Wuzzles,” Emma told Alternative Press.
The 6-inch Firewalker Snoozle, for example, is decked out in red fur, horns and a bendable devil-like tail.
Getting Hardcore Bands Involved
Part of basing the brand on their interests led the Hendry sisters to reach out to various bands about possible collaborations. Not only were the bands interested, but many have turned them into tour exclusives for their fans.
Turnstile has worked with Plushie Love the develop several different Snoozles in recent years. If you’ve caught one of their shows, you might have even noticed one of the plushies in the window of their bus.
California-based hardcore punk act Scowl are currently selling its signature Plushie Love design their the band’s official website.
The Hendry sisters worked with Kat Moss from Scowl to come up with the proper look for the band’s Snoozle The “limited edition” green plushie has a pink flower-like collar with large pink and yellow stars on each of its cheeks.
READ MORE: Scowl Drop Out Of Second Fest Due To Army Sponsorship
The limited edition Power Trip Snoozle is dressed to look like an executioner complete with bloody ax. The design has apparently been a hit with fans as the Snoozle is currently listed as being sold out on the Plushie Love website.
“We always want input from the band – so it’s definitely collaborative,” Sophie told Alternative Press. “I’ll usually draw something up as a starting point for the conversation and we edit from there.”
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Gallery Credit: Various