Makeship
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 | |
| Industry | Toy |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , Canada |
Number of employees | 65+[1] (2025) |
| Website | www |
Makeship is a Canadian toy company that produces limited-edition plush toys and other products in collaboration with small to medium-sized online content creators, indie game developers, influencers, and other online small businesses in the creator economy. The toys it produces are crowdfunded, with each campaign lasting 21 days and funding the production and shipment of the product.[2]
History
[edit]Makeship was founded in 2018 by Pablo Eder,[3] Rakan Al-Shawaf, and Kevin Wang in Kitchener, Ontario, before relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia.[1] Makeship initially required content creators to have somewhat large followings in order to create campaigns. However, according to Rakan Al-Shawaf, the growth of the company has allowed them to collaborate with smaller creators. As of 2022[update], Makeship had collaborated with over 1,000 creators in producing more than 600,000 products.[2]
In 2022, Makeship expanded its business to produce collectible vinyl figurines.[4] Makeship primarily caters to content creators in video game and animation-adjacent fields,[1] but has also collaborated with TikTok and Instagram influencers, television stars,[2] and animal rescue shelters.[5] It has also produced merchandise for video games such as Peak,[6] Balatro,[7] and others. In 2026, Makeship collaborated with Wikipedia to create a plush of one of its mascots, Baby Globe, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the website.[8][9]
As of 2025[update], Makeship had distributed over CAD$20 million to creators, and some of their campaigns have earned over CAD$2 million.[1] According to Pablo Eder, one of the most successful Makeship campaigns has been a collaboration with JoCat, an animation YouTuber, who used money from the campaign to buy his first house.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "From Kitchener to Stardom: The Journey of a Startup Thriving in the Creator Economy". InnovateON.ca. 2025-03-26. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Turner, Allie (2022-08-08). "Want a plush toy of your favourite drag queen? This Vancouver company can make it happen". Vancouver Is Awesome. Archived from the original on 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lewis, Robert (2022-06-09). "Keeping Up With the Creator Economy: Makeship Co-Founder On Its Evolution + Future". Techcouver.com. Archived from the original on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Hartsock, Bug (2022-10-17). "Makeship Now Offering Vinyl Figures for Content Creator Crowdfunding Merch Campaigns". The Toy Book. Archived from the original on 2026-02-22. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Culbertson, Mary (2024-07-29). "Viral Utah kitten memorialized with plushie which will raise funds for local shelter". KSLTV.com. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Cichacki, Shaun (2025-07-03). "Need a Bing Bong or a Scout of Your Own? Makeship Is Partnering With Landcrab To Create a 'PEAK' Collaboration". VICE. Archived from the original on 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Denzer, TJ (2024-11-05). "Balatro devs tease Jimbo plushie". Shacknews. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Nwannekanma, Bertram (2026-01-15). "Wikipedia celebrates 25 years, launches first time video "docuseries"". The Guardian Nigeria News. Archived from the original on 2026-01-16. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ^ Fear, Natalie (2026-01-15). "Wikipedia's new mascot is too cute for words". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
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