November 2024: Oh yeah, it’s all coming together!
29 days ago
– Tue, Nov 12, 2024 at 04:01:34 PM
Greetings! Grunkle Jam here, once again, to update you oh-so-daring cultists and Cipher cultivars. How are you doing?
I’ll level with you, this is a big one. Folks, welcome to what may very well be the penultimate production update before shipping! With so much of the collection arriving on site simultaneously, we’re now confident that once those last couple of items arrive (and we manage to wrangle the Flannel-man) we’ll be sending your Bill Cipher goodies to your homes!
We’ve got so much to show you this month, and we’re sure you can’t wait. So, without further ado, let’s get stuck in and see what’s happening at Cipher Cult HQ..
First off, of course, the Pyramid is here! All of them. We’re currently finding a warehouse space to facilitate all of the shipping and handling, because uh… There’s a lot of these guys!
We’re desperately wrangling with the legendary Alex to get his signatures, and we think we’ve almost got him lassoed. We really don’t want the signing to become a big blocker, so we’re being as persistent as we can. Promise!
Other products, we hear you cry? Well, don’t you worry. Let’s take a look first at our glorious Everything Is Fine pin:
A delightfully chipper image of a scientist who is definitely NOT in servitude to an evil floating cheese wedge. Absolutely not!
That’s not all, of course. Here are the hotly anticipated Thrill Bill Earrings - which you’re sure you’ll agree look absolutely amazing:
Personally, I love these a lot. I don’t even have pierced ears, but these make me want to take a thumb-tack to my earlobes immediately just so I can wear these.
(For obvious reasons, we recommend you don’t do that.)
And the Bill-Eye The Greatest Guy Necklace - in all of its beautiful six-fingered Hamza glory. Bad Egg fans will know that this is something Richmond designed and drew solo so he’s naturally very excited, and probably hoarding a hundred of them like an evil necklace-laundering dragon.
Of course, we’ve still plenty more. You want to see the Bill-itos Charm? Well, you bet your bottom tortilla chip that you can see the Bill-itos charm. It’s lovely, bright, colourful and frankly makes a great little fidget shaker. What? No, we haven’t been playing with it for hours. You’re crazy!
Alex’s own design - the Dis-BILL-ief pin - is also here, and oh-so-polite. Look at him tipping his little hat. It’s almost easy to forget he’s an evil people-possessing armageddon-bringing dream demon with serious attachment issues.
Did somebody say PLUSHIES?! Don’t you worry, we’ve got them too. Between you and I, I like keeping his angry face. I give him little pokes in the eye and hope that somewhere, somehow, Bill Cipher is getting really annoyed.
Ita bags, too! We’ve got bags-a-plenty. Bags of bags, in both colour variations, and they’re looking every bit as awesome as you’d expect. We’ve always been super proud of this triangular tote of terrors, and we know people are really hyped for them. Who doesn’t want a parasitic sociopathic demon over their shoulder?
Don’t answer that.
Weirdos.
And, of course, we know what you’re all asking for next. Where are Bipper and Mabel? I’ll tell you exactly where they are: Crossing the oceans. We’ve got notice that they’re in transit, but as we’ve explained before, sea-shipping - while being more environmentally friendly than air - takes its sweet time. We’ve sent plenty of memos to the captain going ‘Yaaargh, full steam ahead, maties’, but apparently it doesn’t work like that. So we just have to be patient.
So, with all of this in mind, where does this leave us?
When Bipper and Mabel arrive, we’re immediately going to get to work making sure it’s all ship-shape and ready to go. The moment we’re happy, we’ll get to work getting these out for you, with every one of us working flat out at Bad Egg HQ.
We get that this has been a delayed production - totally on us, really, for making something so complicated and awesome - but we’re super super excited to say that we’re on the closing stretch, and we expect to ship by Mid-December.
As a result, we think we should be able to get them to you by Christmas. Isn’t that exciting?!
We can’t thank you enough for your patience, your positive feedback, your encouragement and your excitement. We’re super happy to see everything come together, and we know that you’re going to fall in love with this stuff again as soon as it arrives.
Just remember to look at your pyramid carefully.
Rumour has it there might be something there…
10/9/25 CIPHER UPDATE!
2 months ago
– Wed, Oct 09, 2024 at 03:45:34 PM
Testing, testing, one-two-three!
It’s been a month - and Grunkle Jam is here. Hello, how are you?! Welcome to our latest (aspirin-fuelled) update. We’ve got lots of huge milestones to tick off, and we’re super excited. So, without further ado…
The Demontional Pyramids are now on their way to California! They’re traveling via sea shipping, so are still some way away, but that means the biggest (and most complicated) component of the Cipher Cult Collection is official completed and has left the manufacturers.
We’re sure you’re super excited about this, just like us, and we can’t wait to have them all arrive. Admittedly, we’re having to clear a lot of space for hundreds of enormous Cipher boxes and are having to get an exorcist on hand just in case - but hey! Isn’t that amazing?!
Meanwhile, Bipper has been finalised!
Once the glow in the dark components were fixed up, our next target was getting his skin tone and accents coloured to match up with his twin sister. This took a couple of go-arounds, but is now complete and ready for manufacture. That makes him the last product to enter finalised production.
What’s that? You wanna see?!
Go on then …
Meanwhile, Mabel is now in finishing, and will be dispatching to our location soon. She’s been a little troublesome - a lot of glow in the dark bits and of course the reins to her mighty steed have proven a little complicated to pull off - but this is now rectified, and we’re content she’s fantastic.
This is perhaps one of our favouritest figures ever. I mean, look at her! She’s adorable!
Meanwhile, we’ve got a man in flannel coming soon to Studio Bad Egg HQ to do some signing. We’ve been having a couple of hiccups with rat infestations and big corporate folks peering into our windows, so we’re going to humbly request you keep this on the down low. We’ll be posting photos of the signing session soon, but keep it to yourself, eh…?
All of this is super positive and productive, and we’re convinced we’re on track to ship before the end of the year. Hopefully you’ll be feeling just as excited as we are.
If you’re after more Gravity Falls coolness, perhaps with a dose of The Owl House and Amphibia to boot, you might want to check out our incredible BYEEE campaign, which has recently launched on IndieGoGo. This is a spiritual sequel to this very story, in which the results of the Cipher Cult are felt by three separate universes.
Rumour has it all of the Pines family figures link together to unleash something special
Thanks so much for your incredible support and backing the Cipher Cult, and for your patience while we assemble some of the coolest Cipher-centric merchandise EVER!
September 2024: Perfected Pyramids and Dapper Demons
3 months ago
– Sun, Sep 08, 2024 at 10:55:36 AM
Hello, hello!
I can hear you all braying, nay, bellowing for updates - and don’t you worry, it’s Grunkle Jam back again with the latest updates from Richmond and Studio Bad Egg. Things are really heating up at SBE HQ and we’re making some very substantial progress. Strap yourself in, this is a big one!
Let’s get straight into the centre piece of the cult: The Demontional Pyramid!
If you remember our last update, we were struggling a bit making sure the terrible triangle’s monument was, y’know, not liable to burst open and spill stars, pigs and pine trees everywhere. It’s taken a lot of back-and-forth, some experimentation, a lot of swearing and sleepless nights, but we’ve finally got it perfected.
The internal mechanism has been completely redesigned, and now not only spins far smoother than it did, but has the strength of a thousand suns. Or close enough, anyway. He’s now going to be a lot firmer to handle and far less prone to spillage. Nobody wants a Bill Spillage. Not even the really weird side of Tumblr.
We’ve been tinkering a bit elsewhere too, to really up the durability and quality. The arm attachments have been redesigned with durable but beautifully subtle magnets, which are not only far easier to pop together, but eradicate the need for plastic pegs.
The sound is also a lot more satisfying. We’ve been pulling Bill’s arms off and popping them back on for the past few days. How’s that for karma?
Now that all of this has been finished off, we’ve given the go-ahead for the pyramid to be put into full production. Possibly to shatter some illusions, we aren’t magicking these out of thin air, and sadly we’re going to be waiting a while for all of the pyramids to finally reach us.
Currently, our manufacturer has scheduled us to have the pyramids completed in around 80 days. That’s a little longer than we’d have hoped, but considering the extensive redesigns we’ve had to go through, we’re content it’s well worth it. As I said, nobody wants a Bill Spillage.
—
Meanwhile, our beautiful Glitter Knight - and her Cotton Candy variant - have arrived, and are very nearly finalized. We’re sure you’ll agree they look absolutely stunning, and have had things like the bridle redesigned, as well as the variant’s glittery features. The final steps have been making sure everything glows correctly, as these samples didn’t have the effect we were hoping for.
We’re making really good progress on this, though - should be done very soon.
—
The same case applies to the Bill In Another Life figurine. Bipper’s glow and colour match have both proven troublesome, but we’ve been sent a lovely photograph of his disembodied mouth and eyes for proof of progress. How lovely.
Do I need to put a warning for that?
I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Once everything is glowing properly, we’re hoping to get his colour scheme sorted out, as frankly he’s looking way too much like he’s been swimming around in a bowl of cheetos. Keep an eye out on progress with that soon!
—
The next big news is one we’re really excited about - the Dis-BILL-ief pin, as designed by Alex Hirsch, is perfected. This one proved pretty ambitious thanks to its mechanism (hat-tipping technology is famously futuristic), but he’s finally here, he’s shiny, and he’s fabulous. Now that’s been finalised, he’s in full production too.
—
Other bits and bobs - wow, there’s a lot here. Ever woken up from a project and realized that you might have gone a bit wild?
Bill-Eye the Greatest Guy necklace: In production
Thrill Bill Earrings: In production
Everything Is Fine Pin: finalizing the glow-in-the-dark effect
8-Bill Keyring: In production
Flip-a-Bill plushie: Now in California!
Billitos charm: Now in California!
—
Meanwhile, we’ve been in talks with Alex Hirsch about when he can sign all of your Certificates of Authenticity - and we’re getting close to finalizing the date. We’ll hopefully have an update on this soon!
That brings us up to date. We’re working flat-out now on getting everything put together, and we can’t wait to see the results when the collection is finally all in-hand. It’s shaping up to be some of the coolest stuff we’ve ever made.
Meanwhile, we’ve been hearing some rumblings about an inter-dimensional portal opening up somewhere in Oregon. Strange faces keep appearing everywhere, worlds born apart somehow merging into a chaotic whole… and at the centre of it all?
Old men. Like, big-shouldered old men.
Eh, it’s probably nothing. Anyway…
Stay tuned! ;)
Grunkle Jam, Richmond and Studio Bad Egg
August 2024: Fractured Pyramids and Developing Dreams
4 months ago
– Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 11:30:34 AM
Hello, hello!
My name’s Grunkle Jam (Jordan Mooney, r/GravityFalls Admin). Due to the lovely Richmond going through a spell of ill health, I’ve been asked by Bad Egg HQ to pop up and keep you all up to date with the manufacturing of our delightfully devilish triangular trinkets.
I’m going to be responsible for poking Richmond and spitting out the news as soon as it arrives, so you can expect more regular updates from this point on as we come to the crucial few months of development!
First things first - tons of products are complete! Necklaces, keychains, plush toys, earrings and the Everything Is Fine pin have all finished manufacturing and are now on their way to sunny California. We’ve got private assurance that they look fantastic, and we’ll be sure to show you once they’ve been unpacked and inspected.
Sadly, not all of our news today is quite so positive - toy development is hard, and right now we’re wrestling with a few issues regarding the Demontional Pyramid, Bill Cipher in Another Life and Glitter Knight figurines.
The biggest problem at the moment is the Demontional Pyramid. You’d think considering we had a sample already this would be the easiest thing ever, right?
Alas, no. The internal mechanism that helps him spin has proven a problem in our latest sample. In he comes, in his lovely box, all packaged up - and when we lift him out, he bursts open, scattering shooting stars and giving us the fright of our lives.
As a result, we’re having to touch base with our manufacturers once again and redesign the mechanism to make sure it still spins smoothly and doesn’t cause any fractures. We’re making good progress on this, and should hopefully conclude soon. Here are the development images from the new mechanism!
Meanwhile, the intrepid Glitter Knight has had her updates lovingly applied, as has the Bill in Another Life figurine. The main issue we’ve had is colour matching - look, here’s a big pile of body parts. Do I have to put a content warning on this?
As you can probably tell, the colouring is still a tiny bit off - but the moulding is spot on and it’s all looking excellent. We’re making really good progress on this too and we’re confident there isn’t long left until it’s all polished up and ready to go full pace.
And look, here’s the packaging! We know you guys love our box designs, so you’ll be pleased to know the incredible Kyri45 has once again produced something truly magnificent for our duelling interdimensional forces.
Meanwhile, Alex Hirsch’s DIS-BILL-LIEF Pin is still having its mechanism finalized - but this is looking pretty great so far. Pins like this with moving parts, especially with the spinning bow-tie mechanism, take a little longer to finish off, and the first sample or two ended up with his hat flying into oblivion. Obviously, that’s unacceptable - so we’re making sure it remains nice and sturdy for regular hat-tippage.
We know that some of this is disappointing - we didn’t expect manufacturing delays to be this intense, especially when we had already worked so hard with our suppliers. We are working as hard as we can to get all of this fixed up, and we hope you’ll be patient with us while we make sure you get the sturdiest, loveliest Bill Cipher tributes ever.
We’ve heard a few of you asking - we’re happy to help with address changes, but please note we can’t facilitate refunds. All of your products are being made with your pledges, and we simply can’t facilitate at this stage of production, regardless of circumstances - it’s all ring-fenced to pay our hard-working manufacturers, shipping, printing - you name it. This is covered in the Kickstarter FAQ.
In happier news, we’re currently arranging dates with Alex Hirsch to get him to sign all of your certificates. As you can imagine, he’s had a very full schedule and is taking a bit of a well-earned break following tons of book signings, website openings and, y’know, publishing a New York Times bestseller. We’ll be touching base soon to get him signing for us, and we’ll be sure to show you when he does!
While we’ve got you, let’s talk further Bad Egg! We’re 100% focused on the Cipher Cult at the moment, but we also still need to be able to afford food and storage and the roof over our heads - so the shop is currently open and we’re bringing some old items back into stock. This doesn’t mean you guys are any less of a priority. We’ve been on Cipher Cult stuff all day, every day! It’s just us keeping our business going while we’re manufacturing your lovely items.
The same goes for us working on other Kickstarters. These campaigns work in a sort of step-by-step motion, and even as we open other campaigners, we never leave one behind. We’ll get this finished off just as another campaign is entering sampling, etc.
Put simply, don’t worry! We’re here and hard at it, and that demonic triangle is never far from our minds. We can hear him right now. Whispering. Laughing at us. Oh God, make it stop. He’s in my head! HE’S IN MY HEAD!!!
Grunkle Jam, Richmond and Studio Bad Egg
Late June/July Update!
5 months ago
– Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 12:16:25 PM
HELLO everyone!
Sincerest apologies for the late update, we are still working on getting the samples right and so there isn't much to show. However, we've finally are close to finalizing the Demontional Bill design and packaging. Instead of magnets for the arm attachments, pegs seem to best fit as the magnets were too noticeable and didn't look great if y'all wanted to display Bill as a stand alone. Check it out the images sent from our manu below:
As for Bipper and Mabel, our manu really has been focusing on the Demontional Bill and we will finally get some updates in the next two weeks here. However, all other items are wrapping up and are being sent to our location in the next week! Bear in mind that it takes 6-8 weeks via sea shipping, so its still the waiting game!
Also, we still need to wait on Alex as he is currently busy with the book signings. Again once we have a date for the signatures- we will update yall ASAP.
Lastly, hypothetically speaking, I may be doing my final Kickstarter as a Multiverse cartoon KS with GF/TOH/ Amphibia. We hypothetically may have a really really really really cool GF collectible with interchangeable parts to showcase the Dimensions. Hooty and king may show up in this dimension and i dunno, maybe Anne, Sasha, and Darcy... who knows.... (the red crossed out section from my messages with Alex, may be what we are talking about...who knows)
I really only got one more Kickstarter in me for this year, so I want to go out with a bang. STAY TUNED
