(GIANT) Dark Dreams

too long, didn't read: These dragons are a true labor of love, and unlike any plush I've ever owned, as a kid or an adult. I'm glad I made space for this big friend in my budget and my home.

Campaign backer here! I love fantasy creatures, so I originally planned to get one of the small companion dragons. After seeing Dark Dream's design, and that it needed support to get made, I changed my mind and went all in.

These full sized dragons are a double armful of fluff. Not heavy, but looong. I had to sit down to really look closely at it and check the features. (wings you can pose, paws shaped for hand holding, where the weights were... just being curious about the in-person experience, you know?) And then I swung the head up, looked at it directly, and went "...this is a face for talking to." I can't explain why, or how, but I felt like I could sit and vent to this plush. It's a strange thing to say but that was my first impression. Not strange in a bad way, either! I was more surprised...how does someone design a face that makes me want to have a chat, straight out of the box? It's comforting in a way I don't have words for.

In any case, even in the partially stuffed form I received, it was comfy to hold. And after adding more stuffing myself? This dragon is the best pillow! I'm a side and back sleeper who rolls around a lot, to the point of pillows being lost during the night. Even big squishy stuffies would end up on the floor or across the bed. Not this plush. The belly might be designed for resting on, but I discovered that the neck and tail are also supportive! It's been a hot summer, so no heavy blankets, but I don't miss them with a weighted dragon in their place.

The glow features are nice too. The stars on the body and the back spines all glow after being in ambient light in the room. Sitting in the sun for an afternoon works nicely too, but isn't needed. The nose and eyes glow on this dragon too. (might be unique to this design?) My favorite is the star on the tail tip.

Fabrics: the underside texture is very similar to other "mochi" style plush, including the side body stripe. The fur on the back is soft and short. It doesn't show signs of matting or tangles, even though I keep laying on it, patting it, and posing it on my bed. The shiny surface of the talons and horns are a great addition to the colors, and are nicer to touch than a scale pattern fabric. (only thing I can think of right now that's shiny but soft) The stars and moons on the wings, face, and paws are embroidered, so no worries of little details flaking away over time. So far I haven't found any holes, places where fur is caught in a seam, or loose threads.

Side note: I was worried that only I would like this grumpy face, but so far 3 kids between 12 and 8 have seen it, and they seemed to like it. (we played a silly game where I carried the dragon around the room, "flying" it to tag them) They also found the motion of the wings interesting when I showed it off.

One more appreciated feature: the zipper on the back! It's small enough that it isn't obvious, pokey, or in the way. But it made it easy to add stuffing, and when I need to replace what's in there, I can take it out without worrying about holes. As someone who mostly sews to replace a button, I'm really really glad that they thought of this!

To me, the quality is worth the price. It's big, it's cuddly, it's unique, I love it, I'd buy another but where would I put a 2nd dragon that's longer than I'm tall? I also really like plush that are designed for a good feel. Cuteness is great, but being charming and huggable is the best!

Thank you for all your hard work in designing, prototyping, shipping, communicating, and doing everything else that went into getting these dragons made and sent out. I don't even know if I'm the core audience, but my inner child is happy and I'm grateful. (sorry about the review length!)

I have eagerly anticipated receiving this plush and honestly I have no regrets. The plush is incredibly comfortable and soothing to lay with! The fur is very soft and each dragon has unique features. The wings are poseable, but if they're too hard for you, removing the spine in the wings is an option! However only do so if you do not wish to put them back. This dragon is also avery unique addition to my collection due to it's nostalgic design and the love and detail put into it! I would absolutely love to collect all of these dragons when I can save up! Thank you so much for the love and dedication put into them!!!!

He's huge and cuddly and I love him! Keep in mind he is VERY large though so if you have a twin sized bed maybe get one of the smaller ones. Mine lives on my desk chair for now but eventually I'll upgrade to a fullsize bed so he can be where he's supposed to be. Feels amazing to hug!!!

Very well made plush and great for sleeping.

This big dragon is amazing, and very well made! He is super soft and the detail in the patterns and embroidery really make unique and give him quite the personality. Amazing for snuggling! Super easy to stuff and unstuck for cleaning.