A Story in Progress

The endeavor of this page is to remind myself of where the Taneko project all began, everything that I’ve accomplished and can be proud of, and that this—as well as life in general—is a story in progress.

2014

At the tail-end of this year, a stray cat wandered into my life. I’d never had a cat before because of my allergies as a kid. Other than thinking cats are generally cute, I’d often regarded them as aloof (and kept my distance because of said allergies). But this cat was very friendly and outgoing, keen to walking up to people and saying hello. My ex and I named him Takoyaki, or Tako for short. The first night I met him, he slept under my bed all night and my face didn’t melt off! He inspired me to make a Taneko for my own personal amusement—and you might say he’s the first octo-puss.

Tako cat is a ginger and white kitty The first successful Taneko the Octo-puss plush toy was red and light green The first Taneko the Octo-puss prototype plush toy was light green and red

2015

During my graphic design schooling, my concurrent coursework in packaging and brand identity design inspired me to explore Taneko as a fun, hypothetical product with no limits on colors. I loved playing with color palettes and reasoned that the qualities of cats and octopi would obviously result in a myriad of colors. Taneko also reflected my enjoyment of cosplay: surely dressing up as other characters is an easier venture for a creature capable of biomimicry? Eventually, from my color experiments, I had a small mound of Tanekos. So despite this starting off as a pretend product line for fun, I listed them for the first time on my Etsy—and got my first orders!

a red and a bright pink Taneko the Octo-puss duo of plush toys colorful Taneko the Octo-puss plush toys Sophia the creator of Taneko has a small mound of Taneko the Octo-puss plush toys sitting on her red Taneko the Octo-puss plush toy sitting happily in a padded shipping envelope Taneko the Octo-puss plush toy cosplaying as Artemis from Sailor Moon packaging and business cards for Taneko, featuring hand drawn pencil illustration of a spotted octopus and a red Taneko

2016

Influenced by my newly-honed skills in web design and front-end HTML, CSS, and JS programming languages, I decided to design and build my own website to dedicate to my Taneko endeavors; mostly for fun and practice, but also because it was getting harder to organize my fine art, graphic design, and Taneko silliness, all of which felt at odds with each other. After researching different platforms, fees, and what would best suit my needs, I launched my Storenvy shop to separate from my fine art on Etsy. I started treating this project as a more earnest effort and gave real thought to crafting a brand experience: updating my brand colors, investing in a logo stamp and shipping boxes, printing business cards beyond my home printer, and investing in quality product photography (from my partner, Jordan)!

Taneko Says Hello business cards launch promo for Taneko on Storenvy behind the scenes of product photoshoot with Jordan Buzzy Photography Pikachu and Squirtle Tanekos sitting in a shipping box 2 shipping packages with Taneko's logo and an orange and white cat screenshot of website homepage for Taneko Says Hello

I partook in my first art and craft fairs with Taneko, under the nudge of my friend, who wanted to split a booth table with me at Downriver Indie Craft Fair hosted by Downriver Council for the Arts (DC4A). This was Taneko’s first event! It was a fun time—turns out, selling colorful plush toys is a lot better an experience than putting your thoughts, feelings, and vulnerabilities on the line trying to sell fine art photography. Because of that, I decided to try Chestnut Art Mart, also hosted by DC4A. It was great meeting so many people and seeing how happy Taneko made them (even the stoic father who gave a clandenstine head-boop to Taneko and smiled to himself about it). I also got my first wholesale order from this show! After this, I decided I need to make a booth banner (with reversible light and dark modes), and got to try it out at Tiny Expo.

handmade booth banner for Taneko 2 Taneko plushies sitting on a hexagon wall shelf Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Downriver Indie Craft Fair Taneko Says Hello booth display at Chestnut Art Mart Taneko plushie in front of Tiny Expo event poster Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

This year, I gained a lot of momentum exploring more fabric colors for Taneko in preparation for my events. It led to my first “studio”—a dedicated bookshelf for my inventory, materials, and packaging. Taneko also became a “grounding object” at my friend’s therapy office: this was the first time I realized I could make an actually positive impact on others with something as simple and silly as a smiling plush character. This year’s growth inspired me to explore puns, wordplay, and characters beyond Taneko the Octo-puss.

orange and white cat sleeping in front of stack of colorful fleece fabric bookshelf of colorful fabric with an orange and white cat sitting in it handmade Meow-Bao the Catloaf plushie 3 Meow-Bao plushies sitting with an orange and white cat loafing prototype of Oni-giri plushie handmade Oni-giri plushie Taneko sitting in a woven basket on a shelf

2017

I explored a lot more cosplay through Taneko, and had fun with Halloween-inspired ideas and screen printing. I’d never really baked before (maybe the odd cookie or bread with other friends leading the charge) and felt the urge to try baked goods via sewing—and putting these on Tako and Jordan. This year, I also got my first custom plushie commission!

2 handmade plushie cake slices 2 handmade plushie cookies handmade plushie pink macaron handmade donut plushie sitting on a person's head plushie whipped cream sitting on orange and white cat's head black and white cow print bunny loaf plushie sandwich witch handmade plushie sugar skull Taneko featuring beads and hand embroidery silk screen for screen printing Taneko design

I returned to Downriver Indie Craft Fair and Tiny Expo, and tried out Oddmall. Because it had a larger booth spot, it forced me to consider better layouts, including investing in a professional artist tent, which I got to bring to Chestnut Art Mart for the first time. This year, I traveled to Chicago for Catzilla, both the smallest show and furthest I’ve traveled for one.

Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Downriver Indie Craft Fair Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Catzilla preparing table displays Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Oddmall Taneko Says Hello booth display at Chestnut Art Mart Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Oddmall Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

2018

I did a lot of new and exciting things this year! I made my first enamel pins and stickers, invented several new plush friends, received a commission for a complete Hogwarts Taneko set, and started my black walnut painted illustration series (carbon paper is really cool). I also got into animation techniques.

Meow-Bao enamel pins sticker sheets of Meow-Baos and Lemon Sharks Cactus Cat plush toy sitting in a shipping box Lemon Shark and pink Macaron plush toys sitting in a shipping box carbon transer paper with an illustration of Oni-giri hand drawn stop motion animation of Lucky Taneko and Lucky Cats sketch and paper prototype for Pastry Penguin design work in progress of Hot Fudge Sundae Pastry Penguin plushie 4 Tanekos cosplaying as the Hogwarts houses

I finally made it into Motor City Comic Con (MC3)! This was my first time sewing so much for a show. I also got to be part of Youmacon’s artist alley, a show I’d attended a number of times in the past, and returned to Chestnut Art Mart and Tiny Expo. I got accepted to partake at Wild About Art, a unique art fair held at the Toledo Zoo—they put me across from the aquarium and penguins, which was fun and fitting! My friend was my assistant for one of the days; when it was busy, she told people “careful, it’s a zoo out there” but it may’ve been too hot for people to catch the pun.

stack of 15 Meow-Bao plushies on a couch Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello booth display at Chestnut Art Mart Taneko Says Hello booth display at Wild About Art Toledo Zoo Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Youmacon Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

Due to my goals and progress this year, I felt it was worthwhile to turn my office-and-plant room into a studio, dedicating more than just one bookshelf and a table to my sewing. I gave my room an entire makeover: painted walls, put up fabric shelves, and made a pegboard for my tools. I also finally decided to move my Taneko adventures away from my main Instagram art account, creating a dedicated social media presence for Taneko Says Hello.

sewing studio for Taneko Says Hello vector illustration of Taneko and friends moving

2019

This year, I took on the daunting challenge of refining my logo and brand colors (the most difficult branding project is doing it for yourself). I updated my business cards with my new color palette and made my first screen printed tote bags. This year marked the first time I made something “bearry” related for a friend’s card. Notably, I also made my first Repurposed Porpoises and I’m proud to say it’s the last time I threw away fabric scraps.

Taneko business card stacks of colorful fleece on fabric shelves screen printed tote bags featuring pink and blue gradient Taneko design Repurposed Porpoises on art fair booth table watercolor bearry puns

I had several fun events this year! I returned to Chestnut Art Mart, MC3, and Tiny Expo, and got to do a cute little event called Washi Con. I also finally got accepted to DIYpsi! After several previous rejections, this was really exciting—and I got my first non-plush wholesale order here!

Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Washi Con Taneko Says Hello booth display at Chestnut Art Mart Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello table booth display at DIYpsi Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

2020

Amidst the challenges, frustrations, and fear of this year, the forced shutdowns actually gave me space to be creative and work on my backlog of ideas. I invented many plush friends, made my first DIY kit, and got several custom plushie commissions from return customers who wanted to help keep Taneko afloat, which was really touching and meant a lot to me as we were all going through something difficult.

orange and white cat with plushie Cinna-Bun icing on his head tissue box Cake Cozy with a smiling face tissue box Cake Cozy with a grimacing face Strawbearry plush toy prototype 2 Bat-enberg Cake plush toy prototypes Bat-enberg Cake plush toy sitting on a stack of fleece fabric orange cosplay Taneko sitting with orange and white Taneko several handmade plush toys sitting on a table orange and white cat sitting with handmade Eclair Hare plush toy girl sitting outside on Sunfish zafu cushion handmade Swiss Roll Sheep by Taneko Says Hello

Like many people, this year, I found a lot of solace in gardening and I did a lot of real baking, trying my hand at pineapple buns, fancy plaited star bread, an actual princesstarta (to go with my sewn one), and many others. It was fitting that, before we learned about COVID-19 (and still thought we were going to have a normal year), I had my first pop-up at Matty J’s Bakery! I also experienced being a vendor at a fully virtual event, CatCon. Related to baking, I started exploring surface pattern design, effectively "baking along" with my office colleagues as we watched the latest Great British Bake Off together. Although this season did sour my enjoyment of the show to the point I’ve stopped watching, I am proud of my sass to them.

Chinese pineapple buns on a blue and white tea towel cinnamon star plaited bread on a red tablecloth Prinsesstarta Torteise plush toy with green princess cake Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Matty J's Bakery silhouette of 2 poppies against a blue sky 2 Tanekos sitting in a garden bed with purple crocuses eTicket giveaway for CatCon event open letter to GBBO show for their offensive Japanese Week

I made an effort to practice active gratitude this year, hand-writing “thank you” messages to USPS, and sending end-of-year cards to all customers who supported my art in spite of this difficult time.

thank you message to USPS handwritten on a shipping box several thank you cards featuring Pastry Penguins

2021

Due to the continued shutdown, I spent most of the year pursuing creative ideas. I made face masks with my friend, worked with fluffy faux fur for the first time (the masks came in handy for the amount of shedding this fabric did), made characters from the video game Pode, paper ornament kits, and had some really fun commissions.

girl sitting on floor with Taneko face mask cutting faux fur fabric Fuzzy Yeti plush toy sitting in person's coat hood outside in the snow Kiwi Inu plush toy with orange and white cat sitting outside Giant Peanut-butter Jellyfish and small Peanut-butter Jellyfish on a bed with orange and white cat print outs for Taneko Says Hello paper holiday ornaments handmade plushies of 2 characters from Pode video game

Although socializing was limited, I did have my first successful Instagram “story sale,” partnered with Matty J’s Bakery to make a plush art installation, and made the only TikTok video I liked with a handmade dancing Bibimbap. The owners of Booksweet reached out to me for a plushie and merch wholesale partnership, and I also had my only event of the year, the fall edition of MC3, which was my most successful event so far!

cute handmade plush toys sitting on a couch with a coral wall backdrop handmade plush Korean bibimbap signage for Taneko Says Hello plush art installation handmade plush wholesale order on colorful background Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con

I faced the harrowing task of redesigning a new logomark that’s the actual business name (I’d never been able to reconcile my “Taneko”-only logo when my website is at “Taneko Says Hello,” so I’d been avoiding this for years). But I finally made something I like! I also finally explored handmade tags, another thing I’d been considering for a long time and felt unsure about, and made significant updates to my website.

business card for Taneko Says Hello handmade ribbon tags for plush toys featuring Taneko Says Hello logo screenshot of website homepage for Taneko Says Hello

2022

I’m proud that I launched a new greeting card product line with a collection of twelve designs. I also explored new “flavors” for plushies to have fun playing with color, and created my first soft sculpture “A Pot of Cactus Cats” for Artprize. I continued to refine my brand through my website design; such as updating the UI of my buttons and their interactions. And I got to work with Sharks4Kids through a wholesale partnership!

screenshot of two greeting card designs work in progress fiber art sculpture with 3 Cactus Cat plushies Pot of Cactus Cats fiber art soft sculpture for Artprize 5 Eclair Hare pun plushies with various colors art studio table with Lemon Shark plushies and enamel pins screenshot of website homepage for Taneko Says Hello

In celebration of the return of events, I created a new booth banner! I was so excited to return to MC3, DIYpsi, and Tiny Expo, as well as to try a couple new shows, Maker’s Mart at Handmade Toledo and Midnight Madness at Cahoots. I also did my first big show by myself without Jordan’s assistance—and with the longest hours (ending at midnight on two of the three days!) so I needed to think of a night-time booth mode.

new bright red banner for Taneko Says Hello Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Handmade Toledo Maker's Mart Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello table booth display at DIYpsi Taneko Says Hello booth display at DIY Street Fair Taneko Says Hello night time booth display at DIY Street Fair Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Midnight Madness Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

Finally, the end of this year was a rollercoaster of emotions: Tako went missing for three weeks, and I honestly feared I would never see him again. Against all odds, he found his way back by following some strangers home and hitching a ride to the vet where they scanned his microchip and alerted me! I’ll be forever grateful to the people who found him, and for Tako’s friendly nature.

2023

Although I’d hoped my big cactus pot sculpture could find a home as-is, I suspect it was too large—the same goes for me: I didn’t have room to keep it forever in my small home. Thus, I decided to dismantle the whole thing, which was surprisingly liberating, and I turned them into smaller soft sculpture pots instead. Though I shrank my big sculpture, a few other big things and changes happened instead: I finally moved away from an image carousel on my website homepage (a major design change), I won the Spoonflower Small Business Grant, and I was selected to make the featured artist event poster for Tiny Expo!

dismantled plush cactus toys 4 plush cactus pots sitting outside with house plants 3 work in progress handmade tote bags Spoonflower Small Business Grant Winner graphics for Taneko Says Hello blackboard with 10 Tiny Expo event posters designed by Taneko Says Hello screenshot of homepage for Taneko Says Hello website

I was invited to apply and participate in the inaugural Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Expo (AAFAX), which was a great time (and wonderful place to share my cactus pot sculpture before I took it apart). I also got to be a first-time vendor at Ziggy’s Holiday Market and Frankenfest. I’d been wanting to improve my display for some time, and find a way to make my set up more professional while being able to display more of the plush friends I’ve created over the years. Therefore, I invested in a new shelf, which I brought to several shows, including the ones I was excited to return to: MC3, DIYpsi, and Tiny Expo.

white bookshelf with plush toys Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Expo Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello table booth display at DIYpsi Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Frankenfest Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Ziggy's Holiday Market Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

2024

I scaled back my Taneko work this year because I made the big decision to undergo a whole-home renovation. It made me feel a wide range of emotions—excitement, sadness, wistfulness, hope, nostalgia—to pack up my studio and prepare it for demolition. However, I did get to collaborate with other businesses, Substrate Coffee and Pure Stitch Magic, and got commissioned to make the frilled Dilo Dino from Jurassic Park. I challenged myself and am proud of my dragonfly wall art sculptures for The Year of the Dragon. I also finally completed “Drawtober” as a collection of sewn creatures following this year’s prompts. Lastly, I did a serious reevaluation of my website and how to improve its navigation and organization, as well as how to add a little motion design and fun!

red and pink prototype of a plush toy in progress behind the scenes product photoshoot with Pure Stitch Magic 5 plush toy donuts on a colorful background dragonfly fiber art sculpture with lace fabric wings perched on a window Drawtober plush toys sitting in a basket on autumn leaves sleeping orange and white cat with Undead Jelly Donut plush toy sewing studio with colorful fabric shelves taking apart sewing studio with blue walls screenshot of Taneko Says Hello website homepage

Before starting on the renovation, I did get to return to AAFAX and MC3, and I got to do South Haven Art Fair for the first time, a show Jordan has been wanting to try with me for a while (it’s the most beautiful site for an event I’ve been to). I closed out the year with Tiny Expo, which was admittedly not-so-tiny: they doubled the participating artists and expanded to two floors!

Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Expo Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello booth display at South Haven Art Fair Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

2025

Two exciting and nerve-wracking things happened this year: I was invited to speak on my first artist panel for Washtenaw Community College’s Arts Career Forum, and to create and run my first workschop with kids at the A2AC Summer Camp! Additionally, it seemed miraculous to get several custom plushie commissions—especially with quite a bit of artistic freedom. I’d also been contemplating some kind of spin-off to Taneko Says Hello: Taneko Says Hell No (maybe for all the times being cute isn’t enough and you need some real no-nonsense sass to go with it). Serendipitously, I got to work on a comic book partnership with the Can’t Win Victory Fund, where I got to contribute my illustration and storytelling skills to push back against the political climate, and this became my forray with my sub-brand. In parallel to work for others, I enjoyed some projects for myself as well: reworking my Bearry template and making my first sewing pattern to share with others. And I learned that plushies swaddled with gift wrap are absolutely adorable!

Washtenaw Community College event poster summer art camp kids making art on the floor in a group Undertale Annoying Dog plush toy on a bed with orange and white tabby cat Baby Lemon Shark with purple wedges and black peel body sketch options for the character Merry Bear orange back cover for a comic book collaboration between Can't Win Victory Fund and Taneko Says Hell No Strawbearry pun plush toy preview of sewing template with color coding Derpy Tiger from KPop Demon Hunters with orange and white cat Fuzzy Yeti plushie swaddled in pink and blue gift wrap

I was fortunate to return to AAFAX, MC3, and Tiny Expo again—these three have become my favorite staple shows. This year, I traveled the furthest I’ve ever gone for a show: Heroes Con in North Carolina. I also got to partner with Vault of Midnight, a comic bookstore, for a solo pop-up event; I’d been meaning to ask them for years and I’m so happy they agreed! Both of these events were a lot of fun and very fitting with my comic book project; it felt like a motif for this year.

Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Expo Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Motor City Comic Con Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Heroes Con event poster for Taneko Says Hello's pop-up at Vault of Midnight Taneko Says Hello outdoor booth display at Vault of Midnight Taneko Says Hello table booth display at Tiny Expo

In all truthfulness, this year was very troubling, trying, and an all-around difficult struggle; that’s unfortunately been a common theme for many people too. The most direct pain-point for Taneko was my (still ongoing) home renovation, which was supposed to be completed within 5 months: the end of this year marked 17 months of not having my home and studio. However, in times of struggle, people find a way to come together. I received so much help from friends, neighbors, and family as I learned my way through new skills—I have peace of mind that I insulated every square inch of my walls, and installing hardwood floors was actually pretty fun! I wanted to pass along my gratitude, so when my friend shared she was collecting art donations to fundraise for Food Gatherers, I did my best to contribute.

house framing with wall insulation installed work in progress for red oak hardwood flooring several art prints, plushies, cards, and stickers donated for a fundraiser

Dear future-Sophia,

For the times that you’re feeling not enough, that you haven’t accomplished what you set out to do, I hope this chronicle will remind you of the ample proof of all you’ve achieved through Taneko Says Hello. You’ve stuck with this project for over a decade—this kind of dedication and persistence is not as common as we once believed.

Make sure to take breaks, and extend the same kindness and encouragement you do to others to yourself as well. Yes, there will be setbacks and sometimes things will not proceed in the way we imagined they would. However, remember that the entirety of life is always a story in progress, and you are the author who is still writing how it unfolds.

May seeing all this again cheer you on!
Your past-Self

A Story in Progress, a surreal composite photo by Sophia Adalaine Zhou of a person with an open book for her head, actively writing her story

“A Story in Progress” by Sophia Adalaine Zhou, December 2014

PS. Lastly, everyone is more connected than we think, so remember all the people (and animals) you’ve met along the way, and all the silly, good times and comfort your art brought to their lives!

white and blue Taneko plush toy with birthday card Bulbasaur cosplay Taneko and birthday card with a smiling kid smiling person at Motor City Comic Con with cactus puff plushie on their walking stick baby looking up with Happy Campfire plush toy mother and baby cosplaying as Sophie and Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle holding Happy Campfire plushie grey and white tabby cat laying on Watermelon Mola Mola plush zafu cushion shiba inu dog sitting with Kiwi Inu plush toy tog boy holding a Lemon Shark plushie with a crochet Alien customer testimonial of a baby sitting with Happy Campfire plush toy girl smiling with Meow-Bao the Catloaf plush toy at Motor City Comic Con two people smiling holding plushies of a Lemon Shark and Cactus Cat at Motor City Comic Con Meow-Bao the Catloaf plushie sitting with a seatbelt on and a happy kid happy person with a Lemon Shark plush toy at Tiny Expo