Interview: Built Up Beasts

[Monster Smash] Thanks for taking the time to entertain me and my questions. Let’s start off easy…

[Built Up Beasts] Of course! I love talking about business stuff so this should be awesome! And thank you for letting me be your “test subject” for this!!

[MS] How would you like to be known? Are you Built Up Beasts or do you go by another name?

[Creator] I have a couple different names I use for different things. But with BUB I go by Creator.

[MS] Where did you start? Tell me about how you started making sex toys.

[Creator] Well, I first started out as a webcam model after I dropped out of college. And by doing that, I was introduced to the amazing world of sex toys. I knew I wanted one, and someone offered to buy me one as a gift. And once I got it I was hooked! But I never had a lot of money to spend on toys, and good toys are definitely not cheap. So I decided to try and make one myself. After a lot of trial and error later, I pulled my first toy from the mold, and I was hooked even more! 

Then I had the idea of making it an actual business. I had always wanted to own my own business, and I have already tried a couple times but it never worked out. So I knew it had to be something that I really liked doing. And this fit the bill perfectly! About 8 months of sleepless nights, lots and lots of sanding and prepping, and a lot of silicone later, I opened my shop. And now I can officially say I own my own business doing what I love!

[MS] Is this your main focus or a side hustle?

[Creator] It is definitely my main focus. At first it was a side hustle, because I was basically a full time webcam model. But once my shop opened I knew I wanted to switch to making dongs full time. 

[MS] Do your friends, family or other work colleagues know you do this?

[Creator] Yes, basically everyone that I know knows what I do. Heck, even some people I don’t know personally know about it from people talking! And everyone thinks it’s actually really cool! 

[MS] Tell me about BUB, what is your theme or shop agenda if you have one. 

[Creator] It started out as just general “fantasy sex toys”, but I think its grown into more than that. As the name implies, I make “Beast” centered toys. Which basically means mythical creatures, things you might expect to come out of some types of furry fan fictions, and also some evolved creatures made up of multiple types of animals and mythical beasts. 

[MS] What is it about making sex toys that you enjoy?

[Creator] I love the creative aspect of it all. Taking something that started out as an idea in my head, making it come to life by 3d sculpting, then actually bringing it to the physical world by 3d printing it. Molding it and making a dong out of it. Not to mention all the colors, patterns, and all the wackiness that can come from pouring the toy yourself. I am a very creative person. I used to paint, draw, create, and photography. And this literally hits all of those points!

[MS] Have you had any embarrassing moments related to your work making sex toys. 

[Creator] There was one time. It wasn’t necessarily embarrassing for me so much as it was for my mom! I had just finished up a layer of primer on one of my models and I had it drying on the kitchen counter. Along with a couple toys I had washed. And my mom decided to come over that day. I didn’t even think about it. So she comes in, and sees the model and the toys on the counter and just stops… looks at me… and all she says is “Really?!”. I just started busting out laughing!!!

[MS] I love that and I only imagine how awkward she might have felt but it’s really good to hear she’s supportive. 

[Creator] My family has always been supportive of everything I do. And I am super thankful for that.

[MS] What mistakes have you made along the way and any advice for people wanting to do the same?

[Creator] I’ve made plenty of mistakes when I was first starting. The first “mistake” I made was with 3d modelling. The first design I printed took like 30+ hours to print because the base was WAY too big. Getting proportions down with 3d modeling just takes practice.

Once, I had one model perfect and ready for molding. Little did I know that the primer I used to process that model caused cure inhibition for the silicone. And I didn’t have anything like lacquer or XTC3D to seal it up, so I had to reprint it and start from scratch basically.

On my first toy ever, it took me like 2 months to actually get it molded because I could not figure out for the life of me how to mold it correctly. First I tried a glove mold using a plaster shell. Made the walls WAY too thick and I couldn’t get the model out. Then I made a 3d printed shell, tried molding that and some parts of the model were touching the shell so the actual mold had holes in it. Then I stumbled upon a video from Geeky Sex Toys. I think it was the tentacle one they have on youtube. But it showed me a way to do it without needing an outer shell, so basically a pour on glove mold. And ive been using that technique ever since!

This one isn’t necessarily a mistake, but it can lead to making mistakes. If you are 3d printing your models with an FDM printer, make sure you have your printer dialed in pretty well. If you print a model and it has a lot of imperfections, it will take a LONG time to process. Leading to you getting frustrated and trying to rush it. Which leads to a poorly processed model with layer lines or other imperfections. And no one wants that in their finished piece.

[MS] Where do you get your ideas from?

[Creator] My ideas come from a lot of places! From books, TV shows, movies, pictures I find online, or even straight from the imagination! Sometimes I actually just search something online and scroll through the pictures. Then I find something interesting, screenshot it, then go to my computer and let that be the inspiration for a new model! I’ve never copied a picture before though, I only use them as inspiration.

I also sometimes just start with a base shape of a toy and see where it leads. Doing that way can be pretty frustrating, though it can also be the most rewarding. I actually did that not too long ago and came up with something awesome!

[MS] Where do you see your business going?

[Creator] I can honestly see my business becoming a household name for people interested in sex toys. I want to push myself to create something like Geeky Sex Toys or Strange Bedfellas. Having a couple close friends become employees and bringing BUB up to heights that I haven’t even imagined yet!

[MS] To be honest it’s great to see a passion for it and I can tell you do take your work seriously. What’s an idea you would love to do but won’t/can’t and why?

[Creator] This was actually brought up by one of my customers after they received a toy. Basically a strap on harness specifically made for a specific toy that I sell. Having the same pattern going through the harness that the toy has. And also being customizable color wise, so that if someone orders a toy, they can get a matching harness. I definitely want to try something like that eventually, but as of right now, I have no idea how to go about starting that. I need more connections, more time, and of course more money to use on R&D. I feel like I will get there someday, but not today.

[MS] What question am I not asking that you think I should?

[Creator] How long have you been making sex toys? Where do you make your toys? (i.e. kitchen, home office, rented business space) (Maybe)

[MS] Sounds good to me, I’ll come back round to that in a minute but for now; What’s your favourite toy and/or maker? Why?

[Creator] My favorite toy maker is probably either Strange Bedfellas or Hodge Podge Entourage. They have been an inspiration for me since before I started this dong making journey. They have absolutely beautiful models, and their pours are nothing but art!

[MS] We originally met through the Adult Toy Maker community you created, can you tell me about it, what started that idea and how do you think it’s going?

[Creator] It all started back when I first had the idea of making my own toy. When I was trying to research how to actually make them, I came up basically empty handed. So it all had to be done by trial and error, which takes a lot of time, and a lot of money. After I launched my shop, I wanted to give people a way to get introduced into the sex toy community, and give them a place to ask questions and get help from people and makers that have already done it. 

I personally think it has become an invaluable resource to many of the members. Including myself! I definitely don’t know everything there is about making toys, and through the toy makers community, I have learned a lot that I didn’t know before. And its also a great place to come up with new ideas and get inspiration. Being able to toss some ideas out there and get feedback on how to make it better, or how not to do something so you skip most of the errors you can run into. I absolutely love it! 

[MS] What hobbies do you have or are they all dong related?

[Creator] I actually am a very musical person as well. I regularly play my guitar and piano, as well as sing. None professionally, but many people have told me I should try out for The Voice TV show. And I’ve thought about it many times.

[MS] Thanks, this has been really interesting and I feel like I’ve learned so much. I have a few more questions based on your answers which might not come as a surprise to you. Could you answer those questions you suggested. 

How long have you been making and where do you do your dirty business?

I’ve been making toys for about a year now. Though about 4-5 months of that was learning how to actually make them. And I’ve only been selling them for about 4 months. As for where I make them, I have a home office that actually used to be my bedroom when I was younger. 

[MS] You said you were a cam model, how did you get into that and do you still do it?

[Creator] I got into being a cam model after I dropped out of college. I knew I didn’t want a regular job again, and started researching how to make money online. Becoming a webcam model was one of the suggestions. And personally, I’m a very sexual person so it kinda fit me pretty well. I did that for about 1 1/2 years before moving to toys. I still can do it whenever I want, but since I opened my shop it’s kinda been on the back burner.

[MS] I have more for you, what can we expect from BUB next? Have you got any secret projects or models which we should look out for?

[Creator] I do have a couple secrets tucked away. Some people know about it, but not many. My patreon members get to see all the new developments before anyone else! As for what most people know, I’m working on large and small sizes for all my current models. One large size is almost ready. But for what most don’t know, there’s 3 new models heading their way to the shop slowly. And once I get my 3d printer ready to print ABS, there will be even more surprises in store!

[MS] This has been a brilliant talk and thank you for your time. Where can people find you?

[Creator] I can be found on Twitter @builtupbeasts, on the adult toy makers discord https://discord.gg/fvghywv, and on patreon.com/builtupbeasts

[MS] What are you going to do now that this interview is done?

[Creator] Now I am going to go pour some more toys! This silicone ain’t gonna create art by itself! 

This has been an interview with the shop owner of Built Up Beasts. It’s been interesting learning more of the people who create these amazing products and to get an insight of what goes on in an independent shop.

I want to thank Creator for his time for my pestering questions and I hope you all found it enjoyable as I did. If you are interested in more interviews then give us a shout on Twitter or hello@monstersmash.co.uk.

Equally if you think you might have an interesting story to tell and want to talk then feel free to contact us as well, we would love to hear from you.