Let me start by answering your burning questions. YES. They are a real human being. YES they work with payment plans. and YES if my GIGANTIC SMILE isn't indicator enough, the price is absolutely worth it. Read on for a full and detailed review of Keep Drawing, Charlie and their puppets if you have /any/ interest in purchasing one for yourself!

I am a local puppeteer in USA and I found KDC on youtube. I reached out one day only to find that they are, actually, a very nice individual who genuinely enjoys seeing creations come to life. Before payment had even been made, they were willing to talk ideas with me. You see how those ideas ended up! This stranger from overseas was willing to work with me and take me on as their first overseas client at the blink of an eye. I have had trouble getting overseas creators of my puppets to even /respond/ to me due to the costly nature of these things.

To the next point- YEP. THE PRICE IS HIGH. But, have you ever actually purchased something like this? Or a fursuit? Do you know how much a yard of fur costs? It is /astounding/.. Even with these factors, Charlie was more than happy to work out a payment plan with me. We settled on a plan, and the work was to start in January. I cannot stress enough how /personal/ this transaction felt.

Once production began, I was delighted to find that I was receiving updates almost daily, without having to even ask for them. I was receiving personal updates, as well as able to completely follow, step by step, via their twitter account. It was in this way that I could confirm every step of the process, and they had /no trouble/ accepting revisions when I had input. Throughout the process I never once felt kept in the dark.

The actual process itself was /extraordinary fast/. I have never had a custom puppet finished in less than 7 months. Rao was done in THREE MONTHS, and this was /after/ the artist took some time off for personal events. After that, they shipped the puppet overseas, with extended coverage and tracking from both sides. She arrived in FOUR DAYS over a weekend!

Just today- I finally received my "Tsudzu-Rao". And let me tell you.. It's... just Phenomenal. Some of the engineering puts my other puppets to shame.

A PUPPET REVIEW:

Immediately upon opening the box- I was delightfully shocked at how well the puppet had been packaged. UPS could have taken hammers to her, and she would have been 100% fine. You could easily tell the creator is PROUD of their creations! This girl is HEFTY. She is LARGE. She is HUGGABLE. Every seam was in order. The body is DURABLE enough to withstand actual /use/. The appendages are /STITCHED/ down, and not glued. Honestly, there really isn't /any/ glue visible. Everything is STABLE and won't rip off.

The head itself is just... astounding. The weight of it is very nice. It is large and detailed, but made of foam so it is shockingly lightweight. Less than a few pounds, for sure. The details are TOUGH and the airbrushed paint doesn't rub off when touched (And it's freakin beautiful). The horns do not feel like they would break and the whiskers feel nice and secure and pose well. Very easy to puppet for long period of time!

Okay- My favorite part. Let me get into the engineering and /puppet-ability/ of this thing. This is where I was truly astounded. The mechanics for puppeting Rao are /the best/ I have seen in *all* of my custom created puppets. I have FOUR other giant creature puppets, all made differently. One was even made by a manufacturing COMPANY that makes their puppets in a factory setting. Charlie put them to SHAME with Rao.

Rao has 2 openings for both your left and right arm (Another first the creator was more than happy to take on). The inside of these opening are fully lined, stitched completely, and does not allow you to see any unfinished parts of the puppet. They are padded as well so it feels like you are slipping on a warm sweater. I am able to put her on properly, by myself, with no instructions. The neck and head come unattached for easy maintenance to any mechanics in the head.

THE BLINK MECHANISM was, honestly, way /way/ nicer than I ever imagined. It is smooth and soft, Very easy to perform. I am delighted to report that with a little practice, you can manipulate the eyelids however you want- you are not limited to just "Open/Close". You can easily work the trigger with 1 finger, with no strain on your hand. The puppet mouth is soft, sets well and looks NATURAL when the mouth is open. This is also the first puppet I have ever received that had FINGER and HAND HOLES for stability while puppeting. She definitely causes me the least strain among all my puppets.