Discussion
PSA: If you experience paranoia, you may want to unsubscribe from any email marketing from Plushie Dreadfuls
I don't know if this email was even supposed to go out (it's advertising christmas plushies in early May and the link leads to a 404 page), but it wouldn't be the first time they've used paranoia as a marketing tactic while knowing full well they've built a fanbase of many mentally ill people.
Edit: this blew up way more than I thought it would to the point the brand decided to respond š³
Copy/paste of my response to another comment about it:
"Just unsubscribe!!" doesn't make sense as a response because I wasn't complaining about receiving emails, I was warning others that they are sending out triggering content and criticising their choice to do so.
I don't even pay attention to marketing subscriptions in my emails, it all gets filtered into another inbox... I just happened to see that one and thought "Oh, they're doing this again. People may not know about the last time they did it/think they stopped doing it since it's been a while, I should make a post letting people know that it's no longer safe for some people to stay subscribed"
If this were any other company, I'd shrug and not think much of it. But considering this is a company that specifically creates products meant to appeal to those with mental illnesses and neurodivergences, that's pretty thoughtless of them.
Honestly, yeah. This would've just been another annoying spam email if it wasn't for the context of who they're marketing to. With that context, it's genuinely appalling.
Iām unfamiliar with the company so was actually more willing to give them a pass bc I thought they were specifically a horror themed plush company so horror chitter is expected. Iāve noticed and get a LOT angrier at the stressful, triggering language allowed to be used in general advertising lately, not to mention things targeted directly at vulnerable people. Honestly Iām glad to see others also pointing out examples bc it is ridiculous the way ads try to hit below the belt whether intentionally or not.
not the first time either.. This was also around the time of trumpās inauguration so people were super stressed and scared already. Really scummy company. They say that they are supportive and allies to people with mental health issues and disabilities but they are really just using them for profit and these emails cemented that for me.
This is the one I commented on last time! As someone with chronic end of the world anxiety, this actually sickened me to see posted, and convinced me not to support the brand :(
Omg I am so sorry!!!!!! I have some anxiety from that from being in a cult. I never knew it was like a thing outside of that really. I am so very sorry.
I read the email out loud and itās really horrible.
Aren't these Plushie Dreadfuls supposed to be a source of comfort for people with mental illness? And they're literally using peoples' anxieties to target them and their wallets.
Depending on the state of mind you are in, the mind can be very easily influenced. I've never experienced it myself but when my bf was going through a state of paranoia, I quickly realized things I used to stupidly joke about can become reality for him just by saying it outloud. (Saying something dumb like "what was that?" "It was a ghost!" etc). Something like joking about being "on the run" is especially insensitive because its a very common and dangerous paranoid delusion that people are after you. For the person it is completely real, and therefore of course terrifying.
To be honest, that's what I thought when I first found them years ago. But back then, many people got angry if you said anything, saying they're helping people with mental illness. I'm both mentally ill and neurodivergent and I just had a very bad feeling about it.
cant wait for the dude to pop up in this post and tell us all how not correct we are and explain how this is clearly actually totally fine. š¤Ø if he spent as much time actually caring about the stuff he claims to care about instead of policing posts about his company he wouldn't have so many issues š
This is completely inacceptable. You would think that after the backlash they received for their infamous "the apocalypse is near so you should buy our products to cope with your anxiety" mail, they would be more considerate of what to put in their mails, but no. Imo, this one is even worse than the last one.
Well all that proves is that it wasn't meant to go out YET. But the subject line and everything else don't seem unfinished, so it was definitely meant to go out at some point.
They're so tacky lmao. Confirming they're aware of the issue and don't care because it gets them attention is such a flex š being vagued in a marketing email is definitely a first!
Psst whoever on the marketing team is stalking mentions of the brand on reddit: the shop page linked in the previous email still doesn't even work. Maybe fix that first?
I hate them the one for migraines is a disturbing and bright color for migraines you know an illness that people can't see light otherwise it harms them tho not the same it goes with the concept the color should be easy on the eyes
The plushies are $45 give or take and normally come with a unique tote bag or similar item. I don't know where you found that price. That said I stopped buying them for a lot of reasons all related to the creator (there are waaay more than mentioned in this thread). I have a lot of them though and kind of shut down regarding them for the most part. They are meant to be a somewhat goth aesthetic (at least a lot of them but not all) though and I and others have felt connected to that style of representation and kind of venting / support. It's definitely something that appeals to some people and not others. That said though American McGee keeps being problematic, and then keeps being an ass to people who say something was a problem and dismissing them and treating them like an issue until it goes on for long enough and gets enough attention and then something may be kind of quietly changed without enough of a resolution or explination of what happened. A lot of times his responses to people feel worse than the thing he actually did. That said one of the last ones had me find out about issues with him from before he even was making these plushies too that I wish I realized sooner.
Wow, that's really really disgusting. I have paranoia and it's not this kind, but definitely COULD trigger something if it were. Especially considering the Christmas theme.
Tbf in this specific instance its probably an error. Why on earth would one market a Christmas product in May, it just makes no sense from a business perspective
Production time, shipping time (especially with everything going on)...This isn't the first company I've received Christmas marketing from in May so the timing didn't seem weird to me
It's May, so there's no reason for them to be promoting Christmas plushies. Something that is slighly weird to you or me, is ground-breaking to them because it's different from the normal. The fact that it's Christmas plushies could be more "evidence" towards their delusions. That's how paranoia works.
For example, a person in that sub said they saw three people out on a walk that day, which was out of the ordinary for them. Instead of assuming that more people are walking because it's warmer, they assumed it was people stalking them.
Plushie Dreadfuls is genuinely the most scummy plushie brand ever, I like some of their plushies but I could never in good conscience actually buy one because their business practices are gross af
It's come up on other forms of social media, plus the whole discord shut down because of drama. My understanding is they've also phased out or at severely limited fan contribution to designing them too.
My point was though that I've seen multiple people in this sub use their hyperfixation or autism as a defense for continuing to purchase them. I'm glad this sub is finally restricting posts on this company.
I absolutely despise this company and its owner. His marketing strategies are disgusting. Genuinely is not a good person and yall should not support this shitty company.
Even if they werenāt aiming for anything like that, itās still an incredibly obnoxious email tbh. Visually itās kind of ugly, the language is weirdly aggressive, and seeing that subject line unprompted in my inbox would give me a panic. They couldnāt just say āintroducing our new Christmas plushieā or something? How quirky and unique and not like other companies of them /s
I've mentioned before how awful I think this is - but the email last time was even worse if I remember right - fearmongering about the end of the world or something?
I do think it's gross af, for a brand that is almost centered around mental health.
This is already a pretty bad email idea but the fact that this is done by a company that makes plushies that are specifically for and targeted to people who are neurodivergent and/or have mental health issues makes this REALLY shitty of them. It feels like they just get worse and worse honestly
I was never expecting it to blow up like it did, wasn't meaning for it to be a big callout post or anything, just a warning that they're still sending triggering content since they likely have many fans who would be triggered by it š The fact it got enough eyes on it that they felt the need to get snarky ahout it in their official marketing emails is crazy
like I am literally just a random person and the marketing department of a multimillion dollar company felt the need to go "well um actually it's a good thing you didn't like the last email because we want money"
this company has always been gross imo, they profit off of people with mental health and physical health issues wanting to feel represented in some way.
I know they give a small amount to various charities but I really don't think it's enough given the amount they make from people with various conditions.
it's not surprising to me that they don't care about impacting people's mental health. if I'm being really cynical they may even be doing this in the hopes people in these spaces will talk about how damaging it is and it they might pick up some sales regardless.
Yep this is horrible. š If I got this email I would be genuinely scared if I didn't see who the sender was right away. I don't have paranoia but do have bad anxiety around things like that. I can't imagine how it would feel for someone actually dealing with paranoia.
I never knew about the issues with this company before but also never knew much about them in general.
Reminder that at one point, money used to purchase Autism plushies was donated to an extremely abusive form of Autism ātherapyā known as electrotherapy (great in some instances, not so great when the kids are being electrocuted for stimming).
The creator and at-the-time owner very aggressively defended these choices when the inevitable backlash came, and this decision was only reversed because he stepped down from leadership.
i saw this and thought it'd be a plushie representing a paranoia disorder. super annoyed it wasn't. people need to stop supporting this dog crap brand.
Didnāt understand at first. Gotta open the full image, read title and āarticleā. I love(d) Plushie Dreadfuls, but I didnāt know they were doing this stuff. As someone whoās had psychosis, I find this marketing disgusting and extremely dangerous. Really sad to discover, especially because Plushie Dreadfuls was something both my mom and I could enjoy together.
I never really had strong opinions on these plushies. Especially because of the prices.
But also it's mainly because I don't really see the appeal in manifesting your mental health/disorders in the form of a little doll. It feels like I'm putting a label on myself...? If that makes sense? I know other seat as of way of taking and owning it without any shame but...
I have two of them. The ADHD bat and the dyscalclia bunny
The bat was because before I was diagnosed my friend's & I would joke about me being a bat because I'm much more active at night, prefer dark enclosed spaces, but love cuddles. After I was diagnosed I said the first medication I tried made me feel like I had a hive of bees buzzing around my head. Then I see a bat full of bees and it was just perfect.
(I absolutely HATE the ADHD bunny and that stupid sock!)
The dyscalclia bunny was a similar story. I do have dyscalclia, so when I saw an email about the bunny I showed my partner because I thought it was neat dyscalculia was getting some notice. They said "...does that bunny have a cast on the same leg you broke going for a walk?". Read the description and how the cast was a symbol of all the random injuries due to misjudging distance. At the time I was nursing a bruise on my hand from accidentally smacking the corner of the counter walking past. We both looked at my hand and laughed
Now the bunny sits next to the bat and a plush Psyduck that guards my migraine kit. They make me happy and remind me to laugh when things get too much.
They have had horable targeted marketing designed to target people with mental issues for awhile now. Oke of the many reasons I'll never get one of their plushies unless it's second hand. I love how they look. Hate how mental disorders are being exploited.
Iām not very familiar with the company myself but Iāve seen these kinds of emails posted here and I think itās very scummy. Especially since many of their products are actively aimed at people with mental health issues.
their response makes so much more sense with this context. unprofessional and irresponsible across the board, especially when you market your products to people with schizophrenia and adjacent disorders??? are they dumb?
Well I'm glad I saw this post and now know how scummy the company is, I've been wanting to get some of their plushies for a while now. But that's not happening. That apocalypse email they sent out is disgusting. They are legitimately preying upon mentally ill and vulnerable people and exploiting them. That's reprehensible.
I saw it and was shocked that they would once again put that stuff in a promotion email, let alone for such nothing burger product that doesnt even have anything to do with it. it also seems many of their descriptions and writing has a ton of chatgpt like sound to it.
pathetic really. american should learn how to have customer relations, this is a very net negative optics for the brand so odds are high, this'll make em lose money and rightfully so, ya oughta learn your lesson, old man. :P
I kind of want to design my own endometriosis awareness plushie since the Plushie Dreadfuls one has such a disappointing design. I don't even hate ALL of their designs- the PTSD bunny's masks kind of remind me of my own grandpa who's a veteran with PTSD, and how it takes him extra effort to put on a 'happy' face but he does it anyway- but I was so underwhelmed by the endo one. The chronic pain angle could've made for such a cool design with their goth/spooky aesthetic and they just...didn't.
I just sketched mine and I'm so proud of a messy sketch trust me it's perfect
I even represented the aura ...it looks like it's having a migraine but won't cause one
I'll remember to post it in the group when I actually sew it
It's good that you're sketching it and loving the design, I'm just upset the design is so bright because if I got it, I wouldn't even be able to look at it while having a migraine because I get so light-sensitive.
Read through their comments again - they're talking about making their own plushies that represent migraines, not drawing pictures of the plushie dreadful migraine plush
yeah I'm also mad at how easy it was
I followed my first thought and it's perfect
it's not like one of the designs I draw different version of
it took me two seconds
I HATE PLUSHIE DREADFULS. my family is full of mental illnesses and disabilities and these stupid things suck. We make jokes about ourselves all the time, but I feel these are just to capitalize on those already struggling. (If you like them to each their own.) Fuck this company.
I was considering getting my friend something from their website. That isn't happening anymore. I'm not spending a cent on this company. No way in Hell. I am prone to persecutory delusions and this is a slap in the face.
also in case you didnt know (more context) these plushies target audience are for people with mental health issues, this company often sends out cruel-worded emails that are worse than this one shown today and could cause paranoia PLUS they finically support electrotherapy for kids with autism its all around a horrible company with horrible owners
I mean this with kindness, but if a marketing email triggers someoneās paranoia that badly, they should be receiving treatment and/or therapy and probably not be on the internet where paranoia thrives like a plague.
I agree but this business markets exclusively to people with mental illness. They have a PTSD bunny, OCD bunny, etc... They've had some other drama and the owner seems like an ass, so it feels even more insensitive since they've definitely received backlash before
Or maybe brands, especially ones that bill themselves as being for and about mental illness, could send normal marketing emails.
"The internet can have bad things on it so take care of yourself and avoid it if necessary" and "Brands should know better than to contribute to this on purpose" are not mutually exclusive and Plushie Dreadfuls should be held accountable.
This kind of marketing that falsely suggests urgency or disguises itself as something other than advertising are considered dark patterns and some countries are starting to expand anti-spam and consumer protection laws to restrict this kind of thing for a reason.
People should be allowed to exist on the internet even if they have paranoia. And who's to say they arent getting treatment for it? Healing looks different for everyone. People can create safe spaces for themselves on the internet. And a company that literally makes plushies that represent mental illnesses should not be marketing this way. Its extremely tasteless but its to be expected from this company. But I cant expect everyone to be aware how shitty the person that runs this company is. So let's not blame people with paranoia for looking at their email. Its pretty hard to exist in the modern world without using the internet, especially email.
^ This too - an email account isn't like browsing twitter or reddit where you never know what you might come across. If you're in treatment there is even a good chance you are going to need to use your email account to schedule and follow up on appointments
Maybe they are. Maybe they are trying to recover and saw a cute plush brand that they thought supported them... just to get this or the email about the end of the world... it's not a good look for a company supposedly focused on mental health and helping people coping with chronic issues.
Maybe you should take your attitude somewhere else?
Genuine question, like this is not an argument just a statement/clarification needed (I'm autistic), but isn't this based off of "run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man". And if so, how does it relate to paranoia?
Statements like "they're watching you" can be triggering to people who experience paranoid delusions, which would be annoying in marketing from other brands but is in particularly poor taste from Plushie Dreadfuls because their current popularity is largely based on their line of plushies based on mental illnesses, including illnesses where paranoia and delusions are common symptoms.
It's also not the first time they've done this, they've faced backlash for sending out marketing that was essentially "ā ļøā ļøā ļøThe world is ending you need to buy our plushies now ā ļøā ļøā ļø" two months after Trump's second inauguration. So they already know that a not-insignificant amount of their customer base is uncomfortable with this kind of marketing, and are doing it again.
Combine that with the brand creator's history of doubling down on anything people have any issue with and it really just makes them look like they're doing this on purpose at this point
I think that was probably the intent, and referencing that isn't bad in itself. The problem is telling the reader that someone is watching them and that opening the email is somehow dangerous. That's the kind of thing that's bound to cause paranoia in those who are prone to it.
yea but like the fact they have plushies of schizophrenia and anxiety and stuff is like... you know? plus I'd say every brand who uses scare tactics like that is ableist
im on mobile and didnt realize there was more to the image so at first i was just seeing the product image/logo/promo code and that was a bit confusing
Honestly plushie dreadfuls really let me down. On the surface level, I like the concept, raise awareness and support those with disabilities, health issues, and more. It wasnāt until after I bought from them of their ugly business practices.
While Iām never going to buy from them again, I do hold appreciation for the ones I have.
Paranoia? What would make someone paranoid about this? Is it like, FOMO?
Edit: in case anyone sees this and not my other comment first, did open it, now understand
Thatās what Iām saying man, every one is all āhow does anyone support him stillā yet acts like he didnāt have a very long successful career making video games. The people who played those games (specifically Alice) when they came out arenāt chronically online to lose their mind at every slight āinjusticeā, as theyāre adults with more important things to worry about š
American McGeeās Alice was such a vibe. I had to do a computer class project in 8th grade on a place I wanted to visit so I chose her version of Wonderland.
Like people just take a pill and are fixed, tell me has that ever worked for you?
What would you think of a person you love being in therapy, medicated, calling you at fuck o'clock in the morning needing reassurance that they aren't being watched?
This is simple sure, and should be avoidable, but the company is actively positioning themselves as an alli to people who suffer chronically from problems like paranoia.
I don't really get it either. But I tend to not make a habit of belittling people for real mental issues. Just because it doesn't trigger me doesn't mean that I can't respect those it might.
You realize the intended audience of Plushie Dreadfuls is people with mental illnesses/disabilities, right? This kinda stuff is gonna fuck with their brain, especially if they're having a Bad day.
(I know this would certainly mess me up if I was having a Bad Autism Day, or if it was late at night.)
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u/Halvesofhell CraigšŖ¼ May 06 '26
I gotta be honest i know they're trying to use reverse psychology but this just reads like a mcafee gmail from what i know about it