Plush Toy Designer Needed — 4 New Designs

We're Tierseelen, a German D2C brand focused on animal welfare. We sell handmade jewelry and plush toys inspired by real rescued street dogs, with a portion of every sale going to animal rescue organizations in Romania. We're looking for an experienced plush toy designer to create 4 new plush toy designs for us — production-ready technical drawings/specs that we can send directly to our manufacturer. What we need: 2 Regular Plushies (small, ~20cm, standing pose): These will match our existing line of rescue-dog-inspired plushies (photos attached for reference). Each one is modeled after a real rescued dog with distinctive features that tell their story: – Design 1 — One-eared dog: A plush dog with only one ear, reflecting a real rescue dog who lost an ear due to injury. The missing ear should look intentional and endearing, not like a manufacturing defect. – Design 2 — Dog with wheelchair: A plush dog with a rear wheelchair/mobility cart, reflecting a real rescue dog with a hind-leg disability. The wheelchair should be soft/plush (not hard plastic), integrated into the design, and look cute rather than sad. 2 Weighted Plushies (large, ~45-50cm, ~2-2.5kg): These are a new product line for us — calming, anxiety-relieving weighted companions. For size, weight and general concept, please reference Brease (breaseworld.com) as inspiration. Key specs: – Design 3 — Weighted dog: A larger, huggable weighted plush dog. Should feel like holding a real small dog on your lap. Weight evenly distributed throughout the body. Soft, premium materials. – Design 4 — Weighted cat: Same concept, but as a cat. Curled-up or relaxed lying pose would work well for the "lap pet" feeling. Both weighted plushies should look warm, emotional and premium — not like generic stuffed animals. They need to feel like real companions, consistent with our brand aesthetic. Deliverables: – Detailed technical drawings for each design (front, side, back views) – Material and color specifications – Size and weight specifications – Construction notes (seam placement, compartment layout for weighted versions, filling type) – Production-ready files that a manufacturer can work from What we're looking for in a designer: – Proven experience designing plush toys that have gone into production – Portfolio showing cute, emotional, character-driven plush designs – Understanding of manufacturing constraints (seam allowances, filling distribution, etc.) – Ability to make "imperfections" (missing ear, wheelchair) look endearing and intentional Please include in your application: – Relevant portfolio examples (plush toys you've designed that were actually produced) – Your estimated timeline for all 4 designs – Your rate/quote for the project We'll share detailed reference photos of our existing plushies and brand guidelines once we connect. Budget: Open to proposals — please share your quote based on the scope above.