The gumpai Plushie Drama
| Event | |
|---|---|
| Event: | The gumpai Plushie Drama |
| Participants: | gumpai and Kusa |
| Date(s): | November 2024 |
| Type: | drama |
| Fandom: | Vtuber fandom |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The gumpai Plushie Drama refers to an incident in November 2024, where indie V-Tuber gumpai publicly called out fancrafter Kusa on Twitter for selling handmade dolls of her V-tuber persona [1]. This lead to criticism directed at gumpai for her alleged disregard for V-tuber fandom norms, as well as the racist nature of her responses.
The Posts
gumpai's Initial Post
hey please dont allow this person in your VTuber discord. He goes to vtuber discord to discord to steal a person's character to make into a plushie. He has profitted off Gumpai and I don't have any association or shared profits with him. he's making aliexpress temu tier plushies of my character lol, the eyes aren't even correct, gumpai's eye color is pink not fucking orange 💀💀💀, again he just goes server to server just to profit off other vtubers' charactersgumpai, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/gumpai_/status/1860590304707117447
This status got almost 300k views within 24 hours, and was widely screenshotted and shared.
Kusa's Response
I got commissioned to make a gumpai plushie. I still have some plushie body after i finnish it. Then i go ask everyone on sv if anyone want it. I only sold 3. That only 4 Gumpai plushie ever sold. I'm sorry for not thinking it through. I only thought people will like to have itI'm so sorry to @gumpai_ @zhuuba . I only thought people will like it and dont have to waste all the material, i dont like to see plushie got throw out
I already tell this with her discord server that these are left over. I got commissioned and still have all those prototype body and if anyone want them. I dont sell those in big number, just those body left over. When i said this she also there. So i think she ok with just 3-4Kusa, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/LPT_kusa/status/1860691893899919673
gumpai's Follow Up
It would have been a completely different story if he mailed me the extra plushies, but no, he’s so profit oriented that he decided to sell KNOCK offs to people in my community who have no idea when their shit will get shippedbro LIVES IN VIETNAM theres no way he is struggling for extra cash in that country with his business
you can sell orange juice with coffee shots for $1 and live off that for a week in that fucking countrygumpai, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/gumpai_/status/1860707574070579689
Reactions
While gumpai received some sympathy for her desire to control and profit from her V-tuber model, several prominent V-tubers sided with Kusa and their right to sell fancrafts.
My very first plushie ever was made by you and I still have her on my desk. I received it during a time I thought I would never be successful enough to sell plushies of myself, so I truly cherished it. It would be a different story if you were a company mass producing plushies, but you are one person handcrafting fan merch based on commissions. I’m sure shipping to customers outside of Vietnam is not cheap either. I hope this is cleared up amicably, you are absolutely not a scammer!Bao The Whale, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/baovtuber/status/1860786403522785762
you did nothing wrong dude I love all the phase stuff you make (salute emoji) some people are just crazyPipkin Pippa, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/pipkinpippa/status/1860724732863336878
Ill commission some dolls from you! sent a dm!Flork, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/FlorkOfCows/status/1860808394854093133
Other V-tuber fan accounts asserted that fancrafts are the community norm [2] and attempted to share some of their favourite fan artists to drum up business [3].
gumpai response
I’ll always get fucked over by the vtubing community no matter what. I get my design/character raped for profit while not even getting anything for free. Many such cases 🚬gumpai, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/gumpai_/status/1860708818709348694
IM GETTING RAPED BY THE VTUBER COMMUNITY GOD PLEASE HELP MEgumpai, Nov 24 2024 https://x.com/gumpai_/status/1860710542459166832
Kusa Response
Thank so much for all your support and kind words. This is a lesson for me and everyone about the harm of miscommunication. Pls dont send hate to her. If Gumpai want i can still send you a plushieKusa, Nov 25 2024 https://x.com/LPT_kusa/status/1860924030267908462
- ^ hey please dont allow this person in your VTuber discord (Nov 24 2024)
- ^ VTuber Memes post (Nov 24 2024)
- ^ Virtual artist alley chain!! (Nov 24 2024)