

Show HN: Meet your cardboard buddy. - hakkasan
http://foldable.me
Our new mass-customisation service, inc a legitimate use for 3D CSS.
======
famousactress
Most of the comments here are a bum-out. Firstly, I don't think this is as
trivial an idea to execute as a number of folks are saying. If you haven't
launched something close to this complicated, you should refrain from
suggesting this isn't much of an effort. It's clear that a lot of thought and
work went into the concept, site, video, and product.

Second, this is rad! Maybe we're getting cynical or a bit lost in history, but
the idea that for about what lunch costs lately a kid (chronological or
spiritual) can get a website to send them something totally custom is pretty
awesome. Think hard about how long this has even been practical to do at all,
much less as a tiny upstart.

Oh, _and_ it appears to be a successful Kickstarter project... so it's nice to
see evidence of those.

~~~
duck
Here is the Kickstarter link:
<http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kzhu/foldableme>

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flixic
Very nice. But your preview visualization uses what I assume to be close to
final art, including all the flaps and all. With web inspector (and some curl)
I was able to extract all the layers, combine them together, and get a
printable file: <http://cl.ly/JprN>

I'm sure most of HN visitors would be able to do the same. Not sure if you
should patch it, though: your target audience will surely won't do things like
that, and visualization is already a complex beast.

Anyway, thanks for the free foldable design (:

~~~
hakkasan
Oh wow. We never expected someone to go to those lengths. If you send us an
image of your assembled Foldable we'd be happy to send you, free of charge,
our version printed on laminated, high stock card, precision cut and pre-
creased so there's no gluing or cutting needed. Just want to make sure you
have something to compare against ;-)

~~~
Chaotic
What a refreshing attitude - someone finds a way around the paywall and your
response is - "oh yeah!? well our execution is better! And we'll prove it
too!" I would love if it all companies took this approach instead of
DRM/litigation. Hats off to you.

~~~
fcbrooklyn
Heh, the first foldable prototypes were made by cutting these things out with
an exacto knife. If you ever saw someone do that, you'd know why we're
confident that the die-cutting is valuable.

~~~
jamesbritt
There's tremendous satisfaction in cutting this by hand. And with the Cubee
template there's far less risk of slicing yourself.

~~~
gknoy
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll share a link to (what is from what I can tell
by a quick search) thee template:

<http://www.cubeecraft.com/template.html>

------
engtech
Next step: create a Facebook app that lets you export your foldable.me to a
facebook profile picture, maybe with something that lets you do a nice
integration of profile picture + timeline cover photo.

foldable.me goes viral as friends see their friends use the site. You end up
with tons of people using the site who would never consider paying $12 for a
piece of coloured cardboard...

but once they get an emotional attachment to their avatar you can follow up
with some lifecycle emails to convert them into a purchasing customer.

You could also have a feature where friends could gift their foldable.me to
other friends.

~~~
samstave
Recreate people's pics from pics in their gallery.

~~~
mapster
I was hoping to upload my mugshot and convert it to a caricature. next
iteration? Creating these of FB friends would be great gift items.

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felideon
Seems like a nice way to create your own Cardboard Programmer[1] (for Rubber
ducky debugging[2]) of anyone you like.

Edit: Maybe remote teams can print out all your coworkers so they keep you
company.

[1] <http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?CardboardProgrammer>

[2] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging>

[3] Suggestion from [1]: "Uma Thurman's analytical, diagnostic, and
motivational skills were amazing."

~~~
adrianhoward
_Edit: Maybe remote teams can print out all your coworkers so they keep you
company._

That was almost my first thought on seeing this :-)

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corwinstephen
I'm jealous of all the people that can come up with ideas so incredibly
trivial that they're awesome and everyone buys into them.

~~~
kamaal
You will be surprised how much effort goes into executing 'trivial ideas'.

~~~
davidw
Sometimes they're just trivial: see "Pet Rock".

Not to say that _this_ particular project is, although it does look a bit
faddish to me.

~~~
Joeboy
Marketing the pet rock apparently involved custom packaging design and
manufacture, and the creation of a 32 page "Care and training" manual. So not
_that_ trivial.

~~~
davidw
32 pages and a little package was probably not even a week worth of work.
Considering he made millions, it was pretty trivial, in my book.

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micheljansen
You know, I personally wouldn't spend $11.99 on this, but I have no doubt that
plenty of people will fork that out with ease. I love how you can create
genuine value from virtually nothing. This makes people happy and doesn't
waste tons of stuff in the process.

------
stevewilhelm
Clever idea. Would be nice to have a digital delivery method that sends a PDF
so one can print them immediately. Americans are all about immediate
gratification.

Might also consider a family pack. Don't know if these family stickers are
popular in the UK, but they are everywhere here in the states.
<http://www.familystickers.com/>

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks for the heads up Steve. That's an interesting idea.

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tonymarks
Great work guys. Liked the video(s), the instructions are clear, you also set
expectations well for shipping, etc. Plus, building your audience (and
funding) through a kickstarter campaign is brilliant. I wouldn't worry about
the "photo" style characters yet; scale first, excel at customer service, and
then if needed, release a 2.0 foldable.me.

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks Tony. There's loads we want to do with it in the coming months. As
always though, better shipped than perfect.

~~~
tonymarks
Yep. I agree. Folks seem caught up on "face images", but you may want to
consider gaining licensing rights to work with professional and collegiate
sports. Dropping a New York Yankees pin-striped-uni on a foldable.me would
sell pretty well as an add-on price. (And you wouldn't have to give up quality
control) Good luck!

------
rikf
This is freaking awesome well done guys. Would love to get these for our team
and stick them on our kanban board instead of 2d south park characters!

EDIT: You should also make some animal shapes for pets!

~~~
snogglethorpe
> _stick them on our kanban board_

note~ "kanban" already includes the notion of a board, so "kanban board" is
sort of like "PIN number".

~~~
mortenjorck
This may be pedantic, but I learned something.

~~~
snogglethorpe
p.s. in the spirit of pedantry:

看板 (kanban) = "signboard"; 板 (ita) = "board"

From a wikipedia glance, "kanban" was used here in the sense of a particular
process-control method, and although the term "kanban" here is pretty clearly
derived from 看板, I suppose now it could be considered a distinct term.

Still, "kanban board" really sounds redundant...

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e03179
XBOX 360 avatars can be extremely customizable and are stored in a 3D format
on MS servers (and likely on the console itself). The recognize many friends
online because of their avatar.

I'd pay $$ to have a 3d printout of my XBOX 360 avatar...perhaps even with
articulating appendages.

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bking
Would it be possible to make two sizes? I could see some mom buying a whole
family. Followup could be pets. Maybe make some car decals that follow the
same realm as the stickers you see on soccer mom vans

~~~
hakkasan
Thats a cool suggestion. Thanks

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siculars
Just ordered one. I'm literally sitting on an L couch with my friend across
from me while going through the options. Trying to look intently at her face
without her noticing. Thankfully, she is lost in her own laptop.

For all the people saying you could download the files and do it yourself, I
say sure. You could do that. But you could also send something nice to someone
in the mail at some point in the future as a surprise. People like getting
mail. Real mail. Ya you could put it in the mail yourself, but will you? $12
is cheeper than a movie in NYC. Totally worth it.

For the team at foldable.me: Great product. I would work on:

-expanding the selections and options

-adding high heel shoes

-allowing someone to upload a head shot and "cartoonize" it. There are some sites that do this... partner with them?

-add different sizes to your cutouts... s/m/l

-animals like dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cows, etc.

------
diasks2
If you want some awesome downloadable freebies, the artist Patrick Washburn
from Tokyo has been doing these types of foldable designs for awhile now:

Spock: [http://blog.patokon.com/2011/08/spock-wobblehead-
papercraft....](http://blog.patokon.com/2011/08/spock-wobblehead-
papercraft.html)

Spidey 50th Wobblehead and Old 52:
[http://blog.patokon.com/2012/06/spidey-50th-wobblehead-
and-o...](http://blog.patokon.com/2012/06/spidey-50th-wobblehead-and-
old-52.html)

Captain America and Conan: [http://blog.patokon.com/2011/09/marvel-comics-
wobbleheads-ca...](http://blog.patokon.com/2011/09/marvel-comics-wobbleheads-
captain.html)

Yoda: <http://blog.patokon.com/2011/07/yoda-papercraft.html>

Putter King: <http://www.slideshare.net/putterking/putter-king-wobblehead>

------
qq66
Neat! I am having a lot of trouble making a character that resembles me
though. I'll suggest the genetic algorithm used by the Nintendo Wii and also
by some police departments to create composite sketches.

This mechanism gives you an array of 9 random faces to choose from, and asks
you to pick the closest one. Using that information, it generates 9 more
random faces, but guided towards the features that you've selected. After 10
or 15 rounds of this, you have converged on a near-perfect likeness.

It relies on the fact that I can often tell that a face doesn't quite look
like me, but I'm not sure along what parameters. However, when presented with
a variant with slightly larger eyes and a variant with slightly smaller eyes,
I can immediately select the correct one.

------
bellan
Here's an article on how the avatar creation tool was built using 3D CSS:
[http://logicalfriday.com/2012/03/28/finally-a-legitimate-
use...](http://logicalfriday.com/2012/03/28/finally-a-legitimate-use-
for-3d-css/)

------
GarethX
I bought two from their Kickstarter for the girlfriend and I. I liked mine,
but the girlfriend not so much - something about me telling her this stumpy
little box was modelled on her didn't go down so well :)

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jamesbritt
If you want to make your own you can grab the Cubee template from here:
<http://www.cubeecraft.com/template.html>

There's PDF and PSD; load it into Photoshop or Illustrator (or whatever works)
and have at it.

I've built lots of papercraft toys, and designed a few. Half the fun is in
downloading a file, printing it out, cutting it up, and ending up with
something tangible.

BTW there's a copyright on this template, too. It looks identical to the
Foldable.me figure.

~~~
hakkasan
Yes, we are working with the creator of CubeeCraft, Chris Beaumont. We're big
fans of his work.

------
citricsquid
These sort of things discriminate against those of us who have no idea how to
describe appearance! If only I could upload a photo and it would make a
"closest match".

~~~
marquis
On another note, I went to make a pair of them for a friend and her husband's
anniversary, but he has very little hair and there is no kind way to not put
hair on something like this.

~~~
hakkasan
Hi there, does this option work for you? <http://cl.ly/image/160y3e3j2Z0y>

~~~
marquis
Yes, I think that's as kind as it can get!

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Poiesis
In line with the people talking about giving these as gifts: what about the
new Facebook gift platform?

I'm not totally sure I'd trust myself to give one of these as a gift, though,
as I'd end up either creating a likeness of someone that they didn't like, or
a completely narcissistic gift of my own likeness. But, hey, best of luck--I
bet there are plenty of people who think otherwise!

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lallysingh
White people only? I only discovered while trying to make one. Still, count me
as a fan, just not a customer (yet).

Lovely 3D animation. Really lovely. I'm always happy to see 3D native on the
web.

I think siculars's comment for adding animals is brilliant. I think a lot of
people would like a desktop version of their favorite cat or dog :-)

~~~
anigbrowl
You can set skin color on the head shape - there's only one head, but lots of
colors.

~~~
lallysingh
Ah, ok thanks. I just ordered one.

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Axsuul
It's great to see a Kickstarter project deliver! This is some really good
execution. Best of luck to you guys.

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks. Kickstarter's been a massive help. I think they'll get through the
current backlash in a much stronger place.

------
BklynJay
Great work guys. Easy to use website with a clear design. Love the product and
will be ordering at least one.

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks Jay! Let us know what you think of the little fella

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404error
These guys provide free pop culture cutouts

<http://www.cubeecraft.com/>

~~~
lancefisher
I've done one of those before. The biggest pain was cutting all the little
lines out. It's probably worth $12 just for a pre-cut version, plus you can
customize it!

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rbellio
Being 6'6" tall and built like an NFL lineman, I have never been accused of
being cute, light or portable. If I didn't feel buying one for myself would be
somewhat narcissistic, I'd totally get one. If anyone wanted to buy me one as
a present, I'd display it proudly on my desk though.

------
alan57
Novel and entertaining. Reminds me of creating a Mii on the Wii, only they
arrive at your door.

It would be cool if you could get super mini versions that you could hand out
as business cards. It's the kind of thing that recipients would definitely
show around, and hold on to.

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mhb
It would be interesting/challenging to also offer the figure in a 3D illusion
version. (<http://www.moillusions.com/2006/03/dragon-illusion.html>)

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veridies
Really cool concept. I'd love to get a couple of these as gifts. Only problem
is that I suck at selecting the right features, so facial recognition or
Mechanical Turk usage would really help.

(Also, a ponytail hairstyle would be nice.)

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orangethirty
This is just _out of the box_ thinking. Beautiful product. Ordering three.

Sales tip: this would make great Christmass Tree ornaments. I imagine a
Chrsitmass tree with my whole family represneted as little carboard figures.
Lovely.

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liedra
Really cute! It'd be nice to be able to share a mockup with friends somehow.

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks, thats on the roadmap. We'll be able to turn the 3D css to pngs soon.

~~~
kinlan
I had a lot of fun with it, and the only way I could share myy creation was to
screenshot.... Personally I look at it as another revenue model. Make a model
of Keene Reeves and sell it to his fans etc.

[https://plus.google.com/116059998563577101552/posts/Up1kKojQ...](https://plus.google.com/116059998563577101552/posts/Up1kKojQ5Q7)

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topbanana
Nice, but needs face recognition. I can't be bothered to draw myself!

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frozenport
I would like to see a metal version. Paper does not seem like a durable
material, and for the price of 3 Subway footlongs, I demand satisfaction.

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kazuya
Splendid!

However I prefer <http://facemakr.com/> when it comes to the variations of
facial parts.

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vividmind
Very nice and cute. I'd definitely use for gifts.

Bug report: the rotation and bottom scrolling buttons for lists didn't work
for me in Chrome.

------
jazzychad
No option for mutton chops? Lost a sale :(

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EwanToo
Love it, would be even better if you could upload a photo and have that as the
face

~~~
d0de
When I first saw the site, I was hoping there would be a way to upload a
picture, perhaps do some kind of feature-tagging (similar to the way you point
out your pupils on photos on those try-on-glasses apps[1]) and have the site
spit back a suggested face based on the features they had that most closely
resembled yours.

Of course, this is complete spitballing, I have no idea if it's feasible.

[1][http://www.coastal.com/glasses/frames/derek-
cardigan-7016-br...](http://www.coastal.com/glasses/frames/derek-
cardigan-7016-brown-pink-fade/prod27070.html?rsView=1&ga=F|M|K) (click Try It
On View)

~~~
pooriaazimi
They can also hire someone to do the matching manually (or do it themselves).
It's a Show HN, which means they don't have a million users (yet)!

~~~
bvdbijl
They could use mechanical turk

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Peroni
Love it. Surprisingly cheap too. I've ordered three and can't wait to see
them!

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks. Let us know what you think of them.

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borplk
It's a great idea. Impressed.

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bking
Oh, and can you make a zombie setup? I would totally pay for a mini-zombie-me

~~~
hakkasan
Ace. Halloween is around the corner!

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danielhughes
You should consider offering an option to scale these up to life size.

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tripzilch
... but what if I _want_ one with a frown?

;-)

just kidding. awesome work, guys!

------
flyinglizard
Your execution is brilliant. Very well made site.

~~~
hakkasan
Thanks, that's kind of you to say

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tled
Can't wait to see Maru cat version

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hnriot
Nice execution, great website, but a total waste of time and resources.

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aabbaabb
Should buy the .com

~~~
hakkasan
<http://FoldableMe.com> :-)

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indiecore
This is a best thing I've seen all day.

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Evbn
You want to get really rich? Integrate with the Flat Stanley industry.

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9k9
Who needs this junk?

~~~
antidoh
Who needs the different colored shirts in your closet?

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bruceboughton
No.

