Meet Trixie: Making Planet HAHA’s Hopeless Romantic
Some characters arrive fully formed.
Trixie absolutely did not.
She started as a tiny handmade clown covered in pink, blue, hearts, sparkles + approximately one million romantic feelings. I knew she belonged to Planet HAHA, but it took a little while for her full personality to reveal itself.
That is usually how these tiny companions come to life. I make the physical character first, then stare at them until they slowly start telling me who they are. Completely normal artist behavior.
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A tiny clown in love with love
I build each Puff Pal by hand around a functional mini Bic lighter case, adding tiny sculpted details one at a time. Trixie has her pink clown suit, mismatched blue details, soft brown curls, a little bird friend + one giant heart that simply says LOVE.
Subtlety was never going to be her thing.
Trixie is the kind of girl who falls in love with a stranger’s handwriting. She reads into every message, plans dramatic entrances + believes every slow song playing at a loud party is secretly about her.
Basically, she is a hopeless romantic with excellent accessories.
From tiny companion to full personality
Every character card begins in my notebook with a blank layout, a tiny hand-drawn character + approximately 700 possible personality traits. The pages get messy very quickly. I cross things out, rewrite jokes, change their favorite snacks + become emotionally invested in a fictional little weirdo until they finally start sounding like themselves.
Once the handwritten version feels right, I bring everything onto my iPad and draw the finished collectible card. That is where all the scribbled ideas, tiny jokes + personality details become one colorful little piece of the Drea Svea universe.
Trixie’s first version was not quite right, so I kept changing her until she finally felt like herself.
She became Trixie, the Hopeless Romantic ✦
Her birthday is February 14, naturally. She is an Aquarius who uses she + her pronouns. Her favorite treat is Sweetheart Soda, her best friend is a secret pen pal named XOXO + she is never without her rose-colored glasses.
Her hidden skill is crying on cue.
Her personal philosophy is simple:
“Oops, I fell in love.”
Welcome to Planet HAHA
Trixie is character number 20 in the Drea Svea universe + the very first collectible character from Planet HAHA.
Planet HAHA is home to six completely different little clowns. Every one has their own colors, personality, favorite things + tiny emotional problems. They are sweet, dramatic, chaotic + deeply committed to the bit.
Trixie is the romantic heart of the group. She loves handwritten notes, dramatic entrances, slow songs + reading into absolutely everything. She cannot tolerate unanswered messages, rushed goodbyes, parties without dessert or anyone who claims romance is dead.
That is a hard pass.
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Creating these characters is one of my favorite parts of Drea Svea. What starts as a pile of tiny charms on my worktable eventually becomes a one-of-a-kind companion with a name, a history + an entire world surrounding them.
Trixie began as a tiny clown covered in hearts.
Now she has a home planet, five clown friends + enough emotional lore to ruin a perfectly good group chat.
tiny companion. big attachment. ♡