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ources say virtual human company Shadows Interactive is poised to unveil a plush toy line called "Banoopies". Shadows will follow in the footsteps of Superplastic, a character-based product and entertainment company, successfully leveraging virtual humans Janky and Guggimon to push product.

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Led by CEO Dylan Flinn, Shadows is respected within the industry for creating Astrolovesu, BodybyRalph, Livinthefuture, and other entertaining cartoon storylines. While Shadows may have already launched a merch store under Astrolovesu's persona, the introduction of Banoopies to their media stable will be the company's first major step towards merch monetization at scale.

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Not much is publicly known about Banoopies at this stage, though the brand has a blank Instagram hosting 43 loyal followers. The bio currently reads:

When a human being is born a Banoopie shows up on their shoulder to guide them through life. Everyone’s Banoopie is unique in look and personality.

Pair this simple vision to Shadows' unique history launching virtual humans, and one might expect to see Banoopies rival the fandom of long-standing toy legend Build-A-Bear. The innovative opportunity, though? The magic a virtual human storyline inspires in a fan's imagination paired to the pros of the traditional toy ownership experience. Daily, transmedia interactions with the digital double of your plush toy suddenly makes your Build-A-Bear seem a little, well, lifeless.

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As a happy Superplastic toy owner (Janky represent), I'd just like to know... when and where can I purchase a Banoopie? For now, Banoopies.com is still for sale and nothing official has been published. Here's looking out.

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Shadows Interactive is a character-first entertainment studio using technology and art to build engaged audiences online. To learn more about the emerging Virtual Human industry, explore our homepage.