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Swimmy and Co.
Article Header Image

I just received a wonderful gift from Etsy seller thebirdsandbees: a felted fish, inspired by Swimmy. He's pictured above, and he's quite lonely. It'd be fun if a whole bunch of Etsy sellers could make his red-orange friends, and we'll make a diorama here showing them all arranged like a big fish (as in the book).

So, if you would, if you could, please make a fish facing right as pictured below, in your medium of choice:

I also made a printable PDF template which you can trace. Download the file here.

Please mail your fish to Etsy HQ:

Etsy
c/o Swimmy
325 Gold St, Floor 6
Brooklyn. NY 11201

Thanks!

ps
If you don't know who Swimmy is, read the post Etsy's First Five Years.



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Etsy Admin Rokali
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tags Tags Etsy Labs, fish, Swimmy
77 comments     Login to add your own!
girlsavage says:

Sounds like fun!


2/6/08 at 3:31p.m.
PreciousPups says:

can't wait for these to start rolling in! underwater diorama time!


2/6/08 at 3:32p.m.
girlsavage says:

Ummm... download link takes me to the main storque page. :D


2/6/08 at 3:33p.m.
Etsy Admin Iheartmoustaches says:

i will get to work crocheting some coral and seaweed right away!


2/6/08 at 3:34p.m.
Etsy Admin likeomg says:

I can make it in Vector format, but sewing is going to be tricky for me. (I do know how to sew, but I'm a little rusty...)

Go Swimmy! Swim!


2/6/08 at 3:38p.m.
Etsy Admin TeenAngster says:

Fixed download! Try again, please!


2/6/08 at 3:43p.m.
aplanetnamedjanet says:

I have fish in my shop already.


2/6/08 at 3:44p.m.
fisheye says:

I must have something red-orange around here to upcycle!


2/6/08 at 3:57p.m.
crankbunny says:

oh i am so in.


2/6/08 at 4:23p.m.
jelene says:

i'm definitely sending in my tickles goldfish!!


2/6/08 at 4:39p.m.
Etsy Admin daniellexo says:

ohhhh send send send send !!!


2/6/08 at 4:58p.m.
LauraSusannah says:

I'm currently searching for anything orange ♥ yey!


2/6/08 at 5:01p.m.
esdesigns says:

Does it have to be made of fabric? I love Swimmy, it was one of my favorite books as a kid! I'm visualizing one out of copper, but I'm not sure if I have time to make it.


2/6/08 at 5:06p.m.
Bumblebeebaby says:

Does it have to be "Etsy orange?" Or can it be any color? I have tons of colorful fleece fabric, but I don't think I have any "Etsy orange."


2/6/08 at 5:08p.m.
esdesigns says:

Oh, I see it says "medium of your choice" so I guess copper is ok :)


2/6/08 at 5:10p.m.
serenityii says:

Awesome idea!


2/6/08 at 5:27p.m.
SewCrewel says:

I'm on it.


2/6/08 at 5:27p.m.
annalaura says:

Swimmy sushi...heheheh


2/6/08 at 5:36p.m.
pattihaskins says:

is there a deadline for the fishes to swim in by?


2/6/08 at 5:40p.m.
ArtMind says:

I love Swimmy!
I loved the story and I loved it being read to us in the video even more.
I will make one - hope he'll swim safely across the ocean... ;)


2/6/08 at 5:54p.m.
Experimetal says:

Im on it, sounds fun.

I love me's some swimmy sushi, yum yum.


2/6/08 at 6:05p.m.
Experimetal says:

should we put a hOLE in it?
Is it going to be hung in the end like a giant calder mobile?


2/6/08 at 6:08p.m.
imakecutestuff says:

OMG! Fun Times! Now to find some orangy-red material...hmmmm. I'm going to get EtsyRain (seattle street team) to get in on this one! Yay!


2/6/08 at 6:11p.m.
Experimetal says:

I know that some members of EtsyMetal street team are planning on making some of Swimmy's friends too!
Yay!


2/6/08 at 6:20p.m.
pookeh says:

what a cute idea! love! must get me some felt tomorrow. :D


2/6/08 at 6:37p.m.
beetlegirldesign says:

An orange fish it is. I might have to fancy it up though...


2/6/08 at 6:51p.m.
maggiejs says:

I'm in!

will this be hung on the wall? or should it be 2 sided for a mobile?


2/6/08 at 6:56p.m.
bluedogrose says:

I'm on it :)


2/6/08 at 6:59p.m.
pancakeandlulu says:

is there a deadline or can they swim on in anytime? (soooo busy at the moment--but I want to be a part of it!)


2/6/08 at 7:42p.m.
PrettyPennyPlastics says:

Can do, buckaroo!


2/6/08 at 7:47p.m.
justynhegreberg says:

i'm a little worried about all of this swimmy business. it is a cute story and apt yet i am curious, as are others, if there are copyright issues with the public broadcast of the work. in addition it now seems that some people are making and selling items on etsy that directly name and resemble the character in the book.

is this an issue we should be worried about?

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php...


2/6/08 at 8:18p.m.
eclipse says:

Parody is considered "fair use" under copyright law.


2/6/08 at 8:29p.m.
justynhegreberg says:

parody is different that straight performance. they read it and then said we should be like that. that isn't quite parody. at least not to my knowledge.


2/6/08 at 8:39p.m.
crankbunny says:

oh boy...


2/6/08 at 8:42p.m.
eclipse says:

justyn I meant my comment in reference to "some people are making and selling items on etsy that directly name and resemble the character in the book." I am one of those 'some people'. My ACEOs=parody=fair use.

The videotaped reading was not (intentional) parody, that I know of.


2/6/08 at 8:52p.m.
aplanetnamedjanet says:

May I clarify, "I have fish in my shop already". Not swimmys but other fish.


2/6/08 at 9:24p.m.
GreenSpaceGoods says:

I think it is a great idea and I don't think that making a big fish for display at Etsy is going to be a copyright issue. I wouldn't worry about it :)


2/6/08 at 9:43p.m.
discomedusa says:

woah, i totally made one a few years ago- too bad it's in storage!


2/6/08 at 9:51p.m.
mLee says:

I am so all over this x10!

And I am inspired to bump the Leo Lionni collection up on my birthday wishlist.


2/6/08 at 10:04p.m.
GreenSpaceGoods says:

Everyday here, I hear a lot of skepticism over Etsy's mission. It just doesn't seem believable to some that a group of people could possibly want to build something for a greater purpose. I think the metaphor is touching. I think the idea of a diorama representing us all is great, and I'll be happy to be a part of it.


2/6/08 at 10:09p.m.
marikoartstudio says:

It's my first time to seriously pay attention anything inside the Storque, so I'm quite excited to find such a fun project. I'm working on it right now..., pieces of leather, seedbeads, my fingers are covered with glue...yeaow!


2/6/08 at 11:01p.m.
Etsy Admin daniellexo says:

Love that visual mariko! Can't wait to see these. Perhaps we should have a swimmy making party at the EtsyLabs on Monday?


2/6/08 at 11:41p.m.
valutree says:

Oh I am so in. I already started on it. This is a wonderful project. I love the Swimmy mission and think it's great the etsy in this for more then monetary gain. Go etsy!


2/7/08 at 1:15a.m.
TumboweedAnnie says:

Wonderful mission! I'm hooked!
Thanks for the inspiration Rokali. I will be simming your way with my red-orange fish.


2/7/08 at 2:03a.m.
ocbaby says:

What a great idea! I can't wait to see them all! May I suggest that after the have pics are done that any suitable toy fish be donated to needy children?

I haven't read all the post to see if it has been suggested already....


2/7/08 at 8:51a.m.
lessthanthreedesigns says:

AHHHH! SO CUTE!

Yeah. You can probably expect one from me. :)


2/7/08 at 9:38a.m.
GreenMamba says:

While parody is permitted, creating derivative works for promotional purposes, or for 'fun', is NOT allowed under fair use. Of course, if Etsy has obtained the proper permissions, just add that notation to the articles and video where Swimmy is referenced. Easy-peasy.

I'd participate if everything was on the up-and-up. But I don't want to be involved in any fishy business . . .


2/7/08 at 10:21a.m.
serenityii says:

My family had a fun time making fish last night! We'll be sending one off probably tomorrow. I was also wondering about the fate of the fish after the photos are taken. It'd be cool if they were on display on a wall somewhere, but it also occurred to me that they could be sold to benefit charity or something. . .


2/7/08 at 11:45a.m.
bornlippy says:

I'm wondering how are these going to be hung? I included a small square of sticky-back Velcro with my swimmy.


2/7/08 at 11:58a.m.
crudeco says:

And how many swimmies can he swim?

If too many participate, how will anyones swimmy be observed?

How many swimmy's can he eat before there's only one survivor swimmy?

Seems a little fishy too me too.


2/7/08 at 12:32p.m.
marikoartstudio says:

Hi Danielle,

Thanks for the nice comment!

OK, perhaps we should have the swimmy par~ty. I could swim over Hudson & East River to EtsyLabs on Monday. It'll be my first visit there and that'd be nice because I've been very curious what goes on at Etsy HQ. Email me the details if you'd like. Hope to see you soon!


2/7/08 at 1:28p.m.
Etsy Admin daniellexo says:

I think we'll hang them with fishing line ;) From the top of the diorama? Once they start flopping in we'll see what will work best.


2/7/08 at 1:29p.m.
papapots says:

Oh how fun! I'll start a fishy and hopefully my kiln will get over the flu in time to make him orange. Is ceramic ok? Should I add anything to make him hangable?


2/7/08 at 2:11p.m.
Experimetal says:

"quote" I think we'll hang them with fishing line ;) From the top of the diorama?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
so a hole then is required for possible hanging...


2/7/08 at 4:46p.m.
Ekioart says:

What fun ^-^ *runs off in search of orange things.


2/7/08 at 4:51p.m.
lagelle says:

Hello~
It was very inspiring to see the video about Swimmy and it's history. I definitely want to be involved. If too many are received what will happen with the others? I'm happy to be part of Etsy.

Tye


2/7/08 at 8:25p.m.
HomeMadeOriginals says:

Fun idea and story....here's mine complete with his own seaweed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/homemade...


2/7/08 at 10:44p.m.
strawberryanarchy says:

this looks great fun


2/8/08 at 12:11a.m.
Etsy Admin daniellexo says:

experimetal - no hole required. some can also be flat or we can figure out different options. a hole to hang from would be helpful - but not required!

perhaps any 2-D fish can hang out against the back wall of the diorama.

ps. check out the pool so far!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/underwat...


2/8/08 at 12:23a.m.
jillhannah says:

This is awesome. I am pleased with its awesomeness. I make cards, so mine is on its way in card form.
http://flickr.com/photos/jillhannah/a...


2/8/08 at 12:40a.m.
lanisvintage says:

if i can find the time...i'll make one! ;)


2/8/08 at 11:03a.m.
bamboobaby says:

Fer Shur. I'm on it.


2/8/08 at 11:54a.m.
PrettyPennyPlastics says:

I didn't realize how few orange supplies I have.
Great brainstorm, for sure!


2/9/08 at 5:27p.m.
SimplySilly says:

I'm off to make a swimmy!!!!!


2/10/08 at 3:31p.m.
sofiamasri says:

I started mine today!


2/10/08 at 8:40p.m.
plushoff says:

I made mine today, he is going in the mail this week!!


2/10/08 at 11:33p.m.
imakecutestuff says:

Oh yay! EtsyRain (your Seattle street team) is making a bunch of them to keep Swimmy company! We'll be sending the "school" over to you on the 20th :) Thanks for the Fun Fun Fun project!


2/11/08 at 3:46p.m.
Diamondmeenuh says:

I've got a whole school of Swimmies on one of my Book Briefcases. Will see if I've got more of the fabric to make a few 'unattached' ones. Love this idea! Loved the Swimmy story, too


2/12/08 at 9:42a.m.
NetsPets says:

I sent my swimmy earlier in the week - he has to swim from the southern hemisphere! Could take him a while!!


2/14/08 at 5:01p.m.
Experimetal says:

is there a due date?


2/16/08 at 3:48a.m.
LilahAndCompany says:

Ditto on that question, Experimental. I think I am late to the thread, but I want to participate.


2/21/08 at 12:49a.m.
MundoGominola says:

i want to participate also, can I?


2/21/08 at 1:32p.m.
zparkleys says:

ooohhh, an applicated sock fish!!! i'm totally on this.


2/21/08 at 2:36p.m.
serenityii says:

Did our fish make it yet? Yarn on cardboard and a googly eye?


2/23/08 at 12:36p.m.
serenityii says:

So when will we hear more about the Swimmy project?


4/8/08 at 1:43p.m.
dragonhouseofyuen says:

More eggs have hatched - another little one will be on her way shortly!
(from Scotland)


7/24/08 at 12:22a.m.
matilou says:

i also will do it in this thread!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php...


7/26/08 at 5:34a.m.
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