One thing that’s really nice about loving the same things you did when you were a kid as an adult is that all of a sudden you’ve got your own money to spend on whatever you want. I’m a firm believer that every now and then we deserve a treat for working so hard, and a lot of the time, this is my excuse to get something that would make my inner child (and inner magpie) jump for joy. Lucky for me, I also follow an artist that makes a lot of little trinkets and knick-knacks that satisfy that craving.
Character Select
Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I’ll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.
Jelly Ultra, an artist based in Canada who specialises in adorable renditions of so many games I grew up with, is my current obsession. If you love cutesy little designs, and have a lot of keychains, enamel pins, and patches, then you’ll most likely find something for yourself in their shop too. It’s not just video games either, there are plenty of original pieces, alongside anime references and collaborations with other artists if you wanted something, you know, less game nerdy.
The first thing that jumped out to me, though, was the Farm Life Romances sticker sheet. My love for farming simulators didn’t start with Stardew Valley, shockingly. As much as I sing its praises, Harvest Moon DS was the game that sunk its talons into me. But one thing about Harvest Moon is that it’s not a particularly well-merchandised series, so when you find something like this—which has all your favourite elements of the game—it’s hard to not be thrilled.
However, when it comes to stickers, I’m one of those people who really struggles to use them if they’re particularly good. I tried to change this by starting a junk journal to burn through my piles of stickers in a more creative way, but hey, sometimes you have to make exceptions. It seems JellyUltra feels this pain too, as they’ve created reusable sticker books which match the theme of some of the sticker sheets, like the Farming Town Map sticker book. It’s genius, and frankly I’m shocked that I’ve never thought about getting something similar to finally get rid of my bag of sticker sheets.
Stickers aren’t their only speciality either, and in the same vein as the nostalgic sticker sheet, they’ve got a series of disc acrylic charms inspired by games like Mario Kart: Double Dash, Smash Bros, and Paper Mario. They’re more subtle than your standard videogame keyring just showing an emblem or screen from the game, that’s for sure, especially since they don’t have the title as we know it slapped on the front. It’s more of an ode to the game, which I love. As I’ve said before, there’s something about subtle videogame art which I particularly love.
My favourite charm from Jelly Ultra is actually one that isn’t available in the store, which is probably a good thing for my bank account. At least I can still admire it on Instagram. I’m talking about the Puzzle Bobble shaker charm, which features an adorable stylised version of Bub and Bob essentially playing their own game. But, rather than just being a stationary keychain, the bubbles in the centre of the acrylic actually move around the charm.
Little moving elements like this, which Jelly Ultra uses in quite a few of their charms, really make them feel more special than the silicone or plastic keyrings you’d usually get with games. But that’s just what sets these stickers and charms above your bog standard piece of merch or preorder bonus—they’ve been so carefully crafted to really show the game off in every which way. It’s the kind of stuff you desperately want to show off or give to others, rather than keep in a box for a while, and that’s why I’m so obsessed with scrolling through the shop and questioning what I’ll buy next.
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