Gnobby Gnome Whatnots™ FAQ
Still have questions? We’d love to hear them, every question helps us make better Whatnots. Send us a message anytime, and we’ll reply as soon as we can.
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About Our Creations
Q: Where do your ideas come from?
A: Inspiration hides in the oddest corners of life — a desk that needs a sculpture, a wall that needs a planter, or a problem that just begs for a clever little fix. Our designs usually begin with noticing something missing in the world — a “whatnot” that should exist but doesn’t yet. From there, we sketch, prototype, tinker, and refine until it earns a spot on our shelf.
Q: Are your designs original?
A: Yes — almost every Whatnot starts as our own creation, imagined and developed right in our workshop. Occasionally, we come across a design that’s already brilliant in its simplicity. When that happens, we treat it as a collaboration across time and space: we refine proportions, improve fit, add function, or adapt it to our systems. In those cases, we proudly credit the original maker and explain how we’ve reimagined it.
Q: Do you resell or import products?
A: Nope. We don’t order finished products from catalogs or distributors — everything we sell is designed, manufactured, and assembled by us. It’s the difference between being a workshop and being a warehouse.
Q: How do I find out what you’re working on next?
A: We always have a dozen or so oddities in development — everything from coffee accessories and desktop toys to marble contraptions, pocket gadgets, little growing things, and outdoor games for 2–6 players (oddly specific list huh?). We can’t reveal the blueprints just yet (the gnomes are very secretive), but you can join our private workshop club to get early sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes notes, and first access to new releases before the rest of the world sees them. (Scroll to the bottom of this page and add your email to join. Members get early news, special surprises, and the occasional gnomish wink of appreciation)
How We Manufacture
Q: How do you make your products?
A: We use modern digital manufacturing “cells” - small, self-contained workstations that are infinitely reconfigurable. We operate cells for paper printing, paper/chipboard cutting (packaging), pen plotting, fused-deposition modeling (FDM, a form of 3D printing) for sculpting with plastics, and light metal machining. Each cell is set up for a specific capability but can switch from one product to the next with new digital instructions. This lets us produce in tiny, intentional batches and keep exploring new variations whenever inspiration strikes.
Q: So you 3D print everything?
A: 3D printing is one of our favorite tools, but it’s just part of the process. Our machines do the heavy lifting, but human hands finish the job. Every part is cleaned, checked, and fitted before assembly, because the difference between “machine-made” and “workshop-made” is what happens after the print bed cools.
Q: Does 3D printing make things cheaper?
A: Not really, quite the opposite. 3D printing gives us incredible design freedom, but it’s slow and hands-on. Each part can take hours to print, and then there’s all the finishing work. We do it this way because it gives us control, precision, and the ability to keep improving designs one layer at a time.
Q: What’s special about 3D printed products from Whatnots?
A: Each piece carries subtle layer lines, a “fingerprint” of the process, reminding you it was made, not molded. We embrace that texture as a mark of authenticity, like wood grain or brushstrokes.
Q: What makes your manufacturing process special?
A: We’ve built what we call a Digital Fabrication Cell Network, a gnome-scale factory of small machines working in harmony, each one guided by code and watched over by humans who care. It’s not fast, but it’s flexible, sustainable, and deeply satisfying. Every piece that leaves the workshop passes through little (and big) gnome fingertips.
Design & Materials
Q: What materials do you use?
A: We primarily use PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified), the same family of plastic used in water bottles, strong, safe, and durable. It’s more flexible than PLA and better suited for functional parts. We also use some specialty flexible plastics and some carbon-fiber hybrid plastics.
Q: Are your products safe or food-safe?
A: Yes. We’ve had our materials and our entire manufacturing processes certified by an independent lab to meet current US safety standards. We never cut corners on quality.
Q: Do colors vary slightly between items?
A: We print in small batches, and each roll of filament has its own character, slight hue differences may occur as part of what makes every piece a one-of-a-kind original. We try hard to print sets from the same filament batches to maintain color consistency.
Q: Do you use recycled or eco-friendly packaging?
A: Yes. Whenever possible, we reuse clean packing materials that arrive in our workshop. So if your unboxing experience includes a quirky mix of paper, cardboard scraps, and other safe fillers, that’s us giving packaging a second life instead of sending it straight to a landfill. When new packaging is required, we use recyclable paper-based materials rather than plastic air pillows or foam. Our rule is simple: protect the product, not pad the planet with waste.
Care & Use
Q: Can I wash or clean my Whatnots item?
A: Absolutely, just not in the dishwasher (gnomes have lost too many prototypes that way). Use mild soap and warm water, and avoid soaking for long periods of time or extreme heat.
Q: What if something breaks?
A: Contact us! We can often send a replacement part or suggest a repair. We design for modularity, so most things can be fixed without throwing the whole piece away.
The Maker Philosophy
Q: Why make things by hand this way when it’s so much slower?
A: Because the process is the point. We believe that making things locally, with intention and care, matters more than speed. Each piece carries the fingerprints of our workshop, and a bit of our philosophy too.
Q: Why not outsource production and scale up?
A: Because we’d lose the fun part. We like knowing every print, every cut, and every assembly step is done right here in our own workshop. It keeps us close to the work, and lets us tweak, test, and improve constantly without waiting on a factory halfway across the world.
Q: What does “small batch” really mean?
A: It means small. We usually make just a handful at a time, often between two and six pieces per run. Keeping batches tiny lets us manage quality closely, minimize inventory, and make room (literally) for the next idea on our workbench. It also means we can offer more colors, styles, and variations without having to fill a warehouse.
Q: Why are handmade things more expensive?
A: Because they’re made by people, not production lines. Each Whatnot spends real time in the workshop — printed, cleaned, checked, and finished by hand. You’re not just buying the object; you’re buying the hours, care, and craftsmanship that brought it to life.