A flexi animal is a 3D printed toy made of linked segments with ball joints, printed as one piece so it bends and poses the moment it leaves the printer. If you have seen a rainbow dragon or a wiggling axolotl at a craft market and wondered what it was and why people keep picking it up, this post is for you.
We print flexi animals to order in Como, Texas, in sizes from 1 in to 8 in, and we hear the same questions at every Canton Trade Days show. Below is what a flexi animal is, how the joints work, which designs people ask for most, and how to choose a size and color.
Flexi animals are popular because one print gives you a toy that moves, costs from $1 and can be made in any color you name.
A flexi animal is printed in one piece with the joints already formed
Look closely at a flexi and you see a row of segments, each one a small ball sitting inside the socket of the next. The printer builds the ball and the socket at the same time, leaving a gap between them of a fraction of a millimeter. When the print is done, a gentle twist frees each joint and the animal comes alive.
There is no assembly, no glue and no separate parts. A flexi cat is one object from nose to tail, which is why it can be handed to a child straight off the printer.
What print-in-place means
Print-in-place is the term for any design whose moving parts are printed already in position. For flexi animals that means the joints, and on some designs also hinged legs, jaws or wings. The designer sets the clearance in the file, and the printer has to hit it exactly or the joint fuses shut.
Why the joints click
Each socket is slightly narrower at its opening than the ball inside it, which keeps the joint from pulling apart. As the ball turns, it passes that narrow point and gives a small click. Multiply that by twenty joints and you have the sound of a flexi being fidgeted with.
Most flexi animals come in six sizes, from $1 to $15
Our standard flexi line uses the same six sizes and prices across dozens of animals. The flexi cat, the fox, the polar bear, the seal, the lizard, the gecko, the platypus, the axolotl and the flexi dragon all follow this list.
Micro (1 in) at $1 fits on a fingertip and is the size people buy by the handful.
Mini (1.5 in) at $1.75 is the smallest size with joints you can clearly feel move.
Regular (2 in) at $2.75 is our party favor size and fits in any pocket.
Large (3 in) at $6 has roomier joints and a body that survives rough play.
X-Large (6 in) at $15 is big enough to pose on a shelf and coil around a hand.
Keychain at $7 is a pocket-sized body with a solid loop printed in.
A few designs go bigger. The axolotl with legs adds a Mega (8 in) at $15, and the flexi giraffe runs from Baby (3in) at $6 to X-Large (8in) at $24. The ferret comes in 10 Inch at $12 and 14 inch at $18 and is one of our best sellers.
The designs people ask for most
Dragons are the collectors' favorite. The six-size flexi dragon starts at $1, and the larger crystal dragon runs from a Tadling at $5 to 24 In at $25. Browse the whole dragon collection for winged, lunar and mushroom variants.
Dinosaurs come two ways. The flexi T-Rex is a six-size animal from $1, and the skeleton line, including the skeleton T-Rex, triceratops, stegosaurus and raptor, comes in Baby at $5, Regular at $12 and XL at $35. All of them are in the dinosaur collection.
Ocean life has the widest color range. The great white shark is $15, the rose frog is Mini $2.75, Regular $5 or Large $12, and the void octopus is $18 in a single or multi color that we pick for you. See the ocean collection for axolotls, seals and sharks.
Pets and farm animals suit the youngest kids and farm-themed parties. The highland cow is $7, the happy turtle is $12 in nine colors, and the guinea pig is $7 on its own or $18 with a small house set.
Pocket Friends is our mini line for pockets and keyrings. The mini cat, mini bat, mini raccoon and mini bearded dragon are $7 each, or $8 with a keychain loop. The whole set lives in the Pocket Friends collection.
What people do with them
Fidgeting is the most common answer. The click of the joints and the way a tail coils around a finger give hands something to do during a call or a class.
Desk company comes next. A Regular or Large flexi sits on a monitor stand, gets posed a new way each morning, and starts conversations.
Play is what the Large and X-Large sizes are for. They survive being carried, dropped and bent, and there is nothing to snap off.
Display suits the big sculpts. A 6 in X-Large or a 24 In dragon holds a pose on a shelf.
Keys and bags get the keychain sizes, which are printed with a loop rather than relying on a joint at the ring.
Gifts are where the price helps. A Regular at $2.75 fills a stocking, a Large at $6 is a birthday extra, and a set of six sizes of one animal at $33.50 is the present a collector remembers. Because each one is printed to order in the color you choose, the gift is already personal.
How to choose your first flexi animal
Pick the size by where it will live
A desk or pocket suits Micro, Mini or Regular. A child's hands suit Large or X-Large. A shelf suits X-Large or one of the big dragon and skeleton sizes. If you are buying for a whole party, ten Regular animals come to $27.50. When in doubt, start with Regular; it is the size that shows the movement best for the least money.
Pick the color with the Custom color box
Every product page has a Custom color box. Type the color you want, from a single solid to a rainbow filament, and we print it after your order. Some options are listed as Will Vary, which means we pick the shade from the rainbow spools we have on hand.
Are flexi animals safe for young children?
They are printed in one piece from PLA, so there is nothing to pull off. Micro and Mini are small enough to be a choking hazard, so for toddlers we suggest Large or X-Large and adult supervision, as with any small toy.
Do the joints wear out?
PLA is a hard plastic and the joints are designed to move for years. The one thing that ruins them is heat, so keep flexi toys out of hot cars and dishwashers.
Can I get a color that is not shown?
Yes. The Custom color box is on every product, and we print to order, so the color you type is the color we load.
A flexi animal is the best first 3D print to own
It moves, it is hard to break, it costs less than a coffee in the smaller sizes, and it shows what a 3D printer can do that a mold cannot. That is why flexi animals are the print that turns a curious shopper into a collector.
At Cosmic 3D Creations, every flexi animal is printed to order in Como, Texas, in premium PLA, in the color you put in the Custom color box, and checked joint by joint before it ships. Orders over $35 ship free, and you can pick up at our Canton Trade Days booth, 4268 and 4269 in Pavilion 4200.