One of the questions we hear most often is:

"How firm are your toys?"

It sounds like a simple question, but for fantasy toys, the answer is surprisingly complicated.

Unlike traditional toys with relatively consistent shapes, fantasy toys come in all kinds of imaginative forms. Sculpt, size, materials—even personal perception—can all change how a toy feels in your hands.

Today we'd like to share a little behind-the-scenes look at what actually affects firmness, and why we don't think a single number can tell the whole story.

 

Shape Matters More Than You Might Think

Fantasy toys rarely have a uniform shape.

Some are inspired by animals, such as canine knot toys or equine-inspired designs. Others take inspiration from tentacles, plants, sea creatures, aliens, or completely imaginary species.

Unlike a simple cylindrical toy, these sculpts often vary dramatically in thickness from one section to another.

A thicker area naturally feels firmer, while a thinner section flexes much more easily. That means a single toy can have noticeably different firmness depending on where you touch or squeeze it.

Even the same sculpt can feel different across different sizes, since scaling a model changes wall thickness and overall flexibility.

For fantasy toys, shape isn't just about appearance—it has a huge impact on how the toy feels.

Material Also Changes the Feel

Another factor people don't always expect is the material itself.

In our experience, translucent and transparent pours tend to feel slightly firmer than opaque ones, even when cast from the same base silicone.

The difference isn't huge, but when you compare them side by side, it's surprisingly noticeable.

Transparent silicone usually feels a little more resistant when bent, while opaque silicone tends to feel softer and spring back a little more easily.

One example is our Jellybean Paws.

The Salmon coloration has a translucent head fading into a semi-translucent salmon base with glitter. Although only part of the toy appears translucent, the entire piece is cast using translucent silicone.

The Pink-Blue coloration fades from pink into blue, but it's cast entirely with opaque silicone.

If you pick up only one of them, you might not notice much. Compare them side by side, however, and the difference becomes much easier to feel.

Firmness Is Also Personal

Perhaps the most overlooked factor is... us.

Firmness is surprisingly subjective.

Even inside our own studio, people often describe the very same toy differently.

Some of us think it's incredibly soft.

Others think it feels just right.

We've also compared toys from different makers with different Shore hardness values. Some coworkers could immediately tell the difference, while others felt they were almost identical.

That's why we believe firmness is as much about personal perception as it is about numbers.

Why We Don't Rate Toys as "Soft", "Medium", or "Firm"

People often ask why we don't simply label each toy as Soft, Medium, or Firm.

The short answer is: fantasy toys are too complex.

A toy's shape, size, silicone thickness, material, and even the specific silicone formulation can all influence how firm it feels.

Any "Soft" or "Firm" label would ultimately be based on our own subjective standard, which might not match yours.

Instead, we prefer to provide a general Shore hardness reference and explain the factors that influence the final feel, so you can make a better-informed decision.

So... How Firm Are KUMOCOOM Toys?

Most of our toys are cast in silicone around Shore 00-30, which gives them a soft, squishy feel.

For many beginners, this softness makes fantasy toys feel much more approachable.

Some customers who normally choose a Small size from other makers even find they can comfortably enjoy a Medium size from us because the silicone compresses more easily.

On the other hand, experienced users sometimes prefer firmer toys.

A softer toy can compress enough that small sculpted details—like the heart-shaped suckers on Maid's Secret, the tiny heart details on Pupcake, or the paw print on Shadow Paws—aren't felt as distinctly during use.

Softer silicone may also increase the chance of slipping during use compared with a firmer formulation.

There isn't a universally "better" firmness.

It simply depends on what kind of experience you're looking for.

One Little Secret... 👀

Before you go, here's a tiny behind-the-scenes update.

We've been quietly experimenting with firmer silicone in our studio.

It's still in development, and we don't have a release date to share just yet, but we're excited by the possibilities.

We'll be sure to share more when the time is right.

 

Thank you for reading!

If there are other topics you'd like us to explore—from silicone materials to colorations, sculpting, or behind-the-scenes studio life—let us know. We'd love to share more of what goes on inside our little studio.