While at Animazement, Saturday AM discovered Altruistic’s booth. Daniel Delgado has created some incredible handmade gifts and cosplay elements for any fan. Altruistic’s products run the gamet of genres and options. Altruistic offers both online shopping options and visits dozens of conventions each year.
Saturday AM: Everything is handmade. When did you first start creating products?
Daniel Delgado: A little over a year ago.
Saturday AM: Did you always want to do comic related material?
Daniel Delgado: At first, we started doing more of the open outdoor festivals and started with symbols. Once we knew we got the symbols down pat and people were vibing with what I could do, then I started expanding into the pop culture. We wanted to make sure what we were doing was organic first because anybody can do My Little Pony and sell it; it doesn’t mean you have a solid product or idea. We started out with basic Celtic symbols, religious symbols, any symbol really.
Saturday AM: Is your Etsy shop your main outlet?
Daniel Delgado: We just opened our Etsy shop this year. We were very cautious about what we wanted to put on Etsy. A lot of good ideas get stolen from there, so basically we just put certain items. Everything else is on our Facebook page and website.
Saturday AM: Do you sell at a lot of conventions? Are you successful?
Daniel Delgado: We do a lot of conventions. We are extremely blessed. In today’s market, there is no reason someone who makes their own items could be as good as what we are in the short time we have been in business. We have grown exponentially. We have been extremely fortunate and the love has been outpouring.
Saturday AM: Which item is your most popular?
Daniel Delgado: It really depends on the con. Our keyblade replicas, which are smaller size and lighter weight, have been popular. Anybody can take them to any con and not have an issue with checking them at the door. A lot of the times, it’s our clocks. The clocks are really colorful and vibrant and can’t be found anywhere else. Our glow-in-the-dark t-shirts have been really popular, as well.
Saturday AM: What is your favorite product to make?
Daniel Delgado: I think the keyblades and weapons. The stuff you know you can’t find anywhere else for that price point. To get a really good looking cosplay weapon for $30 bucks is unheard of and looks good. I pour my heart and soul into them.
Saturday AM: About how long do projects normally take you to create?
Daniel Delgado: A lot of times, I find a knack for it. I get them done I a couple of weeks. Some of the keyblades take me months. The Oathkeeper keyblade took me five months because of all the points and sheer scale of it. I wanted to scale it down into something manageable and still have it look like what it is supposed to look like.
Saturday AM: Is there a property or product you want to do that you haven’t done yet?
Daniel Delgado: Honestly, we want to get into some of the more obscure ones that people are really aching for. For example, a wooden Kamehameha wave from Dragon Ball Z that you could strap on to your arm to make it look like you are blasting a fireball. Something fun that looks great in a picture. Something out there. I’m always looking to do that next coolest thing. I think one of our most popular items has been the Deku Shield from Legend of Zelda because if someone is going to do a Zelda shield, they are going to do the one everybody knows. I love doing the obscure stuff that people thought they would never see. Right now, the Cake Shield from Adventure Time is popular; you see a lot of Fionna cosplayers—and they make Jake shields—but they don’t make a Cake Shield. To give somebody an item to fit their cosplay, they had no idea someone would have the thought to make. We get a lot of our great ideas from our cosplayers.
Saturday AM: So you are always open to suggestions from fans and cosplayers?
Daniel Delgado: In a business where ideas should be safeguarded, our cosplayers have been fantastic. Some of the best ideas have come from them or inspired by watching them. To turn around and be able to complete a cosplayer’s costume, we love to see someone’s face and at a great price point. We strive hard to make sure our prices are as low as what’s possible. Actually, we lower them when we come to a con and are slightly higher online. We want to make sure people can afford what we do.
Saturday AM: How many conventions do you think you do each year?
Daniel Delgado: This year, we will do over 15 and maybe hit 20. We are doing some of the big ones. We do anime cons, gaming cons, some sci-fi, we try to hit on all cylinders.
Daniel Delgado and the Altruistic booth will be at NC Comicon along with Saturday AM, too!
Checko out Altruistic’s products and happenings:
https://www.facebook.com/AllTru2U
https://www.etsy.com/shop/nerdyville
