We’re better
together.

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• Product
  How big are the Otters?
  Not including the tails, The Big Otter is around 7”; the Little Otter is around 5”. (Big enough to snuggle, small enough to fit in a backpack or work bag).
  
  Do the Otters come in other sizes?
  Not right now. After extensive and immersive user research, the team in our R&D Lab has determined the current sizes to be the optimal balance of portability and snuggleability for all ages. (Comically large fun-fair size was briefly entertained, but failed the portability test). We do operate in a state of perpetual learning, however, so let us know if there’s another size we should consider.
  
  Do the Otters come in other colors?
  We’re working on next season’s line as we speak.
  
  Are these good for babies and little kids?
  Absolutely. They’re made of all-new materials, tested to be compliant with ASTM standards and suitable for everyone from babies to great-grandparents.
  
  How do I clean the Otters?
  For surface crud, a damp cloth should do the trick. If you need to throw them in the washer, we recommend putting them in a sweater bag or zipping them in a pillowcase on a delicate setting, then air drying.
  
  Where are the Otters made?
  They are made by hand in China by artisans who meet our standards of quality and responsibility.
  
  Who gets which Otter?
  That’s up to you! Some kids like to take the Big Otter, others like the little one. And the Otters aren’t just for kids and their parents—it’s for anyone who’s important in your life: grandparents, friends, aunties, siblings, godparents, second cousins twice removed, you name it. There’s no wrong way to be better together.

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• Purchasing
  When I place my order for “1”, how many Otters do I get? One or two?
  Otters are sold either as a pair (consisting of one Big Otter and one Little Otter) or separately as individuals. If you order 1 pair, you’ll get a set of one Big Otter and one Little Otter (pro tip: Otters work best in pairs). If you order 1 of either of the individual Otters, you’ll just get one single otter in that size (i.e.: 1 Big Otter gets you...1 Big Otter.)
  
  Can I buy just one Otter? Or a set of two Little Ones instead of a Big One and a Little One?
  Sure, but Otters really work better as a pair (which consists of one Big Otter and one Little Otter). That said, if you want a single Otter or multiples of a single size (like two Littles, for example), order them individually, since the pairs come with one of each size.
  
  Can I buy these in stores?
  Not just yet—just on our website right now. That said, if you’re a store and want to have these on your shelf, we'd love to chat.
  
  What if I want, like, a LOT of Otters…do you have any discounted pricing?
  Probably. Let’s talk.
  
  What about donating Otters or selling to nonprofits? Our people could really use these…
  Getting Otters to the people who need them most but may not be able to buy them is a core part of our model. Let’s chat and we’ll figure out how to get it done!

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• Order Details
  What payment methods do you accept?
  All major credit cards, Apple Pay, Venmo and PayPal.
  (Sorry, no cash, checks or coins of any kind (physical coins, bitcoins, dogecoins, ethereumcoins(?) or any of those other freaky-deaky cryptocurrencies that we can’t fully wrap our minds around)). No NFTs either; you can’t buy Otters with a .jpg.
  
  How do you ship?
  All Otters are shipped through USPS First Class Mail. A nominal $5 flat rate is added to each Otter pair at checkout.
  
  Do you ship to other countries?
  About that…international shipping is a little more complicated than domestic shipping, so contact us to order for international delivery. (We have a ton of people that we love who live outside the country too, so we feel ya and will make the shipping work!)
  
  I live in Chicago, you’re in Chicago—can I pick up my Otters?
  Niner! Drop us a line and we’ll set up a good time for you to swing by.
  
  Can you ship one Otter to me and the other to someone I love?
  Long answer: Part of the value of the otters is the emotional connection you imbue them with by sharing them with your loved ones. As such, the impact is much more meaningful when you directly share the other Otter with your little loved one. A nice handwritten note also helps.
  Short answer: Yes, of course, for an additional $5 shipping fee.
  
  When will I receive my order?
  We strive to fulfill orders within 24 hours and get them shipped out from our Global Headquarters in Chicago. Aside from being the most awesome city in the world, Chicago is also pretty equidistant to everywhere, meaning shipping doesn’t take too long, no matter where you are. According to the promises USPS makes about its First Class Mail services, you should have your Otters within a week of ordering. Sooner depending on how close you are to Chicago, again, the most awesome city in the world.
  
  What if I need to change the shipping address on my order?
  We know what happened here: you either forgot where you live, need to update your loved ones’ address in your phone’s contact list or your browser autofill feature got the better of you. Whatever the case, if you let us know as soon as you can, and we haven’t shipped your order yet, we’ll be happy to update the delivery address. While we’re doing that, though, you need to either take a quick peek outside at the big numbers on your house and commit them to memory and / or update those contacts and autofill settings.
  
  My order hasn’t arrived. How do I know where it is and if it’s coming?
  After you ordered, you should have an email with a tracking number. Try that first (check your spam). If you’re still having difficulty, give us a call and we’ll look into it. Also try asking your mail carrier if they’ve seen it.
  
  What if the Otters are damaged?
  We do a final quality inspection as we’re packing things up, but if something happens in shipping, send us an email with your order number and a pic of the damaged Otters and, assuming your dog didn’t cause the damage, we’ll be happy to take them back and send you a new set. See our Return Policy for more details.

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• About Toad & Tadpole
  Who is Toad & Tadpole?
  We’re a family-run business, led by Mark King, the dad. It also happens that my day job is as a human-centered designer focusing on understanding people’s unique needs and developing solutions to help them live better lives.
  
  What does Toad & Tadpole do?
  We develop products, services and experiences that help kids and their loved ones connect and mutually enjoy shared experiences. When you think about it, the world is designed mostly for adults (restaurants, travel, hotels, museums, movies—pretty much everything that’s not Chuck E. Cheese). There are a few things designed for kids (Chuck E. Cheese). But when you’ve got kids, there’s a lot more overlap in the circles of that Venn diagram, but not a lot of solutions to help both groups really enjoy that time together—someone’s always compromising (or worse). Our mission: design a world of shared experiences for both kids and the people that care about them, so that we can help loved ones be better together and build a stronger foundation for the next generation. In short: make spending time together with the kids in your life easier and mutually enjoyable so that you both want to spend more time together, build a stronger relationship and help you both be better at life. Lofty? Perhaps. But to paraphrase Daniel Burnham, the architect and urban planner who designed the rebirth of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871: “Make no small plans.”
  
  Where is Toad & Tadpole located?
  We’re in Chicago.
  
  Are there any causes you support?
  As part of our business model, we strive to support organizations that help loved ones prepare kids to succeed in life, starting with a solid emotional foundation of love and trust. Know a great organization that fits the bill or that we could support with products or services? Let us know.
  
  Do you sell anything else?
  Not yet, because we’ve been really focused on these Otters. But we have so many ideas. All the ideas, in fact. We’re working on prioritizing. What do you need to be better together? Let us know and we’ll kick that idea up on the list.

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