The story of our cuddly octopus toy
December 2023
For the past eight years, Constantine has been capturing the hearts of customers young, old, furry and four-legged. Up until a few years ago, we gave our plushies free to customers who wanted one.
Then the energy crisis hit. We made the decision to stop giving our toys out. Instead we put that money towards support schemes to help our most vulnerable: electric blankets, thermal cameras to spot heat loss, and our £30m Octo Assist fund.
At the end of 2023, we wanted to find a way to bring joy to those of you who love our pink fluffy Octopus. And give customers the opportunity to contribute to our vitally important bill support schemes.
Enter Shoptopus: our new Octopus shop full of goodies, including our plushies, with all profits added to our £30m Octo Assist fund for vulnerable customers.
Promo Sapiens: The Evolution of our Plush Constantine
The very first octopus toys were hand sewn by a small toy company in Wales. They were dotted around the office and so beloved by our team, and eagle-eyed customers that we decided to create some larger cuddly friends to keep them company! Since then Constantine has evolved into the perfectly cuddleable plushie we all know and love.
Here's the evolutionary journey of Constantine!
Would rather give back to the environment? We love that! We work with The Green Task Force to plant 30,000 trees every year with veterans.
Want to give your old toy to a new home? Our spa will spruce it up and we can send it on to a loving new owner.
How can I get an Octopus toy?
If you're an Octoplus rewards member you can use your Octopoints to purchase a toy or other merchandise in the shop! The best part? We will double the value of your points (so if you have £2 of points we will convert this to £4 of credit in the shop!)
If you're not an Octoplus member you can head to the shop and purchase with cash!
All the profits will be going to our Octoassist fund this winter to give even more support to the customers who need an extra helping hand, find out all that we're doing to support customers this winter.
How did the Octopus toy come about?
The very first octopus toys were hand sewn by a small toy company in Wales. They were dotted around the office and so beloved by our team, and eagle-eyed customers that we decided to create some larger cuddly friends to keep them company! Our team quickly developed quite a soft-spot for our cuddly eight legged friends. You’ll find them all over the office now too, which can sometimes end up looking a bit like Octopolis - a real-life underwater octopus city!?
Why aren't you giving toys away for free anymore?
We stopped giving Constantines to customers for free when the energy crisis hit, so we could put the money towards support schemes to help our most vulnerable: electric blankets, thermal cameras to spot heat loss, and our £30m Octo Assist fund.
Customers have been incredibly understanding about that. Many even asked for a way they themselves could support their fellow customers through Octo Assist. That got us thinking; there should be a way for people to do both – and now, Constantine finds a new home on the shoptopus.
Constantines are ethically made from 100% recycled fabric and filling. Profits go straight to our Octo Assist fund (the small amount we’d have made on top of production and shipping costs). Customers in our rewards scheme Octoplus can even shop all merch at half the price with their Octopoints.
We’ll also start doing regular shoptopus giveaways on social media so there’s still a way to get your hands on a free plushie – follow us and keep your eyes peeled.
We know ‘buy a toy’ is never quite as good as ‘get one for free’. As we get bigger, this is our way of spreading the joy of Constantine whilst using our funds sustainably, and directing support where it’s most needed.
How can I get an Octopus toy?
If you're an Octoplus rewards member you can use your Octopoints to purchase a toy or other merchandise in the shop! The best part? We will double the value of your points (so if you have £2 of points we will convert this to £4 of credit in the shop!)
If you're not an Octoplus member you can head to the shop and purchase with cash!
All the profits will be going to our Octoassist fund this winter to give even more support to the customers who need an extra helping hand, find out all that we're doing to support customers this winter.
Where do the toys come from?
Our plushy friends started off as teeny tiny babies, handmade in Wales, but as our customer base grew and grew and grew, so did our Octopuses. They are now carefully (and ethically) crafted by a team of octopus-making experts in China and we have a multitude of Octopus toys of all sizes.
Why do you call the toy Constantine?
Our head of front-end development Ashley named our fluffy octopus Constantine. He was channelling the kind of octopus he hoped Constantine would be: a bringer of change like Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome, and a clear, transparent communicator like John Constantine – Keanu Reeves' demon-channelling lead in the occult detective classic of the same name.
Or, he just liked the name. We wouldn’t want to read into it too much…
How are the toys made?
We have ensured the octopus-making process is ethical for our workers, 100% compliant with toy-making regulations and all Octopus toys bought from our manufacturer since summer 2021 have been made with 100% recycled fabric and stuffing. So, you can rest assured that your octopus has started life in the best way possible!
Do you support Octopuses in the real world?
We're working on a Kelp research project in the UK with the ambition to influence wider environmental projects to restore and look after kelp habitats (cuttlefish and octopus live in kelp!)You can find out more here.
Who do you plant trees with?
We've been working with The Green Task Force for a couple of years now and it's a cause close to our heart. Find out more here about the tree planting we've done together here https://octopus.energy/blog/rooting-for-each-other/
Published on 28th May 2020 by:
Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy!
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