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UPDATE: Our original goal has been met! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated! This initial $200 has helped to offset some of the printing costs during the '24-'25 academic year.
Next, we'll be raising funds for the '25-'26 academic year!
What is TopperFella?
TopperFella is part social experiment, part scavenger hunt, part collectible, and all about supporting and promoting the Western Kentucky University community. TopperFella provides students with something fun and active to pursue while on campus, and has been leveraged to highlight various student services across campus since it began during the Fall ‘23 semester. I am seeking donations to help offset the costs of producing TopperFellas, namely: photopolymer resin in various colors, and 90%+ isopropyl alcohol for washing uncured resin from the prints. Each individual TopperFella costs approximately $0.16 to $0.22 to produce, depending on the color and current resin price on Amazon. To date, more than 2,000 have been produced and nearly as many have been distributed to various ledges, nooks, crannies, and overhangs across campus.
Okay, I get the "idea," but how does this work?
Logistically, TopperFella has a physical and digital component. I 3D-print ‘TopperFellas’ on my personal resin 3D printers (Elegoo Mars 3 and 2x Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra) and hide them in student-facing public spaces within academic buildings on WKU’s campus. Each TopperFella has a message printed onto the bottom of its feet: ‘FIND ME? POST ME!’ and the Instagram tag, @topperfella. Passersby find and post pictures of their TopperFellas on Instagram, I feature them on the account, and also archive each photo within Highlights. TopperFella has a growing community of over 1,200 Followers and averages 190k+ profile views over prior 30 days during Spring and Fall semesters.
More About TopperFella
- https://wkutalisman.com/tali-tries-behind-the-scenes-of-topperfella/ - Tali Tries: Behind the Scenes of TopperFella, Oct 2, 2024, WKU Talisman
- https://www.wnky.com/the-mystery-of-the-wku-topperfella/ - The Mystery of the WKU "TopperFella", Feb 18, 2025, WNKY 40
- https://wkuherald.com/84050/news/topperfella-collectors-unite-for-inaugural-trade-day/ - TopperFella collectors unite for inaugural trade day, April 25, 2025, WKU College Heights Herald
- https://wkuherald.com/84185/life/opinion-topperfella-trade-day-a-look-at-community-journalism-and-the-beauty-between/ - OPINION: TopperFella Trade Day: a look at community, journalism and the beauty between, April 25, 2025, WKU College Heights Herald
- https://www.instagram.com/topperfella/ - The official digital hub for TopperFella.
Participating in TopperFella is and will always be free, but the materials required to produce physical TopperFellas do incur a cost.
To give you an idea, below is a breakdown of averaged actual costs to date:
Gray Resin, 1000ml
- $15-$18 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: ~13
Red Resin, 1000ml
- $21-$28 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 1
Orange Resin, 1000ml
- $16 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 2
Purple Resin, 1000ml
- $19 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 2
White Resin, 1000ml
- $16 on Amazon
- Produces ~75 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 3
Teal Resin, 1000ml
- $26 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 2
Pink Resin, 1000ml
- $36 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 2
Upcoming Spring Color, 1000ml
- $36 on Amazon
- Produces ~90 TopperFellas
- Quantity Purchased to Date: 3
Isopropyl Alcohol, 1 gal
- ~$30 Amazon or local
- Washes ~100-300 TopperFellas (depends on colors used)
- Quantity Purchased to Date: Many