Build-your-own 3D-printed figurine kiosk in a tourist park

The idea

Fabrinque, run by engineers Thiago Vinicius de Matos Silva and Uliana Franco Medina Procópio, sells collectible figurines that the customer designs on the spot. At its kiosk in Parque Capivari, in Campos do Jordão (São Paulo state, Brazil), parts are displayed in niches: heads, hair, shirts, arms, underwear and legs. Each head comes in four expressions and five colours. The owners say this gives over 2 million combinations. Magnets hidden inside the pieces let people snap parts together and swap them again and again until they like the result.

The business reports an average ticket of R$ 99 (roughly $18). In five months, from May to October, it billed about R$ 100,000, with R$ 40,000 in July, the cold-weather tourist peak. Children were expected buyers, but teenagers, couples and older people also buy a figurine of themselves.

The parts are printed in corn-starch filament on 3D printers, from digital models designed so every piece fits every other.

Who it fits

This suits a person or couple with some comfort in 3D modelling and printing, patience for repetitive print runs and a talent for talking to families. It is a full-time activity at the kiosk, though printing can run overnight. The same model could work in any place with steady visitors: lake promenades, old towns, zoos, seaside piers or shopping centres. The owners have now added online sales, because buyers return wanting more parts.

Costs and revenue

The couple invested R$ 80,000 (about $15,000), including company registration, a carpentry-built kiosk, park contracts and two extra printers on top of four they owned. A smaller start is possible: expect roughly $4,000–10,000 for two or three printers, filament, magnets, display niches, a stall and the first rental deposit. These are editorial estimates.

If you sell around 150–300 figurines a month at $15–20, expect roughly $2,500–5,500 in sales in a busy month and far less off-season. Filament is cheap, but your time and the site rent are the main costs.

Risks and pitfalls

• Seasonality: sales concentrate in cold or holiday months. Add online orders for extra parts and plan cash for slow months.
• Site contract: parks may charge rent like a shopping centre. Negotiate a trial period or a percentage model.
• Production bottleneck: magnets must be inserted by hand mid-print. Build stock before peaks.
• Fit errors: a fixed standard skeleton keeps parts compatible, so test every new design before selling.
• Design rights: keep your own original style, not licensed characters.