A portion of this blog has been updated since it was first posted. Information has been updated under the "When the Restock Would Happen" section. Additionally, a new "hint" has also been added regarding a brand new item arriving in late October/early November in the very last section of the blog.
Overview
I've been keeping this under wraps for a little while now, because quite frankly, I wasn't entirely sure we'd ever be able to bring back our original full sized Bartholomew Gargoyle Plush that we released in November of 2025.
The original Bartholomew Gargoyle Plush
Due to several issues with the original manufacturer that we worked with to bring that gargoyle to life, we sadly had to halt production. Instead, we pivoted to a newly designed Gargoyle Plush, designed by a new manufacturer, that is smaller and also serves as a bag charm. We ended up selling hundreds of that little guy, and I'm so thankful he had such a fantastic run. I can't tell you what an amazing dopamine rush I would get every time I received tags on social media of all the Rachel Gillig fans taking him along to book signings, midnight releases, coffee shop dates, bookstore runs, etc.! Little Barty got around, let me tell you! That version of Bartholomew has sold out for... I think the fourth time? And we've decided to put a halt on making more for the time being 💔
Our second bag charm version!
Bringing Back the Original Big Guy
Off and on we've had quite a few people bring up that original, larger Bartholomew, longing for a restock... People just can't seem to shake him from their minds, and truthfully, he is my favorite version. But I told myself it would never happen again after two pretty rough experiences with the original manufacturer. The product they gave us was fantastic—no issues there, but they were consistently unreliable with shipments, often shorting me numerous gargoyles and not offering replacements. I finally decided I needed to part ways with them for my own sanity and for the satisfaction of our customers.
Partnering with the new manufacturer to bring "baby Barty" to life has been such an easy, successful experience. I've been working with them for roughly a year now and have had nothing but positive experiences (thankfully). For this reason, and despite my past PTSD with the OG Bartholomew, I finally decided to pitch them the idea of trying to bring our original "big Barty" back to life.
I am incredibly happy to announce that after speaking to them in depth about our original Bartholomew and all the things that made him so special, we now feel that we can confidently bring him back to the shop. I truly thought this would never be a reality, and I'm so stoked at the possibility that this actually might be happening!
I'm sure some of your eyes caught on the words "might be" in that previous sentence and now you're thinking: "Okay, Bailey. Is it really happening or not?!" So, let me explain a bit further: We definitely can bring this Bartholomew back to the shop and get him almost identical to the original. However, this is going to be a huge investment for us and a big time commitment, so before making any major decisions I want to gauge interest first!
Therefore, if any of you desperately want to see us restock this version, I'd love it if you would fill out this poll: ORIGINAL BARTHOLOMEW GARGOYLE PLUSHIE INTEREST POLL.
At that link, you can also see a video showing off all angles of the gargoyle in case you need a refresher on what he looks like, along with one caveat regarding two aspects that might be slightly different from the original plush.
When the Restock Would Happen
If we restock, it would happen on October 28, 2026, which is when we plan to do some other officially licensed Rachel Gillig apparel restocks as well. It would be a preorder with an estimated ship date of November 25th. If the first batch of gargoyles sells out quickly like they have in the past, we may open up an additional preorder after sell out. That would be TBD and, of course, it's never a guarantee.
Officially Licensed by Rachel Gillig
We are so incredibly proud to be the home of the first and only Bartholomew Gargoyle Plushie that is officially licensed by Rachel Gillig. At Next Chapter, we've become big believers in the idea that products inspired by book characters should be created with permission from the intellectual property holders (i.e. the authors). Our Bartholomew Gargoyle Plushie is directly inspired by the gargoyle from The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. He was created with the permission of the author and per our licensing agreement with her, Rachel Gillig receives a percentage of all profits. When we bring the Gargoyle Plushie back to the shop, it will be no different.
Thank you, Bartholomew!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading. And if you know of any friends who might be interested in seeing the big guy restocked, I would be so appreciative if you shared that poll with them. When you submit the poll, it also acts as a waitlist, so that when we do restock him, you'll get an email notification immediately. Once I give the poll a couple of weeks to ruminate, I'll see what the interest level is and go from there 🖤
Lastly, I'd like to leave you with one hint regarding a brand new Bartholomew item arriving around the same time and here it is: "I hope Bartholomew likes trees."
I hope you're currently reading something that you're thoroughly enjoying!
