Picapau

What Picapau does

Picapau is a Buenos Aires-based crochet character design brand founded in 2009 by Yanina Schenkel (Yan) and operated as a sole proprietorship. The company designs and publishes amigurumi (crocheted stuffed toy) characters, with a catalog of more than 100 original designs spanning three published books — Animal Friends of Pica Pau (2017), Animal Friends of Pica Pau 2 (2020), and Animal Friends of Pica Pau 3 (2022), each containing 20 characters with specific yarn color codes. Beyond the book series, individual digital patterns are sold as PDF downloads through Payhip for international customers and Empretienda for Argentine customers, in both English and Spanish.

The core product ecosystem extends to a proprietary 100% combed cotton yarn line, Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 (including a Nude Cotton inclusive skin-tone palette), produced in collaboration with Danish partner Hobbii Yarns and sold through Hobbii's global e-commerce platform. The brand also operates a Patreon subscription (~224 members) providing tips, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes design content, a YouTube channel (@picapauyan) featuring free amigurumi tutorials including a beginner course built around the free Juan Osito pattern, an Instagram presence, and a bilingual WordPress blog used for free pattern releases and yarn education.

Picapau monetizes through four streams: one-time digital pattern purchases, one-time book sales, Patreon recurring memberships, and yarn collaboration royalties/licensing income from Hobbii. The go-to-market is community-led and product-led: free beginner patterns and YouTube content drive top-of-funnel acquisition, while paid patterns, books, Patreon membership, and the branded yarn line capture monetization. The customer base is a long tail of amateur and intermediate amigurumi hobbyists globally, with 225 email newsletter subscribers representing the most concrete disclosed engagement metric. The business has no external funding, no employees beyond the founder per multiple descriptive sources (a firmographic figure of 17 conflicts with the "solo creative enterprise" framing), and no formal incorporation entity disclosed.

Name

Picapau

Legal name

Yanina Schenkel

Website

https://picapauyan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Picapau is an Argentine sole-proprietorship crochet character design brand by Yanina Schenkel, selling digital amigurumi patterns, three published books, Patreon content, and a proprietary cotton yarn line co-developed with Hobbii to global hobbyist crafters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Patterns & Crochet Design

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (459130), Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913)

SIC

Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Shops (CRALADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Supplies Retail (CRALACAF), Picture Book Publishing (MPAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Amigurumi crochet patterns
• Crochet character design
• Cotton yarn products
• Crochet pattern books
• Craft design studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Argentina

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Pattern Sales: Individual crochet pattern PDFs sold as digital downloads through Payhip (international) and Empretienda (Argentina). Both English and Spanish language versions available. Some patterns offered free (Juan Osito) for marketing and education.
2. Book Sales: Published books containing character collections: Animal Friends of Pica Pau (2017), Animal Friends of Pica Pau 2 (2020), Animal Friends of Pica Pau 3 (2022). Each book contains 20 characters with complete patterns.
3. Yarn Sales (Royalty/Collaboration): Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 and Nude Cotton 8/7 yarn lines sold exclusively through Hobbii Yarns. Yan receives compensation through brand collaboration arrangement with Hobbii.
4. Patreon Membership: Monthly subscription providing exclusive content including tips, tutorials, and insights into Yan's crocheting and design process. Builds recurring revenue from dedicated community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Picapau designs and licenses original amigurumi (crocheted stuffed toy) character patterns, published in three books and sold as individual digital downloads through Payhip and Empretienda. The brand also extends into a proprietary cotton yarn line (Pica Pau Cotton 8/7) developed in collaboration with Hobbii Yarns, plus recurring Patreon tutorials and a free YouTube beginner course. The foundational product is Yan's portfolio of 100+ original character designs, with ancillary digital content, books, and branded yarn completing the offering.

Product overview

Picapau is a crochet character design brand operated by Yanina Schenkel (Yan), offering a portfolio of over 100 amigurumi characters created since 2009. The product ecosystem centers on: (1) the Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 and Nude Cotton 8/7 yarn lines produced in collaboration with Hobbii Yarns; (2) three published books in the Animal Friends of Pica Pau series (2017, 2020, 2022), each containing 20 characters with color codes; (3) individual digital patterns sold through Payhip (international) and Empretienda (Argentina); and (4) free patterns published on the blog. Additional offerings include Patreon subscription content with tips and tutorials, and a YouTube channel featuring free amigurumi tutorials and beginner courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pica Pau Cotton 8/7: 100% combed cotton yarn line created in collaboration with Hobbii Yarns, specifically designed for amigurumi and sculptural crochet work.
• Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 Nude

Products and services

• Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 Yarn Line 100% combed cotton yarn line created in collaboration with Hobbii Yarns, designed specifically for amigurumi and sculptural crochet work. Holds shape without stiffness. Available in 40+ colors through Hobbii's global e-commerce platform.
• Pica Pau Nude Cotton 8/7 Inclusive skin-tone yarn palette sub-line under Pica Pau Cotton 8/7, developed to reflect human skin tone diversity for dolls and characters made with amigurumi.
• Digital Crochet Patterns (Payhip international storefront) Individual digital amigurumi and crochet pattern PDFs sold as downloads in English and Spanish to international customers via the Payhip platform. Some patterns are offered free (e.g., Juan Osito, Marcia Alpaca, Elena Ciervo, Lenny Cat).
• Digital Crochet Patterns (Empretienda Argentina storefront) Digital patterns and publications in Spanish, exclusive to Argentina through the local Empretienda digital store platform, supporting regional payment methods.
• Animal Friends of Pica Pau Book Series Published book series of amigurumi character collections with detailed crochet patterns and yarn color suggestions. Three volumes published (2017, 2020, 2022), each containing 20 characters.
• Patreon Subscription Content Monthly Patreon membership offering exclusive tips, tutorials, and insights into Yan's crocheting and design process. Available in Spanish and English.
• YouTube Amigurumi Tutorial Series Free video tutorials and beginner amigurumi course on the YouTube channel, demonstrating techniques for crocheting characters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 225 email subscribers receiving regular updates
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hobbii YarnscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Danish yarn company Hobbii is the exclusive global distributor of Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 and Nude Cotton 8/7 yarn lines. Yan designed Lenny Cat for first Hobbii collaboration in 2023. Two yarn collections created in collaboration, with ongoing product line maintenance.
• Köel MagazineminorOthers · 1 January 2018Dutch magazine featured Elena Ciervo character (along with Crispín Rabbit) in Issue 6 of print edition in 2018. Character originally created as exclusive design for the publication.
• PayhipcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital product platform used for international pattern and book sales. Handles payment processing and delivery for digital downloads.
• EmpretiendacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArgentina-specific e-commerce platform for Spanish-language digital pattern and book sales. Provides regional payment methods for Argentine customers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hobbii: Hobbii is Pica Pau's exclusive global distribution partner for the Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 yarn line and is itself a major direct-to-consumer yarn retailer. It is comparable because it sells the same end product (cotton yarn for amigurumi/crafting) to overlapping craft customers, and shares the same online retail and subscription commerce motion.
• All About Ami: All About Ami is an amigurumi designer blog and pattern shop run by a single creator, monetizing through digital patterns, books, and tutorials. Directly comparable as a solo creator-led amigurumi pattern business with a similar content-and-IP-driven business model to Pica Pau.
• Amigurumi Today: Amigurumi Today is a leading English-language amigurumi pattern publisher selling digital PDFs, books, and tutorials to the same hobbyist crochet audience as Pica Pau. Directly comparable because both monetize amigurumi character IP through paid patterns and books targeting the same niche customer segment.
• Moogly Blog: Moogly Blog is a long-running crochet patterns and tutorials website that sells individual patterns and free content to the same amateur crocheter audience as Pica Pau. Comparable as a creator-led pattern publisher using a blog + digital downloads + social media GTM motion that overlaps directly with Pica Pau's content strategy.

Emerging players

• The Woobles: The Woobles sells beginner crochet and amigurumi kits that bundle yarn, hook, and step-by-step video instruction—directly addressing the same beginner amigurumi pain point Pica Pau targets with the Juan Osito course. Comparable as an emerging player that monetizes crochet through integrated kits and beginner education.

Broad incumbents

• Yarnspirations: Yarnspirations is a major North American direct-to-consumer yarn retailer (backing brands like Patons, Bernat, and Caron). Comparable as a broad incumbent selling yarn to the same hobbyist crochet and amigurumi customer base that Pica Pau serves with its proprietary cotton yarn line.
• Lion Brand Yarn: Lion Brand is one of the largest and oldest yarn manufacturers in the United States, selling cotton and specialty yarns to the same craft consumer. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same category (yarn retail/manufacturing), though it serves a much wider knitting and crochet customer base rather than specializing in amigurumi.
• Scheepjes: Scheepjes is a Dutch yarn brand with a strong direct-to-consumer and international presence, and is a direct Hobbii competitor in the European premium cotton yarn market. Comparable as a broad incumbent yarn retailer whose products overlap with Pica Pau Cotton 8/7 in the amigurumi and craft cotton yarn category.
• Red Heart Yarn: Red Heart (a Coats brand) is a mass-market yarn manufacturer and retailer with broad craft-store distribution. Comparable as a broad incumbent selling cotton and acrylic yarns to the same hobbyist crocheter base, though at a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Pica Pau's specialist offering.
• DMC (Threads): DMC is a global thread and yarn manufacturer whose brand has previously featured Pica Pau character designs (Marcia Alpaca). Comparable as a broad incumbent in the craft thread/yarn category with overlapping customer base in needlework and amigurumi.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@picapauyan
• Instagraminstagram.com/picapauyan/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/picapau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Picapau