What are Adoptables and How Do You Find Them?

What are Adoptables?

Adoptables are a unique take on original characters that might initially seem slightly confusing or intimidating, but you’ll find it makes sense when you understand the basics. An adoptable is an original character created by one creator, usually an artist, who intends to sell or trade to someone else, such as another creator. Adoptables, in most cases, are typically pre-designed and may have specific requirements, restrictions, or rules associated with them by the original creator.

Adoptables can range from furry-adjacent species to fan characters or entirely new species tied to a creator’s unique setting. Adoptable characters have been around for a while and were adopted (for lack of a better term) as an early transactional feature of the online furry community. However, they have since grown to a larger, more diverse creator economy all around the internet.

The question of "what is an adoptable” changes depending on the person asking it. For someone who wants to adopt a character, it is an opportunity to buy or trade for a pre-designed character, usually because the design is detailed and impressive. For some, the most fun thing about adoptables are their collectability. There is something to building a collection of characters you’ve formed an attachment to that drives much of the adoption scene. For others, adopted characters may fit in with an existing story or setting they are developing.

For a creator of original characters, adoptables present an excellent option for networking and even potential profit. There are plenty of ways to benefit from creating adoptable OCs, but it requires a little planning and marketing.

Why Adopt an OC?

So, why adopt an OC versus creating one? CharacterHub creator Deadeye has this to say about their experience adopting OCs:

"I personally own a ton of adopts, and how I make them my own is by only picking characters I can see a personality for, whether in their pose in art or headcanons from others. Something that sparks inspiration in me, so I know they won't sit stagnant in my folders. From there, once I obtain them, I spend a lot of time thinking of various ideas and headcanons that sometimes become their canon, then draw them in a pose that expresses their personality. Then they truly feel like mine. Sometimes I know what I want to do with them already, and just making/buying a piece of art for them really makes me feel like they're mine!"

As we can see with Deadeye’s experience, there is a lot to think about here. We see that adoptables, when purchased or traded for, can often change by their new owner to reflect better what they want, but the initial spark drew them in. Usually, a creator in the adoption scene is initially drawn to a design, and often, they may already start getting ideas, which gives them all the more reason to adopt the OC.

Sometimes, a creator may see a character who can fit into an existing project they are working on. Or they may just be collectors of OCs in general. It’s like collecting trading cards or Pokémon - only with some impressive potential customization. Barring any rules the original creator sets, you can do virtually anything with the character. 

The reasons for adopting an original character are as myriad as the number of OCs. What matters most is that there is a large market out there.

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Where to Find Adoptables

The popularity of adoptable art means that the number of places it can be found is growing constantly. That even includes the availability of free adoptables. Now that you know how adoptables work, you may want to know where to find them. If you are looking for a place to find an adoptable of your own, consider the following sources.

CharacterHub

CharacterHub has its adoptable community through clubs, with planned adoptable-focused features in development. Again, like most sources we’ve covered, a simple search will reveal many options for adoptable OCs. While collectors have snatched up most, you can still search for open adopts or even find the profiles of creators who offer up adoptable characters.

One of the most reliable ways to find adoptables on CharacterHub is through the marketplace and raffles. The marketplace is handy because it has dedicated categories for purchasable characters and a free category where adoptables can be found periodically. Everything from new species to frogs to robots can be adopted through the marketplace. Beyond that, you can even commission other creators for new art for your adopted character through the marketplace.

Daily, weekly, and monthly raffles available on CharacterHub sometimes feature raffled characters, which is another excellent way to build your collection. It never hurts to check a couple of times daily for opportunities to find new characters.

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Social Media

There are many social media accounts out there that share adoptable posts and sources. Just about any social media platform, from Pinterest to X, has adoptables that can be found. Even a simple search reveals dozens of hashtags with variations on adoptables. Many such posts come directly from artists eager to share their creations with the right person. So, if you are looking for a source for adoptable characters, consider social media services such as BlueSky or Instagram and see what is available.

Tumblr

Tumblr has a massive creative community that, unsurprisingly, also features sources of adoptable characters. There are entire Tumblr accounts devoted to sharing these adopts posted by users and numerous hashtags that are some variation of the term “adoptable.” You can even find free adoptables just by running a general search. Many artists create entirely new species and like to make them available as sources for characters to help spread the species around. It’s a great way to get a free adoptable OC.

DeviantArt Adoptables

DeviantArt, one of the longest-running and most impactful creative communities online, has a thriving ecosystem for adoptable characters. By sheer numbers alone, dA is an excellent source of such potential characters. Beyond original art posted by creators, large communities and clubs exist to aggregate and share adoptables as they are posted. Any result from a basic DeviantArt search will uncover one of the dozens of clubs or collections put together by community members.

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How to Make An Adoptable

We’ve covered how adoptables work for collectors, but what if you want to make your own? For example, they are fun exercises for your creativity, especially if you can create a remarkable species as part of your setting. There is something gratifying about seeing a species you have created being embraced by other creators and collectors.

Adoptables can also be a great source of clout as well. Prominent creators who offer up adoptables based on their signature styles always have a lot of interested takers, and their work is spread far and wide. In some cases, adopts can also be worth some money, with auctions and direct purchases being an option some creators allow.

But how do you get the ball rolling and enter the adopt community? Let’s turn to some guidance from another CharacterHub user, Deluvana.

"I made my first adoptable with the help of a YouTube video on how to make adoptables. I used pastel colors with a space theme plus an animal to make a space bear adoptable. I posted it as a freebie so people could be able to get the adoptable and it was instantly taken! From now on I began to make adoptables with popular themes and color palettes."

As we can see from Deluvana’s example, no hard work was involved beyond creation (as that is hard enough as is). They also took advantage of the interest in free adoptables to get their design out there. From there, they made a series of adoptable OCs based on themes and color palettes they found exciting or popular.

You can start making adopts as long as you can create an OC and a place to post and share the work. But there are some things to consider before you dive in further.

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Your Adoptables Reflect You

Adoptables are often associated with specific styles and creators, which drives their market. The most popular adopts tend to be based on popular species or the style of a particular artist. Beyond that, though, there are other things to consider.

Species

When it comes to species, you can have an open species or a closed species. These are adoptable designs based on a species created by an artist or group of artists but with varying restrictions. For example, an open species is one in which the creator allows others to develop within as long as specific guidelines and rules are followed. On the other hand, a closed species is only available to members of a particular community. Usually, these tend to have more restrictions and are more private. Closed species are popular because of their exclusivity, making them highly demanded.

Fandoms

Fandoms are crucial to the original character genre because they are often an entry point into creative writing and illustration for many. Naturally, fandoms have an outsized effect on the adopt community as well. Whether adoptable OCs are based on the fandom of an existing intellectual property or the creation of a notable independent creator, fandoms help generate interest in adopts. For example, the Five Nights and Freddy’s fandom is a noteworthy adopt community with animatronic characters.

Styles

A signature style is one way to get noticed among the creative community, especially in the adoptable scene. Whether it comes down to technical skills or aesthetics, a distinctive style is an in-demand part of popular creators in the adoptable community. If you have a particularly unique style of character or species, it can give you a good entry point into the community.

Bases

Related to adoptables are bases. Bases are their own thing and worth exploring in another article, but the core idea is that they are unfinished templates that can be customized and made unique to the person who puts in the work. How they relate to adoptables, however, is that specific creators who have notable bases can auction off or sell such bases, allowing winners to do their design work. Some base artists even take commissions to customize the base for the winning bid or buyer.

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Some free adoptables, such as those used in CharacterHub contests, can come as bases. It never hurts to see what is going on in the community. You might find inspiration for a new OC.

Setting Your Terms and OC Integrity

One of the most essential parts of moving into the adoption community and offering your services and creativity is to protect yourself and set your terms. The adoptable scene is an economy with demand and value, and there is always a risk in any economy that some may try to get ahead by exploiting others. In that sense, it is wise to understand how to protect oneself and engage in safe transactions.

Let’s look at an example from Halcourt, a CharacterHub creator.

"Before you sell an adoptable, set a clear TOS. You have the right to take action if they break your TOS. For example: set a rule where your adoptable cannot be used in content of a hateful or harmful nature, saying that you have the right to reclaim the character(with or without issuing a refund is up to you) if that rule is broken."

Even if the transaction puts the control of an OC into the hands of a buyer or other recipient, that OC is still very much associated with you and a reflection of you. Halcourt makes a powerful example of why it is essential to set rules and boundaries. Nobody wants their work to be associated with hateful content, and the last thing you want is for someone to adopt your OC design and use it for something sinister.

If you are moving into creating adoptable OCs then your first goal is to create a Terms of Service agreement that you are comfortable with and confident in. Your contract should outline the rules and limitations on buyers and bidders regarding your designs. Like any TOS you might find on software, this is meant to protect you. Templates exist that can give you a start on crafting a TOS contract for your adoptable characters and designs. Be sure to do your due diligence and consider what is acceptable to you as a creator.

How to Sell Adoptables: Types of Transactions

The economic system that drives the adoptable community can vary highly from site to site, but we’ve compiled an overview of some common types. As creators can set rules, new exchanges are constantly developing. However, these should give you a start regarding how to market and sell your adopts.

Bidding/Trades/Purchase

Typically, adoptables can be sold in three ways: Bids, trades, and purchases.

• Bids are an auction-based model in which the designer accepts bids from interested parties over a set time. After the bidding period, the highest bidder and the creator exchange possession of the adoptable. Bids can range from site-based community points to actual money. It just depends on the designer's desires.
• Trades are the method by which a creator will accept a trade on behalf of an interested party for control of an adoptable. Trades can include exchanges of characters, such as a swap, or one or several services in exchange for a design. For example, someone may offer to swap three custom fanfics in exchange for adopting a character design.
• Purchases are when an OC’s design can be bought outright based on a set price. This can range from community-based points to actual money. Usually, these exchanges are first-come, first-serve.

Whichever system you choose for distributing your adoptables, you must ensure you offer them at a value appropriate for your work. Remember to value your creativity.

Mystery Adopts

One popular form of adoption is the “blind bag” style of adoption. Often, these are like the equivalent of blind bag toys, where a buyer or bidder is not sure of what they will get beyond a general idea of a species or type of adoption. A popular version of this is based on eggs. For example, a creator may auction off eggs, hatch them, and provide the resulting OC to the winning bidder. This adoption type can be fun and take on many forms, but the critical element is the surprise.

Customs

While many adopts are offered as they are, some creators tailor their work for customers to create bespoke OCs. For example, while bases are available, sometimes someone may purchase a base and then commission the creator of the base to finish up the artwork and adopt the character. Such custom adopts offer a more collaborative approach to adoptable art, and the buyer has a more significant creative stake in the resulting character than some more standard adopts.

Sharing Your Adoptables

Once you have a market in mind, have drawn up your TOS, and created the assets for your adoptable original characters, you’ll need to post them and spread the word. Communities such as CharacterHub or social media posting are the best way to get the word out about them.

CharacterHub has several features that make selling and trading adoptables exciting and intuitive. For example, you can create a character profile for your specific adopts and transfer ownership to other users using CharacterHub’s built-in ownership controls with only a few clicks.

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Further, creating a custom community through social spaces allows you to create a shopfront for your OC auctions. For the roleplayers amongst us, you can develop an original character who markets, sells, and handles the auctions on your behalf. You can post their offerings in character in such spaces. You can even visit the profiles of winning bidders, in character, to share the results of any bidding wars.

With that in mind, how do you plan on beginning your journey into the exciting world of adoptables?