Brandy Backstage

The project

CANADA HITECH developed and engineered the platform. The aim was to bring back the make-it-yourself spirit of the early internet, in place of the sameness of today's social apps.

What we built

• A doll maker that layers hand-drawn pixel art into complete characters, live in the browser
• Outfit Studio, a drawing tool where members design their own garments from templates
• Luthier Workshop, a full guitar and bass builder with two modes: Spec Build, where paint stays inside the body outline, and Custom Shape, a blank canvas with optional stencils
• Parts that can be dragged, rotated and painted, with the paint travelling with each part
• Finished guitars that can become items a doll holds on stage
• Fully customisable profiles, a publishing step called the Stage Door, a time-ordered feed, a blog and Backstage Radio

Technology

A dedicated asset pipeline carries hand-drawn artwork and its controlled colour palettes from the artist's tools into the site.

What makes it extraordinary

Brandy Backstage is a social platform built to reward creating rather than popularity, and that rule is written into its engineering. The feed is strictly in time order, so a member who joined this morning has the same reach as one who has been there since launch. Reactions earn nothing, and leaderboards never rank them. Progress comes from making things, across two separate levelling ladders and two currencies, while a public Rep score rewards generosity towards other creators. For the safety of a young audience, every garment and guitar is reviewed by a person before anyone else can see it. Launched as an open beta in 2026, the community has already passed 1,000 members and 2,800 dolls.

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