Cake toppers
The size problem nobody mentions
Measure the top tier, not the cake
A common three-tier wedding cake has a top tier about 15 cm wide and 10–12 cm tall. A 20 cm topper weighs 560 g. It stands taller than that tier. It weighs more than a good slice of it. It looks like a separate thing set on the cake, not part of it. Its base leaves no room for the flowers or piping you likely planned.
Weight matters more than people think. Buttercream and fondant can not hold half a kilo on a narrow base. You need a board or dowels. Ask your baker before you order, not after.
Everything we bought, tallest first
| Topper | Material | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBobbler | Hand-sculpted clay | 20 cm (7¾ in) | 560 g |
| WorksIsen | Hand-sculpted clay | 18 cm (7¼ in) | 510 g |
| Statu3D | Full-colour 3D print | 15 cm (6 in) | 120 g |
| JujuGigiClayPlay | Hand-sculpted clay | 15 cm (5¾ in) | 190 g |
| Titoho | 3D print, hand-painted | 12 cm (4¾ in) | 45 g |
| Funko | Mass-market vinyl | 11 cm (4¼ in) | 100 g |
| Figuro | Full-colour 3D print | 10 cm (4 in) | 50 g |
| SnapFigures | Full-colour 3D print | 10 cm (3¾ in) | 80 g |
Funko is one figure. A pair weighs about 200 g. We measured the SnapFigures we could use. It was the replacement, not the first one.
Clay has a size floor
The size pattern in that table is not chance and not a style choice. Clay toppers are big because a person has to shape each nose, lace hem and bow tie by hand with a tool. Below about 15 cm those details can not be made. So clay studios do not sell small. If you want the craft, you also buy the size. That is why clay looks too big on most real cakes.
Printing is the other way. It goes small with ease, and the face is the first thing lost. The prints here cluster at 10 cm and weigh 50–120 g. That sits on a cake well. It is also where the glasses vanished, the facial hair vanished, and the faces read as strangers. About 10 cm is where both problems are least bad, not where either is solved.
Before you order
Measure how wide and how tall your top tier is. Ask the vendor for the finished height and weight in cm and grams, not "about 6 inches." Ask how big the base is. If they say 20 cm and 500 g, ask your baker if that tier can hold it.
The likeness side is a separate problem. We cover it in why your topper will not look like you.