Intro: There’s definitely someone in your WeChat circle who needs a personalized cartoon avatar. Streamers need it, influencers need it, and anyone building a personal IP absolutely needs it. Now with Codex, you can create one in just an hour and charge anywhere from tens to hundreds of yuan per order—enough to recoup your subscription cost in a single job.

Let’s first talk about what this is. Codex includes a feature called Hatch Pet: upload a photo or logo, and it automatically generates a cartoon avatar that transforms into a living desktop pet—capable of walking, waving, and reacting dynamically to your work state. The key point? You don’t need to know how to draw.

But the tutorial isn’t the main focus—the real value lies in what you can do with this skill.

An emerging demand is surfacing

Check out Xianyu (Xianyu.com)—search for “avatar customization,” “cartoon character design,” or “IP design.” You’ll find countless people taking orders.

Traditionally, this work had a barrier: either you were skilled at drawing, or you spent time learning Photoshop and AI tools. Now, Codex has erased that barrier. With just two prompt segments, you can turn a real photo into a full-fledged animated IP character.

So how do you monetize this?

Suppose you take on a custom desktop pet project. The client sends you a selfie. You feed it into Codex, first running an IP design prompt to define the character, then a pet generation prompt to animate it. Then send the completed folder to the client—done.

How much should you charge per order? For a basic package, start low—tens of yuan to test the market. If the client wants additional assets like emoji packs, three-view illustrations, and full animation sets, charging between 200–300 yuan is justified. Your costs are only the Codex PLUS subscription and roughly 1–2 hours of time.

Three platforms where you can land gigs

Xianyu. List services like “Custom Cartoon IP Avatar,” “Codex Desktop Pet Customization,” or “Personal IP Design.” Keep your copy simple—just post a few examples of your finished work, clearly label pricing and service scope. This kind of customized service sees consistent daily search volume on Xianyu, making it the most beginner-friendly entry point.

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). Share the process—show a before/after comparison of transforming a real photo into a cartoon desktop pet. This type of content naturally fits Xiaohongshu’s visual-driven audience; high engagement means more people will ask, “Do you take orders?” or “How much do you charge?”

WeChat Moments and WeChat Groups. Create a group, post in your Moments saying you’re offering custom IP design services. Word-of-mouth referrals from friends often outperform platform-based leads. When influencers see your work, they may want their own version—these are your ideal customers.

Three steps to deliver a custom desktop pet

This is the complete workflow from order receipt to delivery.

Step 1: Collect client assets. Ask the client to provide a front-facing photo, a logo, or even a hand-drawn sketch. Key selection criteria: complete subject, clear outline, normal lighting. Remove any extraneous elements if multiple subjects exist.

Step 2: Generate base IP character. Upload the client’s image to Codex and use the following prompt to generate the IP character. You can copy this directly:

Using my uploaded image as the primary visual reference, select the most prominent and complete subject, and redesign it into a highly recognizable, compact original IP character suitable for long-term use.

Extract 3–5 most memorable features of the subject—such as silhouette, proportions, facial features, hairstyle or fur, dominant color, clothing, and signature accessories. Preserve its original identity and aura without directly copying the photo. Freely adjust proportions, form, material, and detail expression to make the character simpler, more distinctive, and easier to reproduce—but ensure it remains instantly identifiable as derived from the source image.

The overall style should be cute but not overly childish, with a complete silhouette that remains legible when scaled down. Default to a high-fidelity 2D character illustration, blending modern flat design with subtle hand-drawn texture.

Generate a complete IP character design showcase: place the largest central character image in the middle, using its most iconic pose to express personality; include a small full-body front view, a side profile, and three different emotional head expressions. All images must belong to the same character, maintaining consistent core features, proportions, and color scheme. Use a warm white or clean light background.

If the subject is an animal, retain breed, fur color, and body structure; if it’s a human, preserve face shape, hairstyle, clothing, and signature accessories, then transform it into a non-realistic character.

Once satisfied, download and save the image. Remember: desktop pets appear small—too many details become blurry when scaled down. Think of it as designing an icon, not a poster.

Step 3: Generate desktop pet animation. Go to Codex Settings → Pets → Create, upload the IP image generated above. Add this instruction:

Using my uploaded IP image as the primary identity reference, leverage Hatch Pet to convert it into a Codex desktop pet. Retain the character’s core silhouette, main color, and signature traits. Allow movements and expressions to be freely designed based on different work states while maintaining character consistency.

Hatch Pet will automatically generate animations including main pose, idle, left/right movement, wave, jump, failure, wait, active, and result check states. Cropping, background removal, and packaging are all handled automatically. After generation, go to ~/.codex/pets/your_pet_name/ to retrieve the output. The core files are pet.json and spritesheet.webp.

Zip the entire folder and send it to the client. They can simply place it in the corresponding directory on their computer to use immediately.

Break down the numbers

Cost side: Codex PLUS subscription is a fixed expense. In our sample case, one run took nearly an hour and consumed almost half of the PLUS quota—so calculate how many orders your quota can support.

Pricing side: For a basic package—only the main character and a few simple animations—charge tens to around 100 yuan. For a full package—including IP design artwork, front/side/three-view illustrations, full animation suite, and emoji pack—price between 200–300 yuan or higher. Final price depends on your output quality and client budget.

Net profit per job depends on your actual PLUS subscription rate—this specific price isn’t publicly disclosed—but if you set your unit price high enough, just one or two successful jobs can cover your subscription cost.

Try first, then scale

The biggest risk in this business isn’t lack of demand—it’s never trying at all.

Start by creating a desktop pet using your own photo. Evaluate the final quality, estimate time and quota usage. Then list it on Xianyu with a low-entry trial price. Once you get your first sale, you’ll likely get a second—and feedback will help you refine your pricing and service offerings.

Moreover, the same IP character can be repurposed across other applications: social media avatars, article illustrations, video corner markers, etc.—you can bundle them into a “complete personal IP package” and sell at a premium.

Previously, entering this field meant learning to draw from scratch. Now, with Codex, the only barrier is a subscription fee and two well-crafted prompts. The rest is simply whether you have the courage to post your first job listing.