17 June, 2022

BIG W Launches Toy Mania Creative With BLUE DOT Studios

By B&T Magazine

BIG W has announced the launch of its new Toy Mania creative which brings to life the greatest race in the universe through a series of animated 15 second TVCs.

Developed by BLUE DOT, the campaign showcases toys loved by kids and parents in the Race to the Greatest Toy Event in the Universe – Toy Mania at BIG W.

Shot over three days at BLUE DOT Studios in Sydney, the four 15 second and one 30 second films combine both puppetry and stop motion to bring to life a squad of our favourite toys including Jurassic Park’s T-Rex, LEGO, He-Man, and Barbie. The films also give a cheeky nod to favourite movie scenes that parents will remember along the way.

BIG W’s head of marketing – brand & strategy, Claire West said: “BIG W’s Toy Mania event has been on the calendar for Australian families for almost two decades. We pride ourselves on providing kids of all ages with an exciting new range of toys every year and this year is no different. With over 1,300 products on offer and 150 exclusive toys to BIG W we’re expecting another bumper Toy Mania event.”

“We knew our creative needed to match the energy of not only customers but our team in the lead up to the Greatest Toy Event in the Universe. That’s why we’re thrilled to bring this exciting new creative capturing the hype and anticipation felt by families. And with over one million Barbies sold at BIG W each year, we have a feeling customers are going to love her starring role!”

BLUE DOT creative lead Ken Buchan said: “In previous campaigns, we’ve focused on the excitement surrounding new toys and the Toy Mania event itself. This year, we wanted to put the toy’s front and centre encapsulating the fun of Toy Mania, which is how the race to the Greatest Toy Event in the Universe was born.

“We wanted to keep the toys true to form, so we worked with great animators and stop motion puppeteers helped inform the creative. Paired with the punk edge variation of our brand track, ‘Happy Together’ from Song Zu, and post-production magic from Rumble and White Chocolate has really brought this to life and we’re thrilled with the result.”

BLUE DOT partnered with award-winning director and animator Jono ‘Dropbear’ Chong to create the campaign with his expertise and specialised experience in stunning stop-motion creations.

Jono ‘Dropbear’ Chong says, “I was attracted to this project because it was all being filmed in camera – real toys, real sets and a real craftivism project – something I’m very passionate about.”

“The tricky part was that the majority of what viewers see was created in camera. Having to make the impossible possible by bringing inanimate objects to life and making them do things they wouldn’t normally do, which required a lot of problem solving. For example, how do we make He-Man stand on top of a Barbie camper impersonating Priscilla Queen of the Desert, while making it look like it was in a suburban backyard?”

BIG W’s Toy Mania campaign will roll-out across TV, OOH, Radio, OLV Podcasts, Live Reads, Digital Display, In-store, Social, PR, Influencer Marketing and owned channels.

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