Ki appointed creative partner for Morph’s Epic Art Adventure

Family-focused marketing agency Kids Industries (Ki) has today announced that it is the creative partner for a major new initiative – Morph’s Epic Art Adventure in London, set to be the first accessible, step-free cultural event of its kind.

The launch event, which took place at The Museum of London earlier this week, announced the partnership between Whizz-Kidz, Wild in Art, and Aardman – the award-winning animation studio and creator of the childhood-favourite and much-loved animated character, Morph.

The spectacular public art trail and tourist attraction will see up to 70 super-sized sculptures of Morph take over the streets of central London in summer 2023. The step-free family-friendly art trail of colourful Morphs will span iconic London landmarks including St Pauls, Tate Modern, the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market.

Whizz-Kidz is embarking on this fun, fully accessible trail across London to raise awareness of the need for better access and inclusion for young wheelchair users, and to raise vital funds to support their work.

The money raised will enable the charity to provide life-changing wheelchairs and confidence-building opportunities for young wheelchair users in the capital and across the UK. The Morph sculptures will be canvases for conversations about diversity and inclusion for wheelchair users.

Each of the 70 Morph sculptures stands at 6ft tall and will be adorned with bespoke designs from a range of artists, supported by sponsors including Sky, Barratt Developments, EY, Kids Industries, Evenbreak, and Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. Once the trail has closed, each of the bespoke Morph sculptures will be auctioned with the aim of raising £500,000 for Whizz-Kidz.

A trail app, website, map, guidebook and dedicated social media channels will enable trail-goers to navigate the route, tracking down each sculpture and unlocking fun facts and rewards.

Sarah Pugh, chief executive of Whizz-Kidz, says: “We are delighted to launch Morph’s Epic Art Adventure in London. This accessible and fun trail will bring the London business community, creative artists, schools and families together in the summer of 2023. The awareness and money raised will have a huge legacy for young wheelchair users we support for years to come.”

“We are totally thrilled to be working with the excellent charity Whizz-Kidz on London’s first step-free art trail,” says Peter Lord, the co-founder of Aardman and creator of Morph. “I’m sure that local residents and visitors to London – young and old – will also be inspired to get creative and join Morph for an Epic Art Adventure.”

Gary Pope, CEO and Co-Founder at Ki, adds: We are super excited to support the important work Whizz-Kidz does as the official creative partner on such an important project – giving our time and resources to make this a huge success.

“The work that Whizz-Kidz does is incredible. Morph is incredible. London is incredible. Mashing the three together is pure genius – of course we wanted to be involved!

“One of our six immovable pillars of childhood, what we call the Super 6, is Diversity & Inclusion. As such, we are committed to equality in all its forms and to have the chance to play a small part in ensuring more children are able experience the epic-ness of London through a truly accessible epic adventure trail of Morphs is something our whole team stands behind.”

Aardman and Wild in Art announce creative partnership

Animation studio Aardman has entered into a creative partnership with Wild in Art that will produce public art trails featuring sculptures of well-loved characters Morph and Shaun the Sheep in towns and cities across Britain, from January 2022.

The characters will provide a 3D canvas, and creative inspiration, for a wealth of art and design from a carefully curated mix of well-known and emerging artists. The new trails will further Wild in Art’s mission to bring art out of the gallery and create shared experiences, whilst the learning programmes and activations develop the next generation of artists.

The first-ever sculpture trail to feature Morph launched on 29 January this year when ‘Morph’s Epic Art Adventure’ arrived in North Tyneside. This first event, hosted by North Tyneside Council, will see Morph of the North with twenty 1.8m-tall Morph sculptures decorated by commissioned artists from across the country with a wide range of themes, including floral, character designs and plays on the word ‘Morph’.

This is the second Wild in Art trail to take place in and around North Tyneside Town Centre, following the hugely successful delivery of The Snowman and The Snowdog in Winter 2020. The aim is to drive footfall into town centres, supporting the local economy, whilst also encouraging families to get outdoors and active, and nurture an interest in art and creativity in the community.

The opportunity to host a ‘Morph’s Epic Art Adventure’ trail is open to towns and cities across the UK. Shaun the Sheep will be the second collaboration as part of this new partnership, and news and opportunities for this concept will be announced soon.

Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Aardman and to bring these internationally renowned characters to art trails across the UK.

“Morph and Shaun the Sheep will bring colour and creativity to host locations. Each sculpture will be a conversation starter, with a different story to tell, allowing residents and visitors to explore their town or city from a different perspective. It’s a Covid-friendly way for people to socialise, support local artists and our charity partners/a local charity and enjoy some exercise in the fresh air.

“We’ve got some exciting plans in development and we look forward to revealing more host locations in the coming months.”

Rob Goodchild , Commercial Director at Aardman, added: “We are very happy to be working with the great team at Wild in Art to bring more art trails featuring our characters to the streets of the UK, including the inaugural Morph art trail – a character that’s encouraged creativity in generations of kids since the seventies. We look forward to finding fun and creative angles to connect our characters with each location and inspire people – young and old – to get creative.”

 

 

Flair and Aardman sculpt new deal for Plasticine

Flair GP and Aardman have signed a two-year deal to introduce new licensed lines to Flair’s Plasticine collection. The partnership will introduce two of Aardman’s much-loved animated characters to Flair’s popular heritage collection: Shaun the Sheep and Morph.

Available from July 2022, these licensed sets aim to offer children hours of creative play, allowing them to recreate their favourite on-screen characters.

The first addition to the range will be the Plasticine Shaun the Sheep Farmyard Fun set, which lets kids create their own Shaun the Sheep characters from Plasticine, complete with the illusion of a woolly texture. Once modelled, the characters can be displayed in the fun 3D farmyard scene.

The second line is the Plasticine Morph Animation Maker, which will allow children to create their own Morph – the iconic clay character who made his TV debut on the children’s BBC art show Take Hart in the 1970s and is back in a new Sky Kids series: The Epic Adventures of Morph. Kids can use the props and accessories to create Morph and then place him on the famous desktop scene to bring to life their favourite stop-motion sketches from the hit TV show.

Speaking of the collaboration, Iulia Toader, Marketing Manager, Flair GP, says: “We are so excited to announce this incredible partnership with Aardman. Aardman traditionally use modelling clay for their animations, and the most famous modelling material on the market is Plasticine – so there couldn’t be a better synergy between the brands. We know these lines are going to be a real hit with children and their families.

“The lines will launch during the summer holidays, and with it will come a marketing drive to raise further awareness among children and their parents, to ensure their success at retail.”

Adam Vincent-Garland, Business Development Manager at Aardman, adds: “We’re delighted to be working with Flair GP on these new Plasticine lines. Modelling is integral to the history of Aardman and our best-loved animations, so it really is a fitting partnership – and one that we hope will inspire the next generation of 3D modellers and animators.”

 

Aardman launches newest IP, The Very Small Creatures

Aardman has announced the launch of its newest IP, a series for 1- to 3-year-olds called The Very Small Creatures.

The Very Small Creatures, the first spin-off from the studio’s hugely popular Morph series, follows the adventures of five toddler-like clay creatures who explore a child’s play area when no one’s around – learning about their physical world, themselves and each other. The 20×3″ colourful and characterful stop-motion episodes are available on Sky Kids from today.

A bonus Christmas episode, ‘A Very Small Christmas’, will also be part of a Sky Kids Christmas Favourites compilation on Sky Showcase and will be available on Sky Kids on Demand and NOW from 19 December.

The Very Small Creatures is a series directorial debut for Aardman talent Lucy Izzard, who is both an animator and director. “I’m delighted to be able to share my five new besties with you,” she says. “I hope these colourful characters thrill, excite and entertain a whole new host of very small people, as they watch The Very Small Creatures leap, bounce and ‘bottom-pop’ around their screens with all the joyous fun that curiosity brings.”

Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content, UK & ROI at Sky, adds: “You don’t have to be a child to find Aardman’s incredible stop-motion animations truly enchanting. It’s been a real privilege to work with Lucy Izzard, whose unique creative vision for The Very Small Creatures is sure to delight the whole family this festive season.”

The Very Small Creatures is available now on Sky Kids and NOW. Territories include the UK, Germany and Italy