Oscar
The toy that captured a nation’s heart in the Christmas advert for Smyths. Find out how we turned him from small screen hero into a perfect vinyl toy.
Oscar – Becoming a Toy
When we were contacted by the McCann Agency to produce a vinyl version of Oscar to support the successful Christmas TV campaign for their client, Smyths, the UK’s largest high street toy retailer and we were delighted to get involved. After all, Oscar wanted to become a toy, so it would be a privilege to help him achieve his dream.
With Oscar we were presented with a very clear design from the TV advert, and while that made some aspects easier, we still needed to 3D model Oscar and create a full technical specification.
Creating a virtual model of Oscar allows our design team to rapidly perfect every detail in the model prior to moving to physical prototyping.
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With the model approved we could move onto physical prototyping where the practical aspects of the toy are addressed.
We wanted Oscar to be able to stand on his own two feet but with such a large head, it was clear it would need to be hollow or it would be top heavy.
This also meant we would have to use two moulds – one for head and one for the body – and with the prototype we could establish the perfect thickness of the vinyl needed for Oscar’s head prior to production.
With all this completed, it was time to move onto the actual sample made from the same vinyl as would be used in the manufacturing process.
The metal mould is created at this point which is the most expensive part of the manufacturing process. By taking care to get the physical details correct in the previous stages, both with the 3D and physical prototypes, we can be certain our vinyl toy is perfect in size, detailing and weight.
At this stage we also hand paint samples so that we can check skin and clothing material colours against the original Pantone colour references provided by the client.
By the point you hold the final sample in your hand, all the technical issues will have been addressed and this stage is a final opportunity to check you are happy with the vinyl toy prior to manufacture.
Although rare, should the need arise, minor changes can be made at this stage, usually to painting colours and details.
In the case of Oscar, the client was unsure as to the colour style of the jeans; whether to go with a plain denim blue, or to have a stone-wash style, which was resolved when they had two physical samples to compare.
