We worked alongside the team at Creature Amsterdam right from the initial sketches, to the final build and delivery. It was important from the beginning to create a likeable character who had a cool, relaxed vibe. The only other details we had to start with was his name - Barry!
We tested many versions of Barry in 2D form, but we knew some kind of facial hair would make him appear a bit more experienced and mature, which was important for the character. The style of puppet we chose was a 'hand and rod' - this allowed us to use a soft fleece for his skin and enabled mouth and arm movement. As well as these movements, we also created mechanical raising eyebrows which could independently be raised up and down. This of course allowed for a great range expressions.
Barry had his own wardrobe custom tailored just for him! From varying style of buttoned shirts to sweaters, they all were embroidered with BCC's logo and Barry's name.
We created three versions of Barry: two workable hand puppets and a armature poser model. The latter was used for photography.
The puppet was used in a campaign across the Netherlands such as posters on public transport and of course the television commercial and social media visuals.