OPPORTUNITY
ToyMonster contacted us during the launch of “I Love Aromie” – an innovative new line of scented plush toys with a genuinely cool feature: squeeze the toy and a visible mist of fragrance is released! With the first range, “Blooms”, hitting Walmart shelves across the US and an international rollout underway, the stakes were high and the timeline super tight. They needed hero video content that could introduce the brand and product to the world – content with enough charm and spectacle to cut through in a crowded toy market and make an immediate impression at retail scale.
STRATEGY
A sensory product is a hard sell on screen. Our approach was to lead with wonder – expressive 3D animation to establish the world and the character – then hand off to live-action footage that proves the magic is real.
STORYBOARDING
Working from the client’s initial concept, we developed a detailed storyboard that mapped out the full narrative arc: animated world, character introduction, mist moment, and live-action transition. Shot by shot, this became the production blueprint – aligning creative vision, animation complexity, and delivery timeline before a single polygon was placed.
CHARACTER MODELLING & RIGGING
With no CAD models to lean on, every Blooms character was built from scratch. We modelled and textured the hero Blooms character, Rosabloom, to match the tactile softness of the physical toy – fabric-like surfaces, rounded forms, the kind of thing you want to reach out and squeeze. Facial rigging allowed for genuine expressive performance, not just movement.
WORLD BUILDING
The animated environment was designed to feel like it existed in the same material world as the toy itself – soft rolling hills, dreamy light, everything rendered in a plushie aesthetic that reinforces the product’s charm. The world needed to feel like somewhere the character belonged, not just a backdrop.
ANIMATION & FX
Character animation focused on playful physical performance: squash-and-stretch, secondary motion, micro-expressions. The centrepiece was the mist – a particle-simulated aroma effect stylised to make the scent visible and spectacular.
LIVE ACTION
Shot in a studio with our fun-sized hand model, the live-action segment grounds the magic in reality. The product’s simple operation, compact size, and mist emission are captured in-camera – no enhancement needed.
THE RESULT
A full suite of video content including broadcast-ready 15-second TVC and social cutdowns in portrait and landscape formats. I Love Aromie Blooms launched into Walmart with content worthy of this innovative new product – charming, surprising, and built to perform at retail scale.
