This project required us to replicate clips taken from the CGI animated show, but with a handmade feel. We were also asked to create an introduction video to be used across all 5 films of the box bouncing into life. 

Numberblocks: Compilation Reel

Style: Stop Motion
Client: Blue Zoo and Learning Resources
Year: 2021

Online advertisements for new Numberblocks merchandise 

Production company Blue Zoo and Learning Resources are responsible for the hit children’s TV show, Numberblocks. Their spin off toy brand Mathlink Cubes is a popular and playful learning tool for young children to understand basic counting and arithmetic. The client wanted to create a series of short animated adaptations which turned some of their original CG animation into stop-motion. We re-imagined some of the signature song and dance numbers from the show into scenes which used the Mathlink Cube toys in place of the CG characters (Numberblocks 1 -10). The plan was to make these look and feel like something created on the floor of a living room by a child playing at home. 

The Creative

For the setting, we recreated the corner of a domestic lounge area, complete with a wooden floor and exposed brickwork. We dressed the scene with furniture, a rustic toy basket and some handmade toys originally made by our own animators and model makers as hobby pieces. To emulate the scenes from the show, we created playful cutout sets ranging from boats on the sea to night time hills. In true ‘make and do’ spirit, these were created from cardboard and other simple craft materials. In Pattern Palace, we utilised the mathlink packaging to recreate the support for the bridge. Plus we added props and some handmade replacement magical flourishes which mimicked the visual effects in the show. 

For the characters’ speech, we used the Mathlink Cubes sticker sets to create a full range of replacement mouth pieces for lip-synching. For animation, we rigged the characters to make them run, jump and fly. After the footage was cleaned up and assembled, we created 1:1 crops for social platforms. 

These films were made for Numberblocks’ UK and US social platforms, including their YouTube channel with 3.58 Million subscribers. They received 4.5 Million views in their first week.

  • Stop Motion
  • Visual Effects
  • Advertising
Numberblocks – Pattern Palace
Numberblocks – Off We Go
Numberblocks – One
Numberblocks – Blast Off