Meiji Hello Panda

Meiji aimed to broaden the appeal of its Hello Panda brand among Gen Z and Millennial parents, while amplifying its newly defined brand voice and personality. The goal was to increase sales in retail and capture market share from competitors in the cookie and snack category.

Hello Panda snacks are so irresistibly cute and delicious that they instantly bring a smile to anyone who tries them. But what if that joyful, crunchy experience could leap off the cookie and come to life?

Enter Hello Panda’s vibrant lineup of playful characters. Each packet is a delightful surprise, featuring a mischievous army of Panda Pals that spread happiness, cheer, and a touch of panda-monium wherever they go. This campaign brings these adorable characters to life, inviting consumers to discover which Panda Pal they’ll encounter next—turning each snack into a fun, exciting moment that keeps people coming back for more. Through this playful, engaging approach, Hello Panda becomes not just a snack, but an experience full of joy and discovery.

I had the incredible opportunity to lead a team of animators in bringing adorable panda characters to life. The process began with creating storyboards, using a mix of stock photos and 2D illustrations, to align both client expectations and our internal production team.

Once the storyboards were approved, I took on the task of developing a complex, modular rigging system in After Effects. I used the Rubberhose plug-in in conjunction with the EGP workflow method, which enabled us to quickly generate a variety of characters from a single template, ensuring consistency throughout the video campaign.