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Activision prank fans to promote new Skylanders game

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The Skylanders franchise brought the idea of connecting physical toys to video games into the mainstream, and the concept has been copied by everyone from Disney to Nintendo in the years since. As such, franchise publishers Activision have decided to use a unique new campaign to help them stand out from the imitators. The publishers, who also own the monumentally successful Call Of Duty franchise, have hired 72andSunny (who has developed all Skylanders creative since the launch of the first game in 2011) to create a unique and humorous new campaign for the recently released fourth game in the franchise “Trap Team”, based around kids in Toys R Us being pranked by comedian Adam Carolla.

Activision have hired 72andSunny to design a unique and humorous new campaign for the recently released fourth game in the Skylanders franchise, “Trap Team”

The pranks were filmed by Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, and were then compiled into a viral-worthy video (below), featuring Carolla hiding inside a seemingly regular kiosk at a Toy R Us store in California. Carolla pretends to be a talking game console (or “The evil trapped within” said console), who attempts to convince a succession of kids (and their parents) that he is an evil villain who has been trapped inside the console by the Skylanders.

Skylanders Trap Team - “Capture Evil. Unleash Prank”

Tashi Oszvald, brand manager at 72andSunny, said the agency were looking to expand the reach of the game beyond the target market of younger children to reach older boys and girls and thought that “A prank was a great way to age up while appealing to parents as well.” The concept was designed to appeal to children and their parents, and Oszvald thought that Carolla, who has hosted his own wildly successful podcast since 2009, “Had the perfect humour and quick wit for the ultimate Skylanders bad guy." She added that Carolla was a comedian who would help the game appeal to parents, giving the campaign more viral traction, and “As a bonus, he was already a part of the Skylanders family, having voiced Thumpback for a previous Giants commercial.”

The viral-worthy video, shot by Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, features comedian Adam Carolla pranking kids from inside a seemingly regular Skylanders kiosk

The concept also introduces new potential players to the game's back story and the key gameplay mechanic in the new game of trapping villains. She said “The core innovation in Skylanders: Trap Team, trapping villains in the game world into crystal traps in the real world, was not only new for Skylanders, but gaming in general.” She added that “When kids see it their jaws drop,” and the challenge for the agency was “To capture that magic in an unmistakable way.”

Official Activision Website

Official Skylanders Website

Official 72andSunny Website

Official Adam Carolla Website

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, musician and gamer from Kidderminster in the UK. He's never played Skylanders, but he HAS got a Yoshi Amiibo on pre-order. He regrets nothing.

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