ABOUT

The Roald Dahl Story Company developed and co-produced a new musical adaptation of The Enormous Crocodile. The brief was to create merchandise for the show and a limited edition gift for the cast and crew.

The merchandise should be something special and affordable that could celebrate young children’s first experience of the theatre, so the magic stayed with them after the show. The limited edition gift was a keepsake for the cast and crew to commemorate their work.

In the production, a group of children called the ‘Jungle Juniors’ and their teacher go camping in the jungle where The Enormous Crocodile is hiding, ready to fool them with his clever tricks.

For the merchandise, embroidered patches and enamel pins were made with custom illustrations. These were chosen to reflect the Jungle Juniors' costumes, which were decorated with similar collectibles earned from their adventures. The idea was to capture the fun of the story, giving children their own merit badge for surviving the Enormous Crocodile.

We used a minimal and playful illustration style, drawn in soft curves and block shapes, with subtle points and hard lines (like on Croc's teeth) to add an edge which mimics the tone of the story. The style needed a sense of simplicity, to consider both audience appeal and legibility.

For the limited edition gift, the design and illustration also reflects the story, set, costumes, and camping theme of the show. The illustrated patch is displayed on a pop-up tent card. The drawn check pattern calls to the design of the Croc puppet on stage, with a red insert mimicking the inside of his mouth. Inspired by a matchbox, the striking strip, echoing Croc’s teeth, sits alongside a warning: "Keep away from children.”

The gifts received praise and the merchandise sold out at the venue. Due to the success of the merchandise, the new run of the show has been rebranded with bespoke illustration throughout the campaign.

Laura Coppolaro, Illustrator
Emily Bridge, Designer (Limited Edition Packaging)
Nat Bullard, Art Direction
We Are Studio, Photography
Gavin Martin, Limited Edition Packaging Production
Emporium Embroidery, Limited Edition Embroidered Patch Production
Rocket Branding, Merchandise Embroidered Patch Production
Black Rooster, Merchandise Enamel Pin Production