Wild Thingz

62% of parents are reluctant to give their children candy. This isn’t surprising when the big brands are a sh*t-filled amalgamation of sugar, E-numbers, animal gelatin, palm oil, Talcum powder, and more. Yes there is better-for-you candy, but their blanding (did our pen slip?) is just about as joyless as having no candy at all. 

If only parents could treat (aka bribe) their kids guilt-free. If only kids could taste the rainbow without all that rubbish...

Enter Wild Thingz.

The Was

Our clients (previously Just Wholefoods) came to us with a mission: to create a candy brand that parents wouldn’t feel bad about, and kids would go mad about. 

Organic, plant-based candy with no artificials and half the sugar. The canvas was blank. This was a full brand build—from concept to launch and beyond. It also involved crafting the shape of the candy themselves too. Even better.

So, we looked around the category. The world of organic is wholesome, white and hemp-y. Yet the ‘bad candies’ are an explosion of bright colors, flashy logos and exciting in-pack games. We started asking: why does junk get to have all the fun?

The industry was calling out for a challenger. A category-defining brand that has the ingredients of a saint, but the energy–and shelf appeal–of a sinner.

The How

First up, the name: Wild Thingz. We wanted the brand and product names to say organic, but with a rebellious twist. This is a world where kids can be kids and parenting doesn’t always have to look perfect. 

We gave the brand a voice and an opinion: rebels with an anti-artificial cause. The messaging calls out the category for containing so much crap. Think punk, not junk. 

The visual identity captures the unapologetic side of nature: a logo made out of thorns and bushes; a Venus flytrap mascot with a mohawk inspired by tattoos and grunge-y skater brands; a rock-and-roll typeface; and dark, brooding colors (no white or hemp in sight). Hell, we even created 3D worlds complete with overgrown forests, rusty shopping trolleys and abandoned buildings. 

We developed the product SKUs and designed packaging, point-of-sale media, launch assets and designed and built the website too. 

“We’ve created a whole world of playful plant anarchy. It’s not everyday that we get to work so closely with a client, who is happy to go for it and push our idea to the limit. Honestly, it's been f**king fun.” Priyjah Paramasivam, Design Director.