Jonny & Will on Turning IKEA Products into Puppets

Jonny & Will, directors

This is your second IKEA ad with moving IKEA objects. What are the challenges of making an apron move compared to a rug?

The Guldlok aprons in the second spot had to be much more nimble and fast moving, whilst the sheepskin rugs were much slower characters, whose performances were a bit more sleepy. We wanted the mother apron’s movements to feel very fluid and effortless as she makes her way around her kitchen. It felt important to allow the objects to move as they naturally would; their loose fabric flowing and wafting through the air. For both ads we created various versions of all the characters; each puppet able to achieve different actions and performances.

One particular challenge was having the little apron come in and the pair of them dance around together. For this we worked out a special rig to allow the pair to spin around as one.

How do you decide what objects you are going to get moving in each ad?

The main characters were laid out in the scripts we were given, and rather than making loads of objects come to life at once it was fun to show the stories of just one or two. The sheepskin rugs were fun to bring to life, and it’s always a new challenge to see how their personalities are going to come out.

What other objects would you love to animate if these spots continue?

There are so many potential characters in the Ikea product range, it’s exciting to think what might be next. Whenever we’re in Ikea we find ourselves picking things up and wiggling them about; getting strange looks from passers by, as we make candlesticks dance with toilet brushes..

What other puppeteering inspired you when making this ad?

We often use all sorts of techniques when bringing objects to life. It all depends on the physicality of the object, and what sort of action is required. For these spots we used simple hand puppetry for some of the rug close ups mixed with rod puppetry and more complicated moving rigs for when they had to walk along. With the aprons some were operated using rods and rotating contraptions, while other parts were on wires like traditional marionettes..

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