Green Planet Explorers

Learn sustainability through play

project developed for Hape

Storytelling to
create bonds

Toys with a
purpose

Sustainable
toys

A smiling young girl with long blonde hair, wearing a pink dress and headband, sitting on a woven rug in a garden. She is next to the Green Planet Explorers Bamboo House Playset by Hape.

Designing for the next generations

The brief called for a playset designed for the next generation, where play becomes a natural way to learn about sustainability in a simple and engaging way, so that the adults of tomorrow embrace caring for the planet as naturally as walking.

New playsets with a twist

Our contribution

Illustration of a magnifying glass over a beige circular background.

Research

Strategy

Line drawing of a light bulb with a yellow background circle, emitting light lines

Concept

Outline drawing of a pencil on a circle, representing writing or editing.

Identity

Illustration of a painter's palette with a paintbrush and a large circular shape in the background.

Design

Simple illustration of two gears in front of a circle background.

Development

Simple illustration of a white ice cube with black outline on a light green circle background, with small lines indicating shine or glow.

Communication

Simple graphic of two overlapping speech bubbles, one in light green and the other in dark gray, on a dark background.
Illustration of pandas with articulated arms and feet, dressed in fabric clothing, with a detailed sketch of Hape's Bamboo Haouse, a structure that includes the use of bamboo, green plastic and accessories.

behind the scenes

~

behind the scenes ~

Each set was designed to be as sustainable as possible, with the usage of at least 80% of renewable materials, such as FSC wood (especially bamboo) and Green PE, a plant-made plastic.

The playsets are designed with a sustainable mission that the character has to solve, like cleaning the ocean or putting out a fire. The final aim of each set is not to explain the sustainable themes, but to spark the curiosity in the kids and open an educational conversation with the parents about sustainability and get them used to this kind of topics.

Play sustainably

Four eco-friendly product labels. 80% renewable materials. Made with plant plastic. Made with bamboo. FSC certification.
Two children playing with the Green Planet Explorers Ocean Rescue playset by Hape, on a white table in a bright room.
Young boy playing with the Green Planet Explorers Forest Keepers Headquarter by Hape, a wooden toy fire station, with greenery and a wooden fence in the background.
Two children, playing with Green Planet Explorers Camping playset by Hape at a white table inside a bright, decorated room.
A young boy playing the Green Planet Explorers Ben’s Eco Catamaran playset by Hape, a wooden toy boat with a sail on a white table in a bright living room.
Two Green Planet Explorers charachters by Hape, toy figures dressed as nature explorers with hats, backpack, bottle, magnifier glass, torch, and tablet with map
Young boy playing with Green Planet Explorers Forest Fire Rescue by Hape.
A young girl playing Green Planet Explorer Clio’s Bio Juice Cart by Hape. With her cart of fresh fruit juices, Clio encourages healthy eating habits and growing fruits
Young child playing with Green Planet Explorers Organic Greenhouse by Hape. Marco make compost from organic waste to fertilise the soil.
A young girl playing withGreen Planet Explorers Honey Bees Picnic by Hape.
Child playing with Green Planet Explorers Solar Offroad Adventures by Hape. Miniature toy offroad car, solar panel, and firefighter accessories.
A young girl with Green Planet Explorers Green School playset by Hape.
Wooden toy kitchen from Green Planet Explorers Milo's Jungle House by Hape.

A simple and appealing storytelling

We design a storytelling where endangered animals take action to save the planet and themselves, in this way, they become a good example of empowerment for children.

To communicate in a clear and simple way complex sustainability issues, we define 5 different topics, each one associated with one specific ambassador who, with his personality and characteristics, embodies the challenge of the topic.

The explorers live in a realistic yet imaginary world, divided into different habitats inspired by the natural environments each animal inhabits. This definition provided a clear context and, in parallel, helped to develop a coherent world in which to set the storytelling.

Green Planet Explorers infographic outlining five key sustainable actions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; Organic Food; Renewable Energy; Environmental Protection; Aquatic Conservation. Each section describes its purpose accompanied by cartoon animals.
Green Planet Explorers Ambassador Pam the Panda with text describing her personality and promoting renewable energy.
Green Planet Explorers Ambassador Milo the tiger with text descibing his personality and promoting reducse, reuse, recycle environmental actions
Green Planet Explorers Ambassador Marco the chimpanzee with text describing him as a bio farmer who loves organic vegetables and promoting organic food topic.
Green Planet Explorers Ambassador Kiki the koala with a teal bow, holding a gray joey in her arms, next to text describing her personality and emphasizing environmental protection and forest rescue.
Green Planet Explorers Ambassador Wai the sea turtle with a red and white striped beanie hat, looking through binoculars. With text describing her personality and promoting ocean conservation and caring for aquatic creatures.
Colorful illustrated island map showing Green Planet Explorers world. The animals characters are engaged in various activities including swimming, fishing, hiking, and relaxing. The map shows the different product belonging to the range by Hape..

A colorful yet stylish design

To maintain a coherent style between all the different aspects of the projects (from product to communication and social media), we developed a palette and a graphic style that recall the product, everything thought to be tailor-made for children.

A colorful infographic with categories about sustainability, including renewable energy, environmental protection, aquatic conservation, reduce reuse recycle, and organic food. It features Green Planet Explorers animals: Pam the panda, Kiki the koala

Enhancing Play

An important part of the project was to create a bond with the characters, which is why we defined their personality and produced a series of materials that introduced the characters and also served as a simple guide for the parents to introduce the play pattern and the related topic.

In the product, the child finds a leaflet about the collection and the play pattern, together with an ID card of the characters present in the set.

Together with that, we developed a magazine that serves as a gift for purchase in the stores, filled with activities, games and a story, to help the awareness of the collection.

Overview of Green Planet Explorers marketing material to support the selling of the products. Open packaging box with brochure, magazine with playful activities and instructions leaflet.
Collection of Green Planet Explorers ID cards: animal character cards featuring different personalities and traits. Marketing material made for Hape.

To enrich the storytelling and increase the awareness of the line, we also developed a series of cartoons available on YouTube.

Each episode introduces some of the Green Planet Explorers and their related set, busy in a mission that mirrors the one of the play patterns of the related set.

For this series, we collaborate with GOD Studio for the animation, while we support with the main 3D assets, the illustration and the screenplay of each episode.

The Full Collection

Green Planet Explorers Product Overview by Hape