— Work · Concept case study

Seedlets: a blind-box doll ad, step by step.

Seedlets is a fictional surprise-doll toy line created by Mythos Animation to show how a mid-size toy brand's product becomes a vertical ad. There is no client: the brief below is the one we wrote for ourselves, and every stage shown is real production work.

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— 01 · Overview

A pastel pod that cracks open

A collectible pod wobbles, cracks and opens; a mini doll pops up with an accessory and a collector card. The ad ends on a cut-paper garden end card with the tagline "Crack the pod, meet your sprout."

— 02 · Creative objective

Make the reveal the hero

Blind-box toys sell on the moment of surprise. The objective was to stage that reveal in the first seconds, show exactly what is in the pod, and stay honest about what the toy really does.

— 03 · Target audience

Kids 4+ and the parents who buy

The ad is written for children aged 4 and up watching short-form video, and for the parents and retail buyers who need to see the real contents clearly.

— 04 · Initial concept

Poster first

We designed the product and a launch poster first, so the look, colours and tagline were approved before any 3D work started.

Seedlets concept poster with the pod, doll and tagline
Concept poster: product, tagline and age badge approved before 3D.

— 05 · Storyboard and previs

Camera and timing locked in Maya

Three shots (hook, feature, payoff) were blocked in Maya with simple models, a 9:16 camera and the final timing. This rough draft is where changes are quick and cheap.

— 06 · Asset development

Pods and doll built in Blender

The pods, doll, accessory and card were modelled in Blender to match the approved design, with the pod halves and hinge built to open the way a real capsule toy does.

Seedlets hero still of the pod and mini doll
Hero still used as the design reference for the 3D build.

— 07 · Animation and cinematography

Small moves, real weight

The crack, the pop-up and the hair-leaf bounce were animated in Maya to feel like a real toy, with a tiny hand-posed wave instead of invented movement. The camera stays close and macro, like a tabletop shoot.

— 08 · Lighting and rendering

Lit and rendered in Unreal Engine

The approved Maya animation was brought into Unreal Engine for soft pastel lighting and the final render, with the motion-graphics end card built separately and cut on the music.

— 09 · Final video

The finished ad

Hook, reveal, payoff and end card in 13 seconds, ready for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.

— 10 · Deliverables and approach

What a client would receive

For a real brand this project would deliver the 9:16 master, optional 1:1 and 4:5 cut-downs, a poster frame and the approved previs, with disclosures added to the edit where needed.

Want a reveal like this for your toy line? Tell us about the product and we will plan the film with you.

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Also from Mythos: Toy animation · Product animation · Studio production support · Previsualization · Behind the scenes