Animex mascot created by internationally renowned animator

An award-winning animator and director who has worked with some of the world’s most recognisable names in television and music has designed the mascot for this year’s Animex.

Taking place from November 16 to 21, Animex is Teesside University’s annual international festival celebrating animation, visual effects, games and immersive media, with industry speakers, workshops and events.

Each year the event attracts hundreds of animation, VFX and gaming fans of all ages, along with future professionals and experts who are already working in these creative industries.

This year’s Animex mascot, Taylor the Tardigrade, has been designed by Virpi Kettu, who runs Kettu Studios and has almost three decades international experience in animation and immersive media.

Virpi has worked with industry giants such as Aardman Animations, DreamWorks and Universal Pictures, contributing to popular work such Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts, along with music videos for global artists including Radiohead, Katy Perry and Father John Misty.

Alongside her creative work, Virpi also lectures, teaches and delivers animation and immersive-media workshops internationally.

Virpi based her design on a tardigrade to create distinctive and playful 3D character, Taylor the Tardigrade. Barely visible to the naked eye at around a millimetre in size, tardigrades are found in damp environments such as freshwater ponds, mossy areas and sandy soil. In their dormant state, they can endure extreme temperatures, from freezing cold to intense heat and can also survive crushing deep-sea pressure.

Virpi said: “Tardigrades are microscopic animals found all over the world, from mountaintops and deep-sea trenches. I find them fascinating, just like animators.

“And just like animators, they endure a lot and are very resilient to pressure and changing conditions. They survive and do their thing. Animation is a constantly evolving craft and as animators, we constantly need to adapt and problem solve daily, while having fun creating awesome things and enjoying what we do.

“Taylor the Tardigrade has many arms to do many different things because they have many skills, just like an animator.”

Virpi added: “I hope Taylor will bring inspiration to the students and reassurance that they too can be the animator they want to be. It just takes a bit of resilience. And even if it is hard sometimes it is a rewarding and fun job.”

She is no stranger to Animex, having been a guest industry speaker in the past, adding: “I am looking forward to all the amazing guests and panels and seeing students work and great films.”

During Animex, Virpi will proudly be sharing a retrospective of her work, with puppets and stop motion animation she’s been involved in. She added: “I’m looking forward to seeing lots of my projects and puppets in one place, as they’re currently arriving from all around the world for the exhibit.”

Virpi said the wheels were set in motion for her to design this year’s Animex mascot during a conversation last year in the green room with festival organisers.

She said: “I had a puppet with me that I’d made for a Katy Perry video and we started talking about how it would be good to have a 3D mascot, rather than the usual 2D mascot. I was honoured and delighted to be asked. I put forward a few sketches with suggested characters but Taylor was a winner from the start.”

Virpi added: “It has been a great pleasure to be involved in Animex and I am really excited to see what the students come up with in various projects with Taylor. I’d also looking forward to chatting to people about my work and animation.”

Dr Jo Noble, Principal Lecturer (External Events) in the University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, said: “We've had some amazing Animex mascots over the years from very talented artists from the worlds of television, film and games, but Tyler is our very first stop motion model.

"As soon as we saw Virpi's utterly gorgeous work at Animex last year, it was an immediate decision to asked her to create the next character. It was really exciting when Tyler arrived on campus and we met them for the first time.

"Having a physical mascot opens up lots of exciting possibilities for us such as allowing the students to create short stop motion animations featuring Tyler. We can't wait for people to meet the newest, and possibly cutest, in the Animex mascot family."

Each year the festival welcomes hundreds of guests to hear industry speakers, take part in workshops run by industry professionals, and get involved in free seminars. Students can also take advantage of portfolio reviews from industry professionals, who offer feedback and advice.

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