The cat-headed characters engaged in performances and quotidian activities in Washington Square Park in New York and Bedford Avenue and Domino Park in Brooklyn
On July 8th, oversized cat heads converged on Washington Square Park in New York and Bedford Avenue and Domino Park in Brooklyn to carry out routine daily activities in a one-day street stunt designed by Brooklyn-based experiential agency Bankrobber. The activation promoted S2 of WEBTOON’s Everything is Fine from Mike Birchall, one of WEBTOON’s premier titles with over 48.3 million views and 1 million subscribers.
The cat-headed characters engaged in performances and quotidian activities throughout the park during the day. Park-goers encountered the characters doing chores like participating in tai-chi class, walking a dog, carrying boxes and more. Throughout the day the characters eyes would periodically turn red to mimic the comics’ surveillance plot, only to return to their commonplace activities minutes later.
Bankrobber also worked with vendor New York Cake Pops to create cathead pops, which were dispensed from a real-life replica of the comic’s tiny home. A QR code appeared on a sticker on the back of each pop so recipients can link to the series. Comic characters are seen on sandwich boards, sinister CCTV surveillance cameras seem to follow characters, and signs echo lines from the show (“Everything is fine,” “They are watching.”) Street stencils spout positive messages such as “The birds are singing” and “the sun is shining.”
WEBTOON is the world’s largest digital comics platform, home to some of the biggest artists, IP, and fandoms in comics. The company pioneered the mobile vertical scroll format for digital comics, known as webtoons around the world.
The activation was aimed at echoing the pop up experience Netflix created for its massive hit Squid Game, a South Korean series set in a dystopian world where individuals are forced to compete in deadly children’s games to win cash prizes. The Squid Game activation was implemented by Bankrobber in Los Angeles’ Koreatown and attracted hundreds of show fans.
CREDITS
TITLE: Everything is Fine
CLIENT: WEBTOON
DIGITAL AND PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR: Jini Cho
DIGITAL & PARTNERSHIPS / INFLUENCER PROGRAM MANAGER: Madeline Balicoco
‘EVERYTHING IS FINE’ CREATOR: Mike Birchall
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION: Bankrobber
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Sean Holland
PROJECT MANAGER: Binz (Jaiyla Robinson)
EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN: Kelsey Sellenraad
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Emily Fife
CONTENT: Starfish
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jenita Sprirtovic
PRODUCER: Portia Lundie
FABRICATION AND LOGISTICS: Millwright
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Bill Woods
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