View source for Kipper

{{italic title}}
{{Infobox advertising
| image              = Kipper 1980 ad - submarine and kipper.jpg
| upright            =
| caption            = The titular kipper and the submarine in the ad
| agency             = [[Wikipedia:TBWA Worldwide|TBWA/London]]
| client             = [[LEGO UK Ltd]]
| market             =
| language           = English
| media              = Television
| runtime            = 45 seconds
| product            = 
| released           = {{Film date|df=yes|1980|10|29|ref1=<ref name="campaign"/>}}
| slogan             = It's a new toy every day
| writer             = {{ubl|Mike Cozens (copywriter)|Graham Watson (art director)}}
| director           = [[Wikipedia:Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]]
| editing            = Patrick Udale
| starring           = [[Wikipedia:Roger Kitter|Roger Kitter]] (voice-over)
| production company = [[Wikipedia:Clearwater Features|Clearwater Films]]
| producer           = {{ubl|[[Wikipedia:David Mitton|David Mitton]]|Jane Bearman (agency)}}
| country            = United Kingdom
}}

'''''Kipper''''' is a British stop-motion [[Wikipedia:Television advertisement|television commercial]] first aired in 1980.

== Summary ==
The advertisement features two LEGO creatures battling by changing into new forms to defeat the other. A small LEGO mouse, who narrates the film, is standing by a mousehole when a LEGO cat appears. The mouse turns into a dog to scare the cat, but the cat becomes a fire-breathing dragon. The dog becomes a fire engine and extinguishes the dragon's flame. The back-and-forth transformation goes on as the two become a submarine that emerges from a puddle, a submarine-eating kipper (initially misheard as "slipper"), an "anti-kipper ballistic missile", a "missile cruncher", and finally an elephant. As the missile cruncher is about to be stepped on by the elephant, it changes back into a mouse, scaring the elephant and causing it to fall over.

== Production ==
''Kipper'' was created at the London branch of the [[Wikipedia:Advertising agency|advertising agency]] [[Wikipedia:TBWA Worldwide|TBWA]] by [[Wikipedia:Copywriting|copywritter]] Mike Cozens and [[Wikipedia:Art director|art director]] Graham Watson.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Cozens and Watson had joined TBWA in February 1980 and had developed two print advertisements for [[the LEGO Group]] before being briefed on a television project.<ref name="Dye Watson"/> The commercial had to be created on a limited budget; the two did not want to resort to making a "dull" presenter commercial, and spent numerous late nights developing the concept and working with the accounting team to get script approval. (They later also credited young relatives of theirs, David Cozens and Jamie Watson, with "advisory" roles.)<ref name="1981 One Show"/> The initial version of the script was completed by 25 April; this version did not contain the kipper/slipper pun and featured a tractor to tow the missile launcher away instead of the missile cruncher.<ref name="Dye Watson"/>

[[File:Lego Dragon in the office TBWA.jpg|thumb|The dragon model by Lyall; in the ad only its front half is visible]]
[[File:David Lyall - BnP Spring 1981.jpg|thumb|David Lyall (right) holding the mouse model]]
The advertisement was managed on LEGO's end by [[Clive Nicholls]], the advertising manager of [[LEGO UK Ltd]].<ref name="Cook"/> The LEGO models for the film were created by [[David Lyall]], the chief model designer at LEGO UK.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces"/> The models were designed by mid-July and were finalised following adjustment suggestions given to Lyall on 23 July.<ref name="Dye Watson"/> The largest LEGO model in the film, the dragon, contained around {{formatnum:20000}} LEGO bricks.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Lyall made two versions of each model: one glued version and one to be assembled and disassembled for [[Wikipedia:Stop motion|stop motion]] filming.<ref name="Dye Watson"/> The stop motion models were built in stages during filming, with a few frames of footage being shot between each stage.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Animation was done by Denis Russo, while camera work and lighting were done by Tom Harrison.<ref name="Cook"/>{{R|Myerson|p=486}} 

Production was done by [[Wikipedia:Clearwater Features|Clearwater Films]], a studio founded by former [[Wikipedia:AP Films|Century 21]] directors [[Wikipedia:Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]] and [[Wikipedia:David Mitton|David Mitton]];<ref name="Moody"/><ref name="McCarthy"/> the two worked on ''Kipper'' as its director and producer, respectively.{{R|Myerson|p=486}} In a meeting with Cozens and Watson, Clearwater suggested building a detailed set with wallpaper and carpets for filming against, but Watson wanted to direct it "simply", using "just the skirting board and a reflective [glass] floor."<ref name="Bishop"/>{{R|Myerson|p=252}} Director Turner and his team planned out the timing for both the building sequences and for zooming and panning the camera, having to make sure the camera movement lined up with each stage of the models. Filming took place over the course of seventeen days, and was done without any retakes.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Watson later likened the filming process to watching paint dry.<ref name="Dye Watson"/>

TBWA initially considered comedian [[Wikipedia:Mike Reid (actor)|Mike Reid]] for the advertisement’s [[Wikipedia:Voice-over|voice-over]]. They instead decided on [[Wikipedia:Tommy Cooper|Tommy Cooper]], as his performances had done well in research at the time even among international audiences. Cooper was ill at the time of recording, however, and [[Wikipedia:Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionist]] [[Wikipedia:Roger Kitter|Roger Kitter]] was hired to impersonate him; audiences were allegedly unable to tell the voice not Cooper's.<ref name="Robinson"/><ref name="McCarthy"/>

== Reception ==
''Kipper'' was first aired on 29 October 1980.<ref name="campaign"/>

<ref name="Kanner"/>

TBWA London co-founder [[Wikipedia:John Hegarty (advertising executive)|John Hegarty]]<ref name="Fletcher"/> told Watson that ''Kipper'' would most likely win silver at best.<ref name="Bishop"/>
* It won the gold award for film advertising at the [[Wikipedia:Design and Art Direction|Designers and Art Directors Association Awards]].<ref name="Cook"/>
* It won the 1981 [[Wikipedia:Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity|Cannes Lions]] Grand Prix.<ref name="Russel"/>
* It won gold in the Consumer Television: 60 Seconds Single category at [[Wikipedia:The One Club|The One Show's]] 1981 awards.{{R|1981 One Show}}
** Later in 1990 it was one of the finalist nominees for The One Club's ten best advertisements of the 1980s decade.<ref name="Warlick"/>
* ITV Award for Best Commercial of the Year at the [[Wikipedia:British Television Advertising Awards|British Television Advertising Awards]] in 1981.<ref name="Marshall"/>

In 2000 ''Kipper'' was featured in ''[[Wikipedia:The 100 Greatest TV Ads|The 100 Greatest TV Ads]]'', being voted at number 74 by [[Wikipedia:Channel 4|Channel 4]] viewers.<ref name="ch4 100 web"/><ref name="ch4 100 video"/>

In a 2016 interview Mike Cozens considered ''Kipper'' to still be as funny as when it had been written.<ref name="Dye Cozens"/>

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="1981 One Show">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oneshowadvertisi0000unse_c1w0/page/n95/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The One Show: Advertising's Best Print, Radio, TV |volume=3 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:The One Club|The One Club for Art and Copy]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1982 |isbn=0-960-2628-3-0 |issn=0273-2033 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oneshowadvertisi0000unse_c1w0/page/n55/mode/2up?view=theater 46], 86}}</ref>

<ref name="Bishop">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/artdirectionbook0000roto/page/170/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Art Direction Book |publisher=Rotovision SA |location=[[Wikipedia:Crans, Switzerland|Crans, Switzerland]] |year=1996 |isbn=2-88046-284-3 |editor-first=Louise |editor-last=Bishop |pages=170-171}}</ref>

<ref name="Bricks n Pieces">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/BricksNPieces-Spring1981-Brickset/mode/2up?view=theater |title=A Merry Old Soul |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Spring 1981 |number=7 |editor-first=Clive |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-link=Clive Nicholls |page=1 |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]]}}</ref>

<ref name="campaign">{{cite web |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lego-kipper-tbwa/949419 |title=Lego 'kipper' by TBWA |year=2016 |website=Campaign Live |publisher=Haymarket Media Group |location=[[Wikipedia:London|London]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240817020449/https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lego-kipper-tbwa/949419 |archive-date=17 August 2024 |access-date=17 August 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="ch4 100 video">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj14p4nulUw&t=2385 |title=The 100 Greatest TV Ads |date=29 April 2000 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Channel 4|Channel 4]] |location=London |time=39:45-40:25 |type=Repeat airing on 29 August 2004 |access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="ch4 100 web">{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/greatest_ads/ |title=The 100 Greatest TV Ads |year=2000 |website=Channel 4 Television |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010618095141/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/greatest_ads/ |archive-date=18 June 2001}}</ref>

<ref name="Cook">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofwi0000cook/page/5/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Guiness Book of Winners and Champions |edition=2nd |year=1981 |first1=Chris |last1=Cook |first2=Anne |last2=Marshall |publisher=Guiness Superlatives Limited |location=[[Wikipedia:Enfield, London|Enfield, London]] |isbn=0-85112-218-3 |page=5}}</ref>

<ref name="Dye Cozens">{{cite interview |url=https://davedye.com/2016/01/29/mike-cozens-interview/ |title=INTERVIEW: Mike Cozens |website=Stuff From the Loft |first=Mike |last=Cozens |interviewer=Dave Dye |date=January 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818094227/https://davedye.com/2016/01/29/mike-cozens-interview/ |archive-date=2024-08-18 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-08-18}}</ref>

<ref name="Dye Watson">{{cite interview |url=https://davedye.com/2023/11/27/blog-cast-graham-watson-1/ |title=BLOG/CAST: Graham Watson #1 |website=Stuff From the Loft |first=Graham |last=Watson |interviewer=Dave Dye |date=November 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817134023/https://davedye.com/2023/11/27/blog-cast-graham-watson-1/ |archive-date=2024-08-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-08-17}}</ref>

<ref name="Fletcher">{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/powersofpersuasi0000flet/page/192/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Powers of Persuasion – The Inside Story of British Advertising: 1951–2000 |first=Winston |last=Fletcher |year=2008 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Oxford|Oxford]] |isbn=978-0-19-922801-0 |pages=192-193}}</ref>

<ref name="Kanner">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/100besttvcommerc00kann/page/90/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The 100 Best TV Commercials ...and Why They Worked |first=Bernice |last=Kanner |year=1999 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Times Books|Times Books]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |isbn=0-8129-2995-0 |pages=90-91}}</ref>

<ref name="Marshall">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofwi0000mars/page/5/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Guinness Book of Winners |first=Anne |last=Marshall |year=1994 |page=5 |isbn=0-85112-791-6 |publisher=Guinness Publishing |location=[[Wikipedia:Enfield, London|Enfield, London]]}}</ref>

<ref name="McCarthy">{{cite web |url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/06/14/world-s-best-ads-ever-88-lego-lays-the-foundations-40-year-legacy-with-kipper |title= World’s best ads ever #88: Lego lays the foundations for 40-year legacy with 'Kipper' |first=John |last=McCarthy |date=June 14, 2022 |website=The Drum |publisher=Carnyx Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817094431/https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/06/14/world-s-best-ads-ever-88-lego-lays-the-foundations-40-year-legacy-with-kipper |archive-date=2024-08-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-08-17}}</ref>

<ref name="Moody">{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/news/childrens-tv-creator-dies-unexpectedly |title= Children's TV Creator Dies Unexpectedly |first=Annemarie |last=Moody |date=May 28, 2008 |website=Animation World Network |publisher=Animation World Network |location=[[Wikipedia:Van Nuys|Van Nuys]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818103330/https://www.awn.com/news/childrens-tv-creator-dies-unexpectedly |archive-date=18 August 2024 |access-date=18 August 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Myerson">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/rewindfortyyears0000myer/page/252/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Rewind: Forty Years of Design & Advertising |year=2002 |publisher=Phaidon Press |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |isbn=0-7148-4271-0 |first1=Jeremy |last1=Myerson |first2=Graham |last2=Vickers |pages=252, [https://archive.org/details/rewindfortyyears0000myer/page/486/mode/2up?view=theater 486]}}</ref>

<ref name="Robinson">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/100greatesttvads0000robi/page/34/mode/2up?view=theater |title=100 Greatest TV Ads |first=Mark |last=Robinson |year=2000 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:HarperCollins|HarperCollins]] |location=[[Wikipedia:London|London]] |page=34 |isbn=0-00-711123-1}}</ref>

<ref name="Russel">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9783836545242/page/53/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Game Changers: The Evolution of Advertising |editor-first1=Peter |editor-last1=Russel |editor-first2=Senta |editor-last2=Slingerland |year=2013 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Taschen|Taschen]] |location=[[Wikipedia:Cologne|Cologne]] |isbn=978-3-8365-4524-2 |page=53}}</ref>

<ref name="Warlick">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/advertisingstenb0000unse/page/66/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Advertising's Ten Best Of The Decade 1980–1990 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:The One Club|The One Club for Art and Copy]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |isbn=0-929837-02-9 |year=1990 |editor-first=Mary |editor-last=Warlick |page=66}}</ref>
}}

[[Category:LEGO advertisements]]