Kipper
 Frame from the advertisement showing the titular kipper (left) and the submarine | |
| Agency | TBWA\London |
|---|---|
| Client | LEGO UK Ltd |
| Language | English |
| Media | Television |
| Running time | 45 seconds |
| Product | |
| Release date(s) |
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| Slogan |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | Ken Turner |
| Starring |
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| Production company | Clearwater Films |
| Produced by | David Mitton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
"Kipper" is a British stop-motion 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 then 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
The LEGO models used in the advertisement were all created by David Lyall, a LEGO model designer at LEGO UK Ltd.[2][3] Lyall made two versions of each model: one glued version, and one to be assembled and disassembled during stop motion filming.[4]
The largest model in the advertisement, the dragon, contained around 20,000 LEGO bricks.[5]: 86
Kipper was produced at Clearwater Films, a studio founded by former Century 21 directors Ken Turner and David Mitton.[6][7] Turner and Mitton worked on the advertisement as its director and producer, respectively.[8]: 486
Filming took place over the course of seventeen days, and was done in a single take.[5]: 86 The stop motion LEGO models were built in stages during filming, with a few frames of footage being shot between each stage.[5]: 86 Watson later likened the filming process to watching paint dry.[4]
Reception
References
- ↑ "Lego 'kipper' by TBWA". Campaign. London: Haymarket Media Group. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Nicholls, Clive, ed. (Spring 1981). "A Merry Old Soul". Bricks 'n Pieces. No. 7. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. p. 1.
- ↑ Cook, Chris; Marshall, Anne (1981). The Guiness Book of Winners and Champions (2nd ed.). Enfield, London: Guiness Superlatives Limited. p. 5. ISBN 0-85112-218-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Watson, Graham (November 27, 2023). "BLOG/CAST: Graham Watson #1". Stuff From the Loft (Interview). Interviewed by Dave Dye. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2025. Includes three documents:
- Hegarty, John (18 October 1979). "TBWA contract letter" (Letter to Graham Watson). Covent Garden, London: TBWA.
- Watson, Graham; Cozens, Mike (25 April 1980). "'Kipper' TV/Radio Script" (Document). TBWA.
- Watson, Graham; Cozens, Mike; Bearman, Jane (15 July 1980). "'Kipper' Contact Report" (Document). TBWA.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The One Show: Advertising's Best Print, Radio, TV. Vol. 3. New York: The One Club for Art and Copy. 1982. pp. 46, 86. ISBN 0-960-2628-3-0. ISSN 0273-2033.
- ↑ McCarthy, John (June 14, 2022). "World's best ads ever #88: Lego lays the foundations for 40-year legacy with 'Kipper'". The Drum. Carnyx Group. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Moody, Annemarie (May 28, 2008). "Children's TV Creator Dies Unexpectedly". Animation World Network. Van Nuys, California: Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Myerson, Jeremy; Vickers, Graham (2002). Rewind: Forty Years of Design & Advertising. New York: Phaidon Press. pp. 252, 486. ISBN 0-7148-4271-0.
External links
| External video | |
|---|---|
 1980 Lego 'Kipper' via History of Advertising Trust on YouTube (this one is clearer but slightly squished) | |
| Kipper (2008 version) by TBWA Worldwide on Vimeo | |
| Kipper (New Zealand version) on YouTube |
- TBWA\Chiat\Day product page for Kipper at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 October 1996)
