Cindy Pang and David Wigley of Pango Productions talk design, trends and future plans

Can you give us a potted history of Pango Productions?
David Wigley, Director, Pango Productions: Pango started when we met and became friends while studying in Beijing. We saw a gap in the market by drawing inspiration from ‘Zakka’ – a Japanese concept embraced across Asia where everyday objects are elevated through clever design and imagination to create pure joy.

Our journey began in the greetings card world. We weren’t just making cards; we were creating pop culture experiences for the ‘young at heart’ by adding 3D elements such as glow-in-the-dark finishes, inflatable cards and scratch art, our cards doubling as gifts.

Cindy Pango, Creative Director, Pango Productions: With the success in the card market, we felt the Pango characters were ready for more. Just before the pandemic, we took the leap into 3D stationery – and the response was really positive. That has paved the way for our biggest move yet: a full lifestyle range featuring plush, keyrings and blind boxes.

Following a launch in Canada at the end of 2025, we are looking to venture globally this year! We’re staying true to the Zakka movement, embracing pop culture fully and our tagline says it all: ‘We Make Happy’.

Looking back over your progress to date, are there some key things you have learnt and might have done differently?
David: Seeing how much people love our characters in product form, we definitely should’ve expanded sooner! Stationery and plush are such natural fits for our world and we wish we’d launched them years ago.

Have there been particular brands, artists or creators that have inspired you and your work along the way?
Cindy: My childhood was a total pop culture mash-up. Between shows like Looney Tunes, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Willow the Wisp, She-Ra and Ren & Stimpy, plus a steady stream of Manga classics like Dr. Slump and Astro Boy – to anime series like Doraemon from my uncle’s video shop… I grew up with a pretty eclectic mix of influences.

I’ll always have a soft spot for Sanrio. It’s been a constant since my dad bought me my first Little Twin Stars pieces – back when they were still made in Japan! I’m still an avid collector today, and I love that the appreciation lives on through my daughter. Cute runs in our DNA!

These days, anything Pop Mart turns my head. The quality and character design speak right to my inner creator. I’m also obsessed with Wai Sik Mui by Plastic Thing – those are easily my most overused stickers on my messaging app! There’s so much humour and emotion packed into a single GIF.

Studio Ghibli will always be the gold standard. Seeing the RSC’s stage version of My Neighbor Totoro on stage was pure magic. I genuinely wanted to climb onto the stage and nap on Totoro’s belly!

Closer to home, I love the simplicity of Hey Duggee. Its style is very much in line with what we do at Pango: using simple shapes to create great characters. Every episode is so wholesome and well-considered. For a while, “The Stick Song” was our household anthem!

I also have a huge appreciation for the stop-motion worlds of Wallace & Gromit and Mio Mao. It never ceases to amaze me how much life you can squeeze out of a lump of plasticine!

More recently, I’ve been into Adventure Time, Steven Universe, SpongeBob, and Gravity Falls. Anything my daughter watches, I watch too! I’ll always harbour a soft spot for well-thought-out, off-the-beaten-track animation with a lot of heart.

What steps do you take to research market trends and find inspiration for your designs?
Cindy: As clichéd as it sounds, living in East London keeps me totally connected to the creative community. You see it everywhere from the random street art on every corner, to the designer-makers in the markets and the incredible window displays in the department stores.

Talking to the kids at my daughter’s school is another huge inspiration. They’re brutally honest about what’s cool and what’s not, which keeps me on my toes!

Inspiration hits from all angles, whether it’s a simple everyday object, a fun piece of snack packaging, or a high-end fashion collab like Louis Vuitton x Murakami. I do try to avoid falling too deep into the Pinterest wormhole, it’s a great resource, but it’s way too easy to lose track of space and time in there!

Can you talk us through your design process and how you decide which products to create?
Cindy: We tend to follow our gut. We look for those ‘light bulb’ moments where we can add a signature Pango twist to a product, making it just a bit more amusing or enjoyable to use. At the end of the day, we want to make the everyday worth smiling about. Small joys! For everyone at Pango, 2026 is going to be all about creating exactly that.

Meeting Gary Williamson in 2025 has also been a massive turning point for us. While at HMV Canada, he challenged us to design even further into the pop culture space – a move that redefined our product lines.

David: It was a huge awakening. His decades of experience at the intersection of retail and pop culture fandom helped us see exactly how our products belonged in that arena. Even more than that, he gave Pango the confidence to be our true selves rather than a diluted version of who we thought we should be.

We are immensely grateful for his guidance and we’re thrilled to be continuing that relationship now that Gary has taken the helm as MD of Spike.

In addition, you sell direct to consumers. What sort of feedback do you get from consumers about your products and is this part of your NPD research?
David: The people who reach out are always so lovely and supportive – since we make ‘happy’ products, we tend to attract people of a similar disposition.

Cindy: While we have a back catalogue of hundreds of characters, our core squad has always been the bestsellers. That definitely plays a huge part in our research for what comes next!

There seems an increasing interest in brands and products sourced from markets like Korea and Japan in the UK. Why do you think this has happened and does this make your task easier or harder?
Cindy: The explosion of trends from Asian markets has officially hit the mainstream, and it’s opened huge doors for Pango. Younger generations just get it as they’re naturally more receptive to products like ours that have that broad, crossover appeal.

With the global success of K-pop and Asian beauty, what was once “niche” is now accessible to everyone, everywhere. I used to have to wait for a trip to Hong Kong to find great stationery and quirky pop culture pieces, but now I’m seeing more UK and European brands finally embracing that aesthetic.

The younger internet generation is exposed to such a diverse array of trends from around the world, and our products sit perfectly within that crossover space. But the real gamechanger is the older purchaser and the fact that it’s now acceptable for adults to love this stuff is exactly what we’ve been waiting for. There’s a massive market there, and we’re ready for it.

How do you work with and influence retail buyers about your brand and designs?
David: We generally let the products do the talking. Luckily, our aesthetic is exactly what retailers are looking for in their mix. Because the range sells well and consistently, they keep coming back to discuss new releases and extensions.

While the Pango brand has a long history in the greeting card world, we’re still just establishing ourselves in the gifting space. It’s an ongoing process, but as our collection grows and we get more products out there, we hope people can see our vision coming alive for the world of Pango.

What can we expect to see from Pango Productions in this year?
Cindy: We’ve recently added to our offering with blind boxes, keyrings, and plush – plus greeting cards, obviously! Looking ahead, we’re dropping new pen styles, launching Back to School events, and creating dedicated seasonal ranges.

The big goal now? Finding the right partners to help bring our vision to life across new categories. We have a vault of ideas for apparel, fashion accessories, snacks and beverages, beauty, nanoblocks and homeware. We’re ready to get these off the ground and can’t wait to see them out in the world.