Wigwam’s Debs Southwood joins Hasbro’s Demi Patel and Nicole Tobey to discuss recent projects for My Little Pony and My Pet Monster

Guys, it’s great to catch up! Let’s dig into the retro My Little Pony guide. What was the brief here?
Debs Southwood, Design Director & Co-Founder, Wigwam Studios: The core objective was to expand the original Retro Pony library into a new Core guide. That meant creating brand-new illustrated artwork for the main ponies, as well as introducing new species like sea ponies and babies, plus the wider extended cast – Megan, Spike and other creatures.

Alongside that, Hasbro asked us to design new props, icons and scenes inspired by the original toys from the 80s… All of which would feed into a fresh set of assets and product ideas.

Demi Patel, Global Creative Lead – Fashion & Preschool, Licensed Consumer Products, Hasbro: It was about thoughtfully growing the world, introducing new locations, props and accessories inspired by the original TV series and by heritage publishing and toy development.

Our aim was to create a guide that felt both nostalgic and new, delivering fresh inspiration for core storytelling themes that resonate across generations. There’s such a deep emotional connection to this brand, so authenticity and integrity are key. We want fans to rediscover that timeless sense of magic, friendship and fantasy, while ensuring the assets translate into best-in-class product across all key categories.

Debs, what was your process to get to grips with the retro side of MLP?
Debs: This was easy for me as I was a huge MLP fan as a child… So the process was reconnecting with my inner child! It was great to revisit old episodes and publications and go down a ‘mylittlewiki’ rabbit hole to get to grips with the retro ponyverse… Everything from locations, characters and toys to all the other animals. That helped us figure out what we could bring back to life in vector form for product.

I was definitely most excited about the Sea Ponies. Having had one as kid, there was an instant spark of ideas for playful creative, and how that could open up product ideas that felt new and fresh.

As well as the MLP history, are there any creative nods to that era more generally in terms of colours, fonts, styles?
Debs: It was really important to hold onto the core colours and fonts to keep that strong brand recognition – and everything new we illustrated had to stay true to the original style.

Where we had a bit more freedom was in the posing – we explored angles and attitudes that hadn’t really been seen before. Things like back views, 3/4 angles and seated poses, while really playing with expressions and mane and tail movement to create something that felt authentic, but fresh and exciting.

I imagine there’s a fine line between retro and kitsch. How did you approach crafting something that felt retro – but not dated?
Demi: With a true heritage brand like My Little Pony, you’re starting from a place of genuine beauty and legacy. The original assets have such a distinct charm and emotional resonance, so the key is to protect that. It’s about honouring what already exists – the line work, the colour, the character – and then applying a sensitive, considered modern lens.

When you approach it that way, it becomes less about avoiding ‘kitsch’ and more about preserving authenticity while gently evolving the world for today. That balance is what keeps it feeling timeless.

Debs: Yes, for us, keeping things fun and fresh really came down to storytelling and playfulness – leaning into the original toys to bring new, relevant stories to life. That sense of personality stops it from ever feeling flat or something that’s been seen before.

Demi, what made Wigwam a great partner for this project?
Demi: A key part of this brief was creating entirely new assets from scratch, which requires a very specific level of craft and understanding. Wigwam’s team brought a real strength in illustration, which made them an ideal partner for developing new poses, props, accessories and environments – particularly when bringing heritage- inspired locations and toy playsets to life.

What stood out was their ability to stay true to the original aesthetic while introducing a sense of energy and freshness. There’s a real nuance in working with a retro brand, and they approached it with both care and creativity.

And where do you see this creative going product-wise?
Demi: As this is a core guide, the assets were designed to be highly versatile and scalable across multiple categories. We see the strongest opportunity within Fashion – particularly apparel and accessories, alongside Health & Beauty and Home, where the softness and nostalgia of the artwork translate beautifully.

What’s exciting is the breadth of the system. The combination of character, location, pattern and graphic assets allows partners to build cohesive product stories across categories, giving the creative real longevity and flexibility in market.

Let’s move onto My Pet Monster! Nicole, for anyone new to the brand, how would you pitch it?
Nicole Tobey, Director, Creative & Product Development, Licensed Consumer Products, Hasbro: My Pet Monster burst onto the scene in 1986 – and he was impossible to ignore. A massive 26” plush with electric blue fur, bold colours, horns, and a mischievous fanged grin… And his signature bright orange breakaway handcuffs! Those weren’t just for show: kids could easily snap them apart to unleash his super strength – and even wear them for extra play value. My Pet Monster wasn’t just a toy – he was the ultimate partner in chaos, imagination and friendship.

What was the brief for this asset pack?
Debs Southwood, Design Director & Co-Founder, Wigwam Studios: At time of briefing, Hasbro only had a logo and reference images for My Pet Monster. We were tasked with building a new pack of core assets – character poses, badges, graphics, patterns – to provide partners with a starting point for product design/development.

Nicole: An effective asset pack is designed for versatility. The character art was built modularly – his head, hands, and cuffs were all isolated in layers so they could live beyond a single pose and become key graphic elements. Backgrounds were deconstructed into icons, creating a system that invites mixing, matching and reimagining.

The result was a small-but- mighty asset pack, built to spark creativity, scale easily across categories – and give partners the freedom to bring My Pet Monster to life in fresh, unexpected ways.

And with which aspects of the brand did you most engage putting this together?
Debs: Definitely the brand’s energy and attitude. It’s just so fun! We pulled a lot of inspiration from the original 80s’ packaging and started weaving those elements back into the designs – alongside that bold, bright 80s’ palette. It helped us build something that still felt true to the brand, but with a bit more punch and personality.

I imagine My Pet Monster has less ‘already out there’ than some Hasbro brands. Does that change how you approach things?
Debs: For sure. When a brand has very little in terms of existing assets or product, it’s important that anything new still feels aligned to the core look and feel of the original. This creates recognition and an identity that fans can identify with straight away.

And while it might give us less to work with, it pushes us to really lean into understanding the brand’s key characteristics and storytelling. That’s what lets us evolve the creative in an authentic way while also building out a bank of assets to inspire new product categories.

Nicole, what made Wigwam right for this project?
Nicole: Many of these legacy toys were created before the era of digital assets and archiving, which often requires us to thoughtfully recreate original artwork from the ground up. I knew Wigwam would be the perfect partner to bring this brand back to life with great care and craftsmanship… Wigwam’s attention to detail ensured that every element stayed true to the original identity and heritage, while still adding a fresh take on the creative.

Having a designer on the project who was a genuine fan of the original toy added an extra layer of authenticity and passion, making the work feel especially meaningful.

And where do you see this creative going?
Nicole: This asset pack was initially developed to support an apparel collaboration, ensuring our partner had the right creative tools – but I saw an opportunity to extend its use beyond apparel into categories like accessories, cosmetics and stationery.

Since its creation, the asset pack has already expanded beyond its original intent, supporting accessories programs as well as the plush developed by The Loyal Subjects – demonstrating the flexibility and long-term value of this creative.