For the Hamleys Christmas windows this year, Propability worked to create a snowy alpine scene for TY toys across all windows that features the friendly characters collecting a Christmas tree, enjoying their Christmas dinner al fresco and congregating around a camp fire. As always the windows feature the toys popping up and down and swaying from side to side using clerver mechanical animation across the windows as well as specialist lighting and effects to truly capture the imagination. All concepts for the windows were devised by Hamleys, visualised by Propability and created in the Propability workshop.
In one window a wooden 3D log cabin with an open door shows the false perspective of the internal scene creating a sense of warmth with the inside featuring a fire-place and mantel. Off the shelf icicles create a sense of cold on the outside hanging from the roof which was sculpted and flocked in white and doused in glitter to look like snow. Each of the log cabin windows has TVs showing a TY character bobbing up and down playing on a loop. The Snowman in the scene was sculpted and flocked with a gimble gyrating mechanism bringing movement. Â All around foliage was supplied by Propability sister company Flourish Trading – bringing the scene to life further with glittered mistletoe, white snowy branches a luxury wreath on the door as well as Christmas trees.
A second miniature version of the 3D cabin is featured in a second window which depicts an avenue of silver birch trees, constructed from cardboard and scenically painted with a canopy of white twigs and birch tree stumps and logs together with fairy lights. The TY characters feast on a Christmas dinner with each piece of food including, turkey and veg individually hand sculpted by craftsmen in the Propability workshop.
Further mechanical animation is featured in the Tipee windows with the characters around a camp fire singing carols and swaying from left to right. The campfire was cleverly created using a projected fire effect behind a piece of acrylic.
Finally, a further window shows an oscillating pick-up truck moving back and forth. The truck is suggestively showing the TY characters are heading off into the woods to collect their Christmas tree from the forest! The scene includes more foliage including snowberries, twigs and frosted pine cones. The window was cleverly constructed on an angled structure to provide height and depth with everything positioned on top of a snow blanket with powdered snow over the top and finished with iridescent glitter for a sparkling effect.
