A wide-ranging anniversary series covering iconic Aardman brands like Chicken Run, Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep have arrived on the UK high street, via pop culture retailer Forbidden Planet, celebrating 50 years of the legendary British animation studio.
The range will be available all year long, with products that focus on nostalgic adult fans, on categories such as t-shirts, tote bags, cushions, enamel pin badges, art prints, mugs and coasters.
The full list of properties includes Angry Kid, Chicken Run, Creature Comforts, Early Man, Lloyd of the Flies, Morph, Rex the Runt, Robin Robin and Shaun the Sheep.
A special tribute to Aardman’s first creation – the Aard Man superhero – has also been released.
Created by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, the namesake of Aardman Animations, this actually not-so-super superhero first appeared in the BBC series Vision On in 1966, a series made for deaf children but gained a huge audience thanks to its inventive formula and team, which included the inspirational artist, Tony Hart, chief presenter Pat Keysell, and future Doctor Who star, Sylvester McCoy.
Aard Man also made a cameo as a drawing, in one episode of The Epic Adventures of Morph.
The range sits alongside Forbidden Planet’s successful Wallace & Gromit products, which were released in 2024.
“We’re excited to celebrate 50 years of Aardman with Forbidden Planet,” said Hannah McFarlane, Licensing Manager at Aardman. “This collection is packed with nostalgia and a true tribute to our history, bringing together so many beloved characters from across our iconic films and series. We’re sure fans will love it!”
Anthony Garnon, Head of Pop Culture at Forbidden Planet, added: “What a delight to help celebrate 50 years of Britain’s leading animation studio. We had such fun creating this Aardman 50th range – and Aardman fans will love it too as we covered their entire history and lots of favourite properties and characters!”
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Aardman is an employee-owned company, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. An independent, multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA award winning studio, it produces feature films, series, advertising and interactive entertainment. Its global productions are renowned for their uniquely entertaining and brilliantly characterised characters. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including
Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the animation field producing a rare brand of visually stunning, comedic content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world.
2026 sees the studio celebrate its 50th anniversary with a roster of events and celebrations highlighting the craft and legacy of Aardman and the launch of a new movie, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom in the autumn.
Sky is confirmed as exclusive UK distributor, releasing in cinemas and on Sky Cinema, alongside STUDIOCANAL as global partner outside the UK.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Animation, downthetubes News, Licensing, Merchandise, Other Worlds, Television
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