Brief

Mapro had chosen a bear shaped mould for the candy range and we were tasked with building a relatable and memorable brand around this anonymous bear. This is where our journey with Sparky ‘the spicy bear’ began.

Building a spunky brand identity

Inspired by the bear shaped mould, it was only fitting to create a mascot which took the shape of Sparky ‘the spicy bear’. The brand identity was focused around Sparky and the brand personality took on attributes of his character. All elements of the branding reflected this in subtle ways, through the playfulness of the logotype and the vibrance of the brand colors.

A striking logo for Sparky

We created a type-based logo using a rounded sans serif font paired with dramatic spark lines to depict spice and explosive flavour. Each flavour has a different logo colour, which was carefully selected based on its characteristics.

Brand Personality

The brand falls under the jester segment of the brand archetype wheel - entertaining, unrestrained and impulsive, with a zest for life, while maintaing a cool distant demeanor. It is playful, without being intentionally belligerent, driven by humour and the thrill of making people laugh.

Meet Sparky, the spicy mascot for a masaledaar candy

Sparky the bear is no ordinary character! We developed a unique and definitive personality for Sparky, making him bold, unconventional and entirely humorous - a character Indian masses would fall in love with instantly! His unorthodox demeanor and persona have been meticulously defined to pair with each candy flavour.

As eclectic as it comes

Sparky is cheeky, bold, humorous and very quirky! He embodies a penchant for new experiences and a flair for absurdity (that often borders on offensive). Entirely comfortable in his own skin, he is unafraid to bend the rules and stand out, and fearful of only one thing - boredom.

Keeps a straight face, always

Sparky’s character is innately human and designed to appeal to all ages. His deadpan expressions contrast with his dramatic body movements, never betraying any emotion. This contradiction is where the humour lies!

The drama lies in the body language

When Sparky enters a room, eyes always turn as there's no shortage of drama! He never holds back, and his hilarious antics from rubbing against coconut trees to painting moustaches on ‘wanted’ posters of himself or indulging in aerial gymnastics are always entertaining.

Sparky doesn’t mince his words

Sparky is very witty and expresses exactly what’s on his mind with zero semblance of political correctness! He has no urge to please others, and can often be perceived as offensive!

The many flavours (and moods) of Sparky

For each of the 6 flavours, Sparky has a different and distinct personality and appearance, holding unique postures and fashioning eccentric accessories.

The Durga (Assorted)

Sparky’s favourite goddess is Durga, and he always celebrates Durga Puja in style. He is also a master of multitasking and loves showing off by strapping on extra hands to hold all his favourite fruits at the same time.

The Royal (Guava)

Sparky loves his luxuries and creature comforts. He believes he is the reincarnation of Cleopatra herself. On Sundays, he dresses up in his Cleopatra avatar and simply relaxes, while being lovingly waited on by a few hypnotised birds who are delighted to serve him cocktails and blow dry his wig.

The Anti-Romantic (Lemon)

Sparky hates romance. He prefers to have ample amounts of alone time to do exactly as he pleases. On Valentine’s Day, when he receives propositions of love, he dresses up as Cupid and shoots them all down with heart-shaped balloons!

The Rebel Artist (Pineapple)

Sparky is an artist who rebels against normalcy! He roams the city, leaving behind graffiti-laden walls, and often gets into trouble for doing so. This does not perturb him one bit, he simply goes around painting moustaches on ‘Wanted’ posters of himself, so nobody recognises him!

The Gymnast (Tamarind)

Sparky is an aerial gymnastics enthusiast and loves being suspended mid-air. He used to perform in a circus when he was younger. However, during his last performance, his unitard split open! Unshaken, he continued the show. Unfortunately, this offended and upset several people in the audience and Sparky was banned from the troupe.

The Beach Bum (Pani Puri)

Sparky loves the beach and will do anything for his beach holidays. His favorite activities include scratching his back on tropical coconut trees, and using coconut shells to keep his chest cool!

Sassy design, modern packaging

We created packaging for the primary wrapper as well as the jar and pouch packs that held individual candies. Staying true to Sparky’s spicy persona, we chose a printing style that was subtle with a hint of drama, with the metallic effect highlighting primary information.

Candy Wrapper

Mindful of it’s small size, we kept the sweet wrapper design clean, retaining only the most essential information and visual elements, such as the logo, tagline, cropped bear mascot visual, flavour visual and the flavour name.

Standee Pouch

The key line diagram for the secondary multi-candy pack was designed as a part of the Mapro Signature Series and we adapted it to meet Sparky’s needs.

Candy Jar

We created a simple paper label design for the transparent plastic jar filled with Sparky candy singles. In order to maintain consistency, we adapted print techniques used on the laminates to paper.