Hasbro’s Matt Proulx discusses PEPPA PIG’s Location-Based Experiences, music and more

Welcome back, Matt. Last time we spoke, we tied in about the Bop It arcade machine. People can read that and learn about your background here. In terms of what you do for PEPPA PIG, though, what are your responsibilities?
Currently, I lead a multi-business global division, overseeing Experiences, Partnerships and Music within the Entertainment and Licensing segment for Hasbro. For PEPPA PIG specifically, I help the icon ‘jump in’ to new categories, growing her already impressive reach internationally.

Good answer, thank you. And can you give a few specifics about how you do that?
I’m responsible for formulating, constructing and implementing long-term, global strategic plans for PEPPA PIG’s location-based entertainment offerings. These include theme parks, live shows, family entertainment centres and more. For example, under my leadership, we debuted the PEPPA PIG Theme Park in Florida. Thanks to that attraction’s success, we have two brand-new locations coming to Germany and Texas this year!

Excellent. And the live show?
On the live show front, we have more than 150 shows currently touring in 10 markets across the globe. The PEPPA PIG live show is a phenomenon unlike any other pre-school show… It’s been touring consistently since 2009, playing to over two million people in the UK alone. Unlike other brands, the Peppa live show is re-invented every two years and the current show, ‘PEPPA PIG’s Fun Day Out’, is the 7th live incarnation.

It’s a different show every couple of years? I did not know that!
Right! Also, in China, we have PEPPA PIG Play Cafés open now; one in Hangzhou and one in Chengdu. They treat visitors to an interactive themed dining experience with over a dozen themed play attractions. More café locations are also set to open in 2025 and beyond.

Great!
In addition to Location Based Entertainment, I help grow our music licensing business at Hasbro, which is an area PEPPA PIG shines in. For instance, I played an integral role in the development of PEPPA’s first-ever music cover through Katy Perry’s Roar. I worked with stakeholders on both the PEPPA and Katy Perry/Capitol Records side to debut the track and music video, which has been posted all over the internet…

The song joins other recent PEPPA music releases that aim to help build confidence among children. These include ‘The Best Day,’ which provides children with preschool-friendly affirmations to help them go confidently into their day; and ‘Let’s Jump In’. ‘Let’s Jump In’ brings the PEPPA PIG tagline to life and encourages children to jump into life’s first experiences with enthusiasm and a sense of curiosity.

Fantastic. And is Peppa unique in that regard? With the music?
No, not at all. For Hasbro, music plays an integral role in many of our children’s programming, as it allows kids to engage with characters and storylines in deeper ways. Stories are meant to teach kids important life lessons, celebrate major family moments and so much more. By supplementing great storytelling with impactful music, little ones can better connect to and understand their favorite entertainment.

When looking to turn PEPPA PIG into a location-based experience, Matt, what qualities are essential to the mix?
When it comes to PEPPA PIG, we want to ensure that the brand values, such as being a first friend to preschoolers and helping them ‘Jump In’ to life’s adventures, carries over throughout our activities. For example, at PEPPA PIG Park in Germany, we have the Daddy Pig Coaster, a gentle family-friendly roller coaster…

It’s perfect for young children who are experiencing their first thrill ride. Additionally, stoking curiosity is an important element we want to ensure is represented in our PEPPA-based experiences. The PEPPA PIG theme parks in Florida, Germany and Texas feature an emphasis on learning through play across a variety of experiences in the parks, with attractions incorporating elements that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and physical activity.

What’s the biggest challenge you face with this brand? And how do you solve it?
For any brand that’s been around as long as PEPPA, one of the largest challenges is making sure it stays relevant and fresh for new and existing audiences. At Hasbro, we have an amazing Analytics, Insights and Measurement group – known as AIM. That helps us develop deep knowledge of the consumer segments that engage with our brands – their demographics, purchase patterns, interests and occasions that drive them to shop. We use that knowledge to drive consumer demand and reach consumers at critical decision points. Ultimately, this allows us to stay ahead of trends and reach the modern consumer no matter how new or established the brand is.

How important is creativity working on PEPPA PIG?
One of the brand’s core values is to teach kids to explore and nurture their curiosity while experiencing life’s adventures for the first time. It’s imperative that our PEPPA-related experiences do the same and exemplify the creativity that we’re asking preschoolers to explore as well. When it comes to Location-Based Entertainment, creativity is always an exceptionally important aspect of the planning and development process. That’s because we want to ensure that our offerings are innovative and meet our consumer needs.

And to that end, what – generally speaking – is the development process for PEPPA PIG experiences? How do you go from saying, “It would be nice to do something…” to ready to launch?!
The development process for any experience starts off with ensuring that the overall vision is authentic to the essence of the brand. From that point moving forward, it’s then taking that essence and creating an experience that exceeds the guests’ expectations – and creates a highly immersive and repeatable experience. For PEPPA, it could be taking a small thing, such as George’s stuffed dinosaur, and then creating a unique ride and experience around it.

So it can be something comparatively small? As long as it resonates?
It can be, yes. There are certain elements that fans know, love and immediately associate with the brand, so it’s important to integrate these in an authentic and engaging way. For example, the Pig family’s iconic red car is featured as a kid-friendly ride – Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster – at our PEPPA PIG Theme Parks in the U.S. and Germany. By taking important elements of the brand and expanding them into these wonderful attractions, we know that will capture the hearts of our guests.

Fascinating. Great answer, thank you. And do people tend to approach Hasbro about potential experience partnerships? Or is it more often the case that Hasbro has the idea and then approaches potential partners?
Both. We’re always ideating on new ways to invite fans to step into PEPPA’s world that are both age-appropriate for her littlest fans and engaging for adults and families. However, we’re also often approached by entrepreneurs and potential licensees in different parts of the world with their own concepts. PEPPA is such a rich and important brand to so many families across the world, our ultimate goal is to give them the experiences and in-person interaction that they really want, so we are always open to ideas from passionate partners.

Without discussing anything you shouldn’t, what might you look at next for PEPPA?
I can confidently say that fans can expect more in-person experiences, best-in-class partnerships and music from PEPPA PIG. Our data shows that consumers share a strong demand for in-person experiences that go beyond tangible goods and create everlasting experiences that they can share with their loved ones. We want to continue bringing just that for our families so they can create fonder memories with their favourite brands alongside their favourite company. Additionally, music is such an important part of PEPPA’s character and the brand, so we want to make sure we keep music a core part of the PEPPA PIG experience.

Great stuff. Let’s round things off with a tough question… What’s the one question I could’ve asked you today but didn’t?
Oh, that’s not so tough! You could’ve asked me: can you share any recent promotions that you’ve done for PEPPA PIG?

That would’ve been good! All the more so if the answer was yes… Can you?!
Yes! We just launched a promotional program in the UK with our fantastic partners at Tesco. It entails a party, bakery bus in Tesco’s car parks and includes PEPPA PIG’s Party theming in aisles to help kick off the party to celebrate PEPPA’s 20th. Additionally, we’ve partnered with the British Swim School in the US and Canada to create swimming school curriculum that leverages PEPPA. After all, one of PEPPA’s core values is to ‘Jump In’ and grow in confidence… So we want to encourage kids to do just that: jump into swimming pools to learn the fundamental skill of swimming and grow their confidence in the water.

Fantastic stuff. Thank you so much for joining us again, Matt. Let’s do it again soon.