• by Larissa Faw , October 8, 2014

When Activision's Skylanders franchise launched in 2011, the concept of toys connected to video games was unique and innovative. The game sold on the basis of itself. Now, even though the billion-dollar franchise continues to be successful, it takes more to break through the competition.

In an effort to do so Activision and its agency 72andSunny are pranking children to promote the new Skylanders game, "Trap Team," the fourth game in the video game franchise that debuts October 5 in the U.S.

With a campaign tagline inviting kids to "capture evil" and "unleash good," the creative team at 72andSunny decided to put a talking, mocking, kid-shocking villain inside a seemingly normal demo kiosk at a Toys R Us in Glendale, CA and tapped comedian Adam Carolla to hide in and sound the voice within the “talking” video game console to prank unsuspecting kids. Then, producers pulled from endless footage of select responses from kids to create a viral-worthy video that currently runs on YouTube.

"We’re always looking to expand our reach among older boys and girls," says Tashi Oszvald, Brand Manager, 72andSunny. "A prank was a great way to age up while appealing to parents as well."

The concept was designed to resonate with both children and parents, in particular, by working with comedian Carolla. "We felt Adam had the perfect humor and quick wit for the ultimate Skylanders bad guy," says Oszvald. "He also helped our effort to age up our target and help create more viral traction by appealing to parents. As a bonus, he was already a part of the Skylanders family, having voiced Thumpback for a previous Giants commercial."

At the same time, the concept  served as a way to educate kids about the game's backstory. "The core innovation in Skylanders: Trap Team, trapping villains in the game world into crystal traps in the real world, was not only new for Skylanders, but gaming in general," says Oszvald. "When kids see it their jaws drop. Our challenge was to capture that magic in an unmistakable way."

72andSunny has developed Skylanders creative since the release of the first game, Spyro’s Adventure, in 2011.