After a $50 million redevelopment, Gumbuya World relaunched in 2017 as a state-of-the-art theme park. As part of the relaunch, they asked us to design a friendly mascot to help target family audiences and provide an added attraction at the park.
Brand Strategy
Character & Mascot Design
Live Activations & Experiences
Logo/Identity
Style Guide Development
As the face of Gumbuya World, the mascot needed to be warm and relatable, and visually embody the park’s core values of friendship, nature and fun. He or she also ideally needed to develop Gumbuya World’s international appeal as a destination to experience authentic Australia.
Meet Gumbo! He’s a teenage koala with a cheeky attitude, an endless appetite for fun, and a passion for exploring. Gumbo’s primary outfit of thongs, boardshorts and open shirt evokes the aquatic fun of Gumbuya’s water park. But with a quick change to his Ranger outfit, Gumbo is ready to guide guests down the Wildlife Trail and fulfil official duties at the park.
We explored a range of faces, builds and costumes for Gumbo before zeroing in on his final look. The final design gives Gumbo a youthful sensibility to make him relatable to younger kids – someone they can have fun with – while also having just enough authority to also be a reassuring presence when needed.
