Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken, Hulu’s Crossing Swords) has partnered with the NFL Green Bay Packers on a multimedia campaign for the announcement of the team’s 2026 game schedule. The project included a hilarious original stop-motion animated short featuring current and former players along with lots of orange, cheese-related characters, two video games - Kickin Curds and Sausage Slam - embedded in the short that are playable by fans on the Packers website, and the “resplendent” return of a long-forgotten Packers mascot from the 1980s. You can enjoy the “cheesy” short - produced with the studio’s usual fun style of mayhem - and behind-the-scenes images below.
Studio co-owner John Harvatine IV, a lifelong Packers fan, conceptualized and directed the project, sure to please fellow “Cheeseheads” as well as anyone who enjoys the violent intersection of curds and ceiling fans. The animated short follows Green Bay Packers players Jordan Love, Micah Parsons, Josh Jacobs, and Tucker Kraft as they visit the Kickin’ Curds Arcade; take up arms with a cheddar cheese sword, sausage-link nunchucks, and metal-spiked football when they encounter unexpected obstacles; and a surprise reveal with a dreamy former team star.
The project was developed and fully produced over the course of a month at the studio’s offices in Burbank, California, with 15 local artists handcrafting every element, including the sets, props, puppets… and horde of orange curds.
“My two favorite things in the world are stop-motion and the Packers, so this was both a joy and a no-brainer,” said Harvatine. “We’re hoping this project provides a unique spin on revealing the season in a format you’ve never seen, along with plenty of fun and Easter egg surprises for the long-time fans. The collaboration with the Packers organization has been incredible and we’re looking forward to even more partnership in the future.”
Source: Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
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Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.