Long before fan favourites like Wallace and Gromit or Shaun the Sheep captured the hearts of millions, Peter Lord and David Sproxton began their animating journey together while at school. Their first creation? A tiny superhero called Aardman. The name stuck! With multiple Academy awards to their name, Aardman animations has grown into one of the most beloved animation studios with its creativity, memorable characters and technical brilliance.
Let’s dig into some behind the scenes gems which will make you appreciate the artistry behind Aardman’s work.
Morph Goes to Space?
Created by the founding pair in 1976, Morph is brought to life from a blob of clay with a big smile and bendy limbs. The curious character first appeared on the BBC children’s art show Take Hart with the host Tony Hart. Morph went on to become a long-lasting fan-favourite character and stuck around in other Tony Hart shows, even headlining his own spinoff shows while making appearances in specials. In 2013 fans raised £110,648 through a Kickstarter campaign to fund Morphs return. This led to new, free YouTube shorts being made using classic stop-motion animation, and a longer episode series titled The Epic Adventures of Morph (2020) followed.
In 2016, in collaboration with Stem Learning for British Science Week, a small Morph figurine was attached to a high-altitude weather balloon. He managed to reach the edge of the earth’s atmosphere at around 35,000 meters (about 115,000 feet) high! The entire event was livestreamed online for fans to tune in for the event.
Creature Comforts’ authentic voices
Another success for Aardman was Creature Comforts, which won the Academy award for best short animated film in 1990. The stop-motion success matched zoo animals with real human voices. There was no script, just a diversity of real voices. They began by collecting real everyday interviews: every pause, yawn and mumble was kept in and matched with a clay animal. This led to a Brazilian man becoming a jaguar in a zoo discussing how the UK, despite having technological advancements and double glazed windows, is not hot enough for him. Creature Comforts became its own television show, as well as part of ad campaigns for Heat Electric. The authenticity of the voices was popular and the series boosted Aardman’s popularity.
Wallace Was Plastic, Gromit Nearly a Cat
In early sketches, Gromit from the classic duo Wallace and Gromit was initially imagined as a cat instead of a dog. Animator and filmmaker Nick Park then decided to change his initial sketches, realising that a dog who makes his emotions clear without speaking a word would be a better companion for Wallace.
Despite Aardman’s style being known as Claymation, the famous figures are actually made of other materials too. Wallace’s vest is made from a hollow plastic, making it easier for animators to grip onto and position. Gromit is also created using a clay that is applied over a metal armature which includes silicone parts for maximum flexibility. Even with this technical sophistication, animators often deliberately keep their fingerprint marks visible to preserve a handmade element that connects with viewers. Nick Park calls this ‘thumbiness’, and it has become a key part of Aardman’s signature style.
Guinness World Records
Aardman’s success means they are not unfamiliar with earning Guiness World Records. A particularly impressive one was achieved in 2011, when they created the film Gulp on a beach using a Nokia N8 phone. They managed to achieve the Guinness World Record for the largest stop-motion animation set ever made. It was a huge 1,025.04 m² across the beach. Another impressive record was set by Chicken Run (2000), which was Aardman’s first full-length feature film and remains the highest grossing stop motion film of all time, earning £185,172,711 worldwide (as of 10 January 2025). The film impressively used 563 unique individual puppets.
Carrot Bow Ties and Clay on the Red Carpet
Speaking of prestigious awards, when The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Nick Park and co-director Steve Box showed up in tuxedos with giant carrot bow ties as a nod to the film. Additionally, they also brought along Wallace and Gromit clay figures, so they too could have their well-deserved moment. This wasn’t a one-time thing: Aardman do have a tendency to bring their creations along to award ceremonies and red carpets events—like the Chicken Run puppets wearing extravagant outfits—so that they had the opportunity to pose in front of the photographers too.
The Warehouse Fire of 2005
In 2005, Aardman unfortunately faced a tragedy. A huge fire ripped through their Bristol warehouse, destroying original sketches, models from Creature Comforts and the famous Pie Machine from Chicken Run. Fortunately, many Wallace and Gromit figures were touring at the time and so remained safe. The original films and some original prints also survived as they were stored at specialist locations.
The Clay Supply Crisis
Since the 1970s, all Aardman figures had something in common: they were made from Lewis Newplast clay, produced by Newclay Products in Devon. The clay was flexible, remained in good condition and held its textures under hot studio lights. But in 2023, the company announced its closure and so Aardman bought the entire last 400kg of stock. The Telegraph joked that it was enough for one last Wallace and Gromit, but Aardman reassured the public that they were testing alternatives and were not going to stop production any time soon.
Shaun the Sheep: A global Icon
For decades Aardman’s success has been worldwide. Shaun the sheep in particular has become a global icon. There’s even a Shaun theme park in Sweden and a Shaun-themed cafe in Japan, where food and decorations celebrate Shaun. The lack of dialogue in the show makes it universally enjoyable, with fans around the world able to understand the humour of the farmyard antics. Behind the scenes, Shaun the Sheep is animated at around 3 seconds of footage per day. This highlights the painstaking work and attention to detail that goes into stop-motion animation.
Grand Appeal and Cheese Sales
In A Grand Day Out (1989), Wallace says ‘Wensleydale’—partly because saying the word gave him a funny grin. This throwaway line caused cheese sales to skyrocket at the allegedly struggling Wensleydale creamery.
Another one of Aardman’s proudest achievements is Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal and the studio’s involvement with the official Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, raising over £70 million since 1995. They have organised many successful events, including three Aardman art trails across Bristol, most recently in summer 2025.
Feathers McGraw’s Strange Name
It wouldn’t be a blog about Aardman’s projects without highlighting this legendary penguin. The infamous silent penguin villain, who originally appeared in The Wrong Trousers, is called Feathers McGraw. He was named after a budgie called Toots McGraw that Nick Park’s sister once owned. In the foyer of Bradford’s Science and Media Museum you can even find a giant model of him climbing the wall in the signature ‘techno trousers’.
From clay blobs to global icons, Aardman animations proves small fingerprints can leave a huge mark on the hearts of many. Their stop-motion magic is proof that the future of animation is looking ‘cracking, Gromit!’