The Grand Appeal announces full sculpture line-up coming to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal has announced the details of the sculptures that will be showcased in the new Covid-secure mini trail at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway from Saturday 24 October.

The 15 sculptures will pup-up in various locations around The Mall to enhance the shopping experience, with new measures in place to ensure visitors can enjoy the mini trail in a socially distanced way.

Featuring Gromit, Wallace, Shaun the Sheep, and Feathers McGraw, visitors can travel around the world visiting brand new designs as well as firm favourites from previous trails, each representing a different country. The full list of sculptures are as follows:

New Designs:

Rio: Representing South America, ‘Rio’ beautifully reflects the Amazon Rainforest with tropical leaves covering him head to toe and with a special three-toed sloth hanging from his side. This design is a new addition, especially for The Grand Adventure, painted by Emily Ketteringham.

Yodeleyheehoo: Yodeleyheehoo is a brand-new Shaun the Sheep design created for this globe-trotting adventure by Carys Tait. Dressed in ewe-nique traditional garb, Shaun’s lavish lederhosen and suede leather shoes give a sharp look to tie the whole outfit together.

Postie McGraw: In this brand-new design, Feathers McGraw has been painted by Tim Sutcliffe and disguised as a British post box! You may want to stay clear of posting your important letters through this post box as we can’t guarantee villainous Postie McGraw will keep your mail safe.

Ice Ice Puppy: Covered in a flurry of snow with the still arctic ocean at his feet and an impressive Northern Light’s display on his back, the brand-new Ice Ice Puppy will be transforming the fountains of The Mall this Winter, thanks to local artist, Tim Sutcliffe.

Valentina: This handsome doggo takes inspiration from the Matryoshka dolls, the set of wooden dolls with decreasing sizes placed one inside another. This new edition Gromit has been painted by Carys Tait especially for the The Grand Adventure.

Aloha! Transport yourself to the tropics and say ‘aloha’ to our brand-new tiki-tastic pup by Emily Ketteringham. Aloha! is bringing leis, hula skirts, tropical hibiscus leaves to The Mall, all the way from the alluring island of Hawaii, A hui hou.

Reef Encounter: Painted head to toe in all things aquatic, Reef Encounter exhibits the beautiful creatures and coral reef of the largest coral reef system, The Great Barrier Reef! This brand-new Gromit design has been painted by Paula Bowles.

Returning Favourites:

Year of the Gromit: Originally created for Gromit Unleashed Hong Kong 2014 by Ashley Boddy, this spectacular Gromit captures the colours, drama, and ceremony of the Chinese lion dance, a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture.

Shanghai Shaun: Meet the colourful Shanghai Shaun who is a striking tribute to the legendary dragons of Chinese mythology from the 2015 Shaun in the City trail in London. Shanghai Shaun takes the form of a Chinese door guardian, believed to offer protection in Chinese folklore and commonly placed in pairs outside the entrances to homes, businesses, and temples.

Kanzashi: Wearing the traditional dress of the geisha, this Shaun the Sheep from the 2015 trail looks splendid in his flowery kimono and geta shoes. Artist Kate Strudwick was inspired to create her pretty design after travelling in Japan in 2013.

Arabian Lights: Inspired the gourd lamps of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, this Shaun the Sheep from the 2015 trail certainly stands out from the flock with colour changing bulbs that twinkle through over 15,000 holes.

Feathers Macaw: Everyone’s favourite sinister penguin is back but dressed as a more tropical bird than we are used to seeing. Representing South America, the rainbow-coloured Feathers was designed and painted by artist Amy Timms for the Gromit Unleashed 2 trail in 2018.

Blazing Saddles: The fastest pooch in the Wild West, Carys Tait’s second design for the Gromit Unleashed 2013 trail has the colourful look of painted horses from fairground Merry-Go-Rounds and the cowboy style of 1950's westerns.

Wensleydale Kid: The old-fashioned cowboy sheriff Wensleydale Kid is back from the Wild West for another Bristolian rodeo. Painted by artist Paula Bowles for Gromit Unleashed 2, this Wallace is decked out head to toe in cowboy gear.

Alex the Lion: Representing Southern Africa, The King of Bristol, ‘Alex the Lion’, was created by DreamWorks Studios and painted by Simon Tozer as a tribute to the charismatic star of the film Madagascar. This iconic Gromit design featuring in Gromit Unleashed 2 in 2018.

Visitors will not be able to touch any of the 15 sculptures to minimise the risk of virus transmission. However, special selfie spots will carefully be marked out to encourage people to use set locations that allow them to keep their distance from others, while still having a great vantage point for photos. Visitors are encouraged to tag your selfies using @gromitunleashed on Twitter and Facebook and @thegrandappeal on Instagram.

A mini adventure map will be available, with visitors encouraged to download and print their own version at home. The recommended adventure route will follow The Mall’s one-way system to make it easy for visitors to comply with social distancing.

For those who do not plan to visit The Mall or who are unable to, an online digital tour of all the sculptures will be available via The Grand Appeal’s website.

Gromit Unleashed: The Grand Adventure is organised by The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity, in partnership with Aardman to celebrate 25 years of a trailblazing partnership. Since 1995, the multi-Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit characters have been spearheading the charity’s fundraising.

Nicola Masters, director, The Grand Appeal commented: “Gromit Unleashed: The Grand Adventure will take visitors on a safe adventure, while helping raise awareness of the sick babies and children in our region that still need our help and support.”

“We hope to bring a smile to the faces of visitors as they visit The Mall in the lead up to Christmas and find some old favourites for trails gone by as well as some exciting new additions.”

Lizzie Taylor, head of marketing at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering once again with a charity so close to all our hearts. We are passionate about supporting our local community, and the amazing work The Grand Appeal carries out has touched the lives of so many of our shoppers. After a difficult year for all, it will be a pleasure to bring some much-needed fun and entertainment to our visitors.

Since 2013, The Grand Appeal’s famous sculpture trails have raised over £6 million for Bristol Children’s Hospital, funding pioneering research, cutting-edge medical equipment, art, music and play for the brave children and families in hospital.

The dedicated Bristol Children’s Hospital charity also funds three family accommodation houses, 20 specialist support staff and a programme of art, music and play in partnership with the hospital and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital.

The charity has continued to provide its services to support the staff, families and patients despite the coronavirus pandemic. These vital services have included providing family accommodation to parents, so they can be close to their children in hospital as well as providing the funding for ground-breaking research into the natural history of Covid-19.

For more information on Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal and Gromit Unleashed: The Grand Adventure visit www.grandappeal.org.uk.