50 years ago, tea icon Sleepytime Bear drank a cup of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea and fell into a deep sleep. Now, the Sleepytime Bear is waking up to a whole new digital world! Join the Sleepytime Bear in a new digital campaign from Celestial Seasonings called “What the Bear Missed.”
“What the Bear Missed”
Established in 1972, Sleepytime is one of two flagship brands from Celestial Seasonings. The original drawing of the Sleepytime Bear was first illustrated by Beth Underwood, sister of one of the co-founders John Hay, in 1973.
Since then, the Sleepytime Bear has had his stories beautifully built on Celestial Seasonings packaging with whimsical, nostalgic images for every mood and moment. Tim Collins, General Manager and VP of Marketing at Celestial Seasonings, describes the character as a “timeless symbol of peace, calm, nostalgia, and a little self-care.”
Waking up the Sleepytime Bear after five decades of hibernation isn’t easy. After all, the world has changed quite a bit since he fell asleep. Celestial Seasonings partnered with creative agency Deutsch NY for this digital-first campaign and bringing to life a more social mascot.
The campaign uses a low-fi, mixed media approach. This allows it to stay true to the home-spun, user-generated design fans have been using to make the bear come to life. It also gives the Sleepytime Bear a cutting, observational wit. He can comment on anything from probiotics to the existential realities of the postmodern human condition. (We love it when a brand mascot has the range to speak on both topics!)
Check out wide-eyed Sleepytime Bear in his introductory wake-up call video. At first, he admits he’s a little confused to be here circa 2021.
He sings aloud his frustrations. Everyone has a computer in their pocket! Do you pronounce “GIF” with a “g” sound or “j” sound? And these phones we’re carrying? They’re not even connected to the wall!
Ah well, the Sleepytime Bear is ready to start catching up. He has no idea what kale is though.
“The Sleepytime Bear has already been the subject of countless memes and fanart,” says Pete Johnson, EVP, Executive Creative Director, Deutsch NY.
“By bringing him into this digital world, he can finally react, comment, and engage with the fans that feel comforted and connected to his story, as well as discover new ones. With this campaign, we’re focusing on Sleepytime Bear’s discovery of the modern world, while making it fun for people to rediscover internet culture through his eyes.”
“I Woke Up Like This”
The digital-first campaign also includes a website: Sleepytime Bear Woke Up.
Scroll through the decades on the site and watch the Sleepytime Bear recall the last fifty years. Most of his ‘80s knowledge is rooted in John Hughes high school movies and Miami Vice binge watches.
He (vaguely) remembers the Y2K scare in the ‘90s and is grateful for cups of Energy Green Tea that keep him awake.
Whatever else the Sleepytime Beat doesn’t remember, he will catch up on through content posted across social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. In the “I Woke Up Like This” video series, the Sleepytime Bear gets caught up on all of today’s biggest trends like learning TikTok dances, riding a stationary bike to stay fit, and giving you the tea.
Several varieties of tea from Celestial Seasonings, that is.
“As more and more young consumers turn to tea, this digital-forward campaign is the perfect way to introduce the growing number of younger consumers to the many benefits of our teas,” says Melinda Goldstein, Chief Marketing Officer at Hain Celestial.
“It’s a clever campaign that not only allows the beloved Sleepytime bear to interact with fans but also showcases the variety of existing and new Celestial Seasonings tea products that help make people’s lives a little bit better.”
Stay awake with the Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime Bear by visiting Instagram and SleepytimeBearWokeUp.com.
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