In the jungle, the mighty jungle, there are sweets tonight: How&How on Wild Thingz’s roaring success

Through its devised name – Wild Thingz – and identity, London and Los Angeles-based branding agency How&How has created a look and feel for the plant-based, artificial-free, and low-sugar sweet brand (formerly known as Just Wholefoods) that holds its own against the big-name sugary behemoths. Wild Thingz is slaying sugar cravings in a more natural way and, according to Associate Creative Director Priyjah Paramasivam, proving that “organic can be wild, overgrown, raw and rebellious, and have a voice to call out the big brands.” How&How take a leaf from the vibrant, mischievous, and rebellious spirit of junk food, rejecting the typical signifiers of the health food world. “The world of organic is wholesome, white and hemp-y,” says Paramasivam, “think smiling snakes in perfect blades of grass. Yet the ‘bad sweets’ are an explosion of bright colours, flashy logos and exciting in-pack games.” The real challenge came in finding an appropriate middle ground. How can an organic sweet brand, with the “ingredients of a saint” be raw and rebellious, with plenty of expression and “the shelf appeal of a sinner”? The resulting imagery ties to the natural world (leaves and vines galore!) but with plenty of defiant, mischievous spirit. And what could encapsulate this better than a carnivorous plant as the brand mascot? Meet Vee. “She’s been at the heart of the brand from the very beginning,” says Paramasivam, describing WildThingz’s mascot-creation process. “With 73% of parents letting their children choose, or have influence on which sweets to buy, kid-appeal was always going to be important. Mascots are always a great way to create a persona, entice, emote and persuade and feel fitting for kids. And for us, it was thinking about the most rebellious plant we could think of to capture the heart and soul of this brand.” Personality-wise, Vee is edgy, playful, and confident, with a spirited, punk-inspired design to match. “Getting the balance right between a recognisable Venus flytrap and an ownable character was the real challenge, and where the idea of her mohawk came in.”