Huggies and 101 Dalmatians Celebrate ‘Furever Friendships’ with Baby Academy for Pups Pop-Up

Last week, Droga5 partnered with Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies brand to launch its 101 Dalmatians partnership with Baby Academy for Pups, a first-of-its-kind, interactive pop-up experience for dogs. 

Located on Flatiron Plaza (in Madison Sq Park), the Huggies Baby Academy for Pups pop-up is designed to introduce pup to all things baby. It features interactive and sensory experiences that help introduce pup to the sights, sounds and (many) new items that enter their world upon baby’s arrival. 

Actress and mom to twins Jamie Chung was among many influencers and consumers to come and celebrate the furever friendship between babies and their four-legged siblings in the pop-up activation.

The Huggies Baby Academy for Pups pop-up was designed to introduce pups to all things baby, while celebrating Huggies Special Delivery Diapers Featuring Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. It featured interactive and sensory experiences that help introduce pup to the sights, sounds and many new items that enter their world upon baby’s arrival.

Created in partnership with creative agency Droga5, the campaign also includes a bespoke “Fur Baby, Meet Baby” kit and a social series, each featuring tools and experiences that help foster the magical bond between baby and pup. 

The campaign was created in collaboration with celebrity dog trainer and behaviorist, Kaelin Munkelwitz (founder of All Things Pups dog training). With over 10 years experience in her field, Munkelwitz’s expertise helped provide guidance and backed the science behind the importance of each experience. 

Hope Nardini, creative director at Droga5 said, "I’m a dog mom who has personal experience introducing my 95 lb fur baby to my baby baby, so I know first hand how nerve-wracking the transition can be for new parents. And it’s exciting to be able to offer support to others going through the same milestone in the parenting journey, starting with the Baby Academy for Pups. 

"We worked with the dog behaviouralists at All Things Pup, who guided each pup through the training centre, that we designed with canine senses in mind. First, the dogs were exposed to a wide range of baby noises in our sound garden. Most of the dog participants were happy to lay down on our meditation beds with the help of a few treats! We also wanted to give dogs a chance to see how babies behave with footage especially coloured for dog’s unique eyesight. Each screening was set at eye-level for the pups, so they could watch comfortably. Finally, we gave dogs a chance to sniff out common baby items like a stroller, baby bottles, and rattles. This way their first time hearing, seeing, and interacting with “their” new baby wouldn’t be when baby comes home!"