Dirty Puppet

Dirty Puppet is an Australian boutique animation and visual storytelling studio based in Collingwood, Melbourne. Established in 2008 and incorporated in 2012, it creates design-driven, character-led work for advertising, broadcast entertainment, cultural institutions and immersive exhibitions. Its output spans commercial campaigns, animated comedy sequences, opening titles and architectural screen installations.

The studio works across multiple visual styles, combining hand-drawn 2D animation with 3D character animation and motion graphics. Character design, rigging, art direction and storyboarding support projects from their initial visual development through animation, compositing and post-production. Dirty Puppet works directly with clients and alongside agencies, adapting its approach to the narrative, audience and display format of each commission.

Animation across screens and spaces

Museum and cultural projects form a substantial part of its portfolio. For Melbourne Museum’s permanent biodiversity gallery Our Wondrous Planet, the studio produced animation and interactive screen content. It also contributed immersive animated sequences to Museums Victoria’s touring exhibition Tyama: A Deeper Sense of Knowing, using large-scale projection to create an environmental storytelling experience. At Arts Centre Melbourne, Evolution brought animated content to Hamer Hall’s architectural LED displays, drawing on the venue’s heritage.

Its entertainment work includes animated segments and character design for Netflix’s Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, animation for Glennridge Secondary College, and opening titles for Binge’s The Last Year of Television. These projects sit alongside commercial work that uses character performance and distinct visual treatments to communicate short-form stories.

Advertising credits include Quilton’s Loves Your Bum, Spotify’s I DUO, Tinder’s Big Tinder Wedding, AAMI’s AAMojis and the AFL’s Kids Go Free. The studio also creates public-awareness animation, including Kidney Health Australia’s Start Taking the Piss. Across these formats, its work connects character animation and visual design with storytelling for television, digital campaigns and physical environments.