House of the Laughing Cow
Scenographic design of the interactive exhibition and completion follow-up for the House of the Laughing Cow
In 1865, Jules Bel set up his cheese ripening business in Jura, France. His son, Léon Bel, trademarked the brand The Laughing Cow® in 1921 and founded the Bel company in 1922. The Bel Group was a pioneer in mass communication, starting in 1929, most notably with its iconic red cow wearing fractal earrings. Today, 10 million portions of The Laughing Cow are consumed each day. The brand enjoys international recognition, sponsoring sports events and pursuing its culinary expansion all around the globe.
In its first plant dating back to 1926, the Bel Group decided to build a cultural space that traced the brand’s heritage from its beginnings. The House of the Laughing Cow opened its doors on 21 May 2009. The Bel Group is once again exploring its creative and innovative side in an effort to shape the future of the Laughing Cow alongside its visitors, with the opening of an eco-friendly and technological building.
In 2007, the Bel Group assigned to Reciproque the task of designing the interactive tour for the permanent exhibition and of installing the multimedia devices. Throughout the 1,500-square-meter exhibition space, the tour features design, cult objects, pastiches, heritage films, video games and multimedia tours for both young and old. The multimedia equipment is all interconnected in order to follow along the tour of each child, thanks to the RFID tickets provided at the entrance.
In 2010, the Bel Group, due to its international renown, wanted to establish a unique database of 3D characters for the production of all types of cinematic, television, web, mobile and print media for its communications. The design of this tool, “Toolkit 3D”, provided the Bel Group with a unique, standard model which all of its partners from around the world could use.
Reciproque, in collaboration with SolidAnim, supported Bel all throughout the Toolkit 3D manufacturing process. Its mission included overseeing the character design development and the production and animation of the 3D model, as well as creating a management and storage mechanism in order to send Toolkit 3D to various partners.
