Wild in Art

What Wild in Art does

Wild in Art is a UK-based creative event production company headquartered in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, founded in 2008 by Managing Director Charlie Langhorne and Co-founder Sally-Ann Wilkinson. The company designs, produces, and manages large-scale outdoor public art trails featuring decorated sculptures placed in urban environments, working with charity partners (hospices, hospital charities), local councils and BIDs, corporate sponsors, artists, and educational institutions. Since founding, Wild in Art has delivered 190+ events across four continents, created over 13,000 sculptures, and engaged more than 15 million participants, raising £30.3 million+ for charitable causes and investing £5.3 million+ in local creative communities. The portfolio spans both bespoke event-specific trails and licensed character trails featuring IP from Aardman Animations (Shaun the Sheep since 2023), Penguin Ventures (Peter Rabbit, Snowman, Snowdog), Peanuts Worldwide (Snoopy), LAIKA, and SmileyWorld, alongside national partnerships with the National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces, and the Royal Horticultural Society.

The company operates a multi-format product portfolio: large public sculpture trails as the core deliverable; a custom Art Trail mobile application for iOS and Android supporting sculpture code collection, rewards, pedometer features, and visitor photo galleries; an e-commerce storefront (wildinart.shop) selling limited-edition collectible figurines and ceramics internationally via PayPal and WorldPay; the free Snowdog Collectors Club which registers figurine serials and drives repeat purchase; event-branded microsites; and learning and community programmes that have engaged over 1.5 million young people. The technology stack is conventional — Google Analytics and Firebase for analytics, Ocean Outdoor integration for digital out-of-home display — with no proprietary AI/ML pipeline.

Wild in Art generates revenue through quote-based corporate sponsorships, event production fees, licensing income from IP holders, merchandise sales, and recurring collector engagement through the Snowdog Collectors Club. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue figures are not published. Notable outcome metrics from individual events include £13.3 million in total economic impact and £8.7 million in direct spending from Music for the Senses in Manchester, £205,000 raised at the Waddle-on-Sea auction for Havens Hospices, £60,124 raised for Blythe House Hospice from Buxton Snowdogs, and £1.2 million combined across three previous Worcester trails for St Richard's Hospice. The company operates with a stated 1-10 employee core team supplemented by 71+ commissioned artists per major trail, schools, and community groups — an asset-light model that has sustained operations since founding without disclosed external funding.

Name

Wild in Art

Legal name

Wild in Art Ltd

Website

https://wildinart.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wild in Art is a UK creative event production company, founded 2008, that designs and delivers large-scale outdoor public art sculpture trails for hospital charities, hospices, local councils, and corporate sponsors across 190+ events and four continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Event Production / Public Art Trail Production

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Monuments, Statues & Memorials (THAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art, Street Art & Creative Scene Tours (THAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Public art trails
• Sculpture event production
• Charity art trails
• Licensed character trails
• Corporate sponsorship events

Headquarters

HQ city

Whaley Bridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Partnership and Sponsorship: Wild in Art generates revenue through partnerships with charities, hospitals, local councils, and brands who commission or sponsor art trails. Sponsors pay to have sculptures designed and placed in public spaces, with the trail culminating in auctions that raise funds for charitable causes.
2. Sculpture Auctions: At the end of each trail, large sculptures are auctioned to raise funds for the charity partner. The company facilitates these auctions, with proceeds going to support hospital charities and hospices.
3. Licensed Character Merchandise: Sales of collectible figurines, ceramics, and merchandise inspired by the art trail sculptures, particularly for licensed characters like Snowdog and other iconic brands.
4. Snowdog Collectors Club: Free membership club for collectors of Snowdog figurines. Members can register their ceramics and receive exclusive offers, new collection announcements, and special edition releases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wild in Art designs, produces, and manages large-scale public sculpture art trails installed in city and town environments. Trails feature artist-designed sculptures sponsored by corporate partners and culminate in charity auctions that raise funds for partner charities and hospices. The company delivers both bespoke and ready-made trails using an extensive portfolio of licensed characters (Shaun the Sheep, Peter Rabbit, The Snowman, Snoopy, Elmer, SmileyWorld, etc.) and works with charities, local councils, and brands as commissioning partners.

Product overview

Wild in Art is a creative event production company that operates a portfolio of public art event products and digital services. Their core offering is large-scale outdoor sculpture art trails featuring decorated sculptures in urban environments, supported by a mobile app for trail exploration and engagement. They offer both original trail designs and licensed character trails featuring iconic brands like Shaun the Sheep, Peter Rabbit, and The Snowman. Supporting services include an online shop selling collectible figurines, the Snowdog Collectors Club for registered collectibles, custom event websites, and educational community programs. The company works with charities, businesses, artists, and communities to deliver events that raise funds and engage audiences through art.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Snowdog Collectors Club: A free collectors club for Snowdog figurine enthusiasts, allowing registration of figurines with unique codes and access to exclusive offers and competitions.
• Snowdog
• Art Trail App

Products and services

• Public Art Trails Large-scale outdoor sculpture art trails that transform cities into open-air galleries. Wild in Art designs, produces, and manages these mass-participation public art events featuring decorated sculptures placed throughout urban environments, culminating in charity auctions that raise funds for partner nonprofits.
• Iconic Characters Program Licensed character art trails featuring beloved characters from film, TV, and literature including Shaun the Sheep, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, Peter Rabbit, The Snowman, Snoopy, SmileyWorld, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Elf on the Shelf, and The Wind in the Willows.
• Wild in Art App Mobile application that helps users explore art trails, collect sculptures, and enhance their trail experience through digital tools including sculpture code collection, rewards unlocking, sculpture voting, pedometer tracking, and community photo galleries.
• Wild in Art Online Shop E-commerce platform selling limited edition collectible figurines and merchandise inspired by past art trail sculptures, particularly Snowdog and other character figurines. Features international shipping and secure payment processing via PayPal and WorldPay.
• Snowdog Collectors Club Free membership club for collectors of Snowdog ceramic figurines, allowing members to register figurines with unique codes, access exclusive offers, early access to new collections, and special edition ceramics releases.
• Learning and Community Programs Educational outreach programmes engaging children and young people in art trail events through school workshops, youth group involvement, and mini sculpture design projects that provide insights into the aspirations and creativity of future generations.
• Event Websites Custom branded microsites for individual art trail events, providing event information, sculpture maps, artist profiles, and trail details.

Quantifiable outcome

• Music for the Senses trail: £13.3 million total economic impact, £8.7 million direct spending, 226,000+ active participants, 96% of Manchester residents felt proud
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• National TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership to deliver art trails at National Trust properties including Wind in the Willows at Woodchester Park, Snowman trails at Baddesley Clinton, and Snowdogs at Hatchlands Park.
• English HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver art trails at English Heritage properties and venues.
• Historic Royal PalacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for art trails at Historic Royal Palaces locations including Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, where Snowdogs Discover was delivered.
• Walker BookssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for art trails featuring Walker Books characters and intellectual property.
• National Literacy TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting literacy initiatives through art trails and educational programmes.
• Royal Horticultural SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for art trails at RHS gardens and properties.
• Portland Metro ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Downtown Portland business organization for the Wildwood: Follow the Crows trail, supporting downtown revitalization and pediatric healthcare.
• OHSU FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject management partner for Portland art trails, building on success of Coraline's Curious Cat Trail to support OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for A Neverland Adventure Art Trail (2027) featuring storybook benches inspired by Peter Pan. Funds will support the Build it. Beat it. appeal for the new Children's Cancer Centre at GOSH.
• Addenbrooke's Charitable TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Panda Meander trail (2027), Wild in Art's first panda trail anywhere in the world. Funds will support children's services and Cambridge Children's Hospital.
• CheffinssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Trail Partner for Panda Meander Cambridge. Auctioneering firm that unveiled the first panda design and will manage the final auction.
• Thames HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner for Trunks Across the Thames elephant trail in Windsor and Slough. The debut Wild in Art event for Thames Hospice will raise funds for specialist palliative care.
• Portsmouth City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Pride of Portsmouth lion sculpture trail as part of the landmark Portsmouth 100 centenary celebrations in 2026.
• Blythe House HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner for Snowdogs Discover Buxton trail. Auction raised £60,124 for hospice care in North Derbyshire.
• Central BID BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Improvement District partner for Snowdogs Discover Birmingham trail, produced in partnership with Penguin Ventures.
• South Derbyshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizer of The Snowman and The Snowdog Swadlincote trail, funded by European Regional Development Fund.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a leading tours, activities, and attractions booking platform with global reach. It overlaps with Wild in Art's consumer-facing discovery layer (app-based trail exploration) and serves the same tourist and local leisure demographic.
• Fever: Fever is a leading global experiences marketplace offering curated local experiences, events, and attractions. It competes broadly with Wild in Art for sponsorship and consumer attention in the leisure/experiences category but does not produce city-scale sculpture trails.
• Eventbrite: Eventbrite is the largest self-service ticketing and event management platform globally. While not a direct competitor in public art trails, it competes for the same corporate event sponsorship budgets and serves overlapping charity event organisers.
• Viator: Viator (a Tripadvisor company) is a major marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the experiences distribution space where Wild in Art's self-guided trail apps compete for consumer mindshare.
• Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is a global marketplace for bookable local activities and tours run by hosts. It is a broad incumbent in the experiences space that competes for tourist time and discretionary spending, particularly in cities where Wild in Art operates trails.

Regional players

• Klook: Klook is a leading Asia-Pacific tours and experiences platform headquartered in Hong Kong. It is a regional incumbent in the experiences category relevant to Wild in Art's Australian, New Zealand, and potential APAC expansion.

Emerging players

• Secret Cinema: Secret Cinema produces immersive, IP-licensed experience events (e.g., Stranger Things, Back to the Future). It shares Wild in Art's model of licensing global entertainment IP and creating mass-participation ticketed experiences around branded content.
• Atlas Obscura: Atlas Obscura operates an experiences marketplace focused on unique, offbeat, and culturally distinctive activities globally. It overlaps thematically with Wild in Art's mission to connect people with extraordinary public art experiences in non-traditional settings.

Direct peers

• Sculpture by the Sea: Sculpture by the Sea operates free annual public sculpture exhibitions on coastal sites in Australia (Bondi, Cottesloe) and internationally. Like Wild in Art, it produces mass-participation outdoor sculpture events with corporate sponsorship and educational programs.
• CowParade International: CowParade is the original global public art cow sculpture trail organizer, running decorated cow installations in major cities since 1998. It is the closest direct peer to Wild in Art in format (sculpture trails), business model (corporate sponsorship + charity auction), and customer (cities and charities).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wildinart
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ5C2WlY6P5XaW5I4I0L8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/wildinart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wild-in-art
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildinart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wild in Art