An interactive space within Playground for people of all ages to get busy and have fun creating character designs of their own.

This is a new character design studio space, created by TADO for Playground 2021.

TADO are a pint-sized illustration power-house made up of the inseparable Mike and Katie and their 3 year old daughter Erin.
Based in Sheffield, UK, they create darkly adorable characters and artworks that have delighted and terrorised people for nearly two decades.

The pair began working together in 2002 and quickly became an established name through their cute, quirky and unique style, combined with a good dollop of Yorkshire humour. Their work and characters have spanned projects including fashion and sneaker designs, animations, games, mascots, & large-scale public statues, as well as several international solo exhibitions.

They particularly enjoy working with the innovative Artfelt initiative at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, producing artwork and installations for their ground-breaking care facilities.

Everything Mike and Katie do is produced in total collaboration – whether it be taking turns in drawing, painting, drilling, glueing, scribbling or clicking.

When the pair aren’t scribbling away, they enjoy riding bikes, collecting all manner of oddities, and eating ice cream.