Hong Kong · IP Character Project Story
Hong Kong IP Character Lantern Exhibition: When Miss Cat Walked Into the Street
The brief was not simply to enlarge a mascot. Shilong Lanterns turned a beloved cat IP into a walkable night story: characters appeared on rooftops, floated above lanes, gathered at market gates and waited in garden corners for visitors to discover them.
Create an IP lantern route
The Creative Brief
Let the character escape the poster and live inside the venue
An IP lantern exhibition succeeds when visitors feel they have stepped into the character’s world. For this Hong Kong project, the scenes were planned as a sequence of encounters: a first greeting, a busy street, a market entrance, overhead lanterns, small surprises and a final photo-worthy character assembly.
Designing with the street
The venue became a stage, and every facade became part of the story
Instead of placing the cats only on the ground, the design used the street’s vertical layers. Some characters leaned over rooftops, some appeared beside signs, and others hovered across the lane. This made visitors look up, slow down and move through the space as if the IP world had quietly taken over the neighborhood.
Character moments
Each cat needed a personality visitors could read in one glance
The charm of the project came from expression. Big eyes, sleepy faces, waving paws, tiny props and exaggerated poses made every lantern feel like a character rather than a decoration. Visitors could choose their favorite cat, then meet another one around the next corner.
A large character greeted visitors with a warm, readable pose and strong night presence.
The main figure gave the IP a full-body presence and created a clear anchor for photos.
Simple expressions and hand poses made the characters feel friendly and approachable.
Look up and the route continues
Overhead lanterns turned walking space into story space
The route did not rely only on ground displays. Cat-shaped lanterns, paw forms and colorful hanging elements brought the IP world above the visitor’s head. That changed the pace of the experience: people could stop for a close-up, then look up and find another layer of the story floating above them.
Bright suspended forms made even the ceiling layer feel connected to the IP story.
The entrance used strong red light and a playful cat face to turn arrival into a photo moment.
From street scene to night attraction
The route changed mood as daylight disappeared
During the day, visitors could read the scale, placement and architectural setting. After dark, the same pieces became a glowing character village: warm faces, reflective water edges, lantern signs and hidden cats created a route that felt more theatrical with every step.
Discoverable scenes
Not every moment had to be huge; some worked because they felt found
Alongside the major landmarks, smaller vignettes gave the exhibition rhythm. These scenes rewarded visitors who wandered: cats behind fences, cats beside water, cats with tiny props, and cats staged like they had been living there before the guests arrived.
Small scenes created the feeling of discovering characters inside the landscape.
Reflections and darker planting made the glowing characters feel more intimate.
A large ensemble scene gathered the IP cast together for a strong end-of-route photo point.
Complete project delivery
One partner from IP interpretation to visitor-ready lantern scenes
IP reading
Character expressions, poses and emotional tone translated into physical lantern forms.
Route planning
Scenes placed across entrances, streets, overhead areas and garden corners to guide movement.
Custom fabrication
Steel structure, fabric skin, hand-painted details and internal lighting shaped each figure.
Installation logic
Large characters and suspended scenes prepared for safe assembly and reliable night effect.
Build your IP landmark
Could your character become a place visitors want to enter?
Share your IP, venue, season and visitor goals. We can help turn a character image into a walkable lantern world with photo value and emotional memory.