A Single Star That Lit Up the Bund｜Wenzhou 360 Inflatable × POP MART: A Journey of Creative Collaboration Around a Trendsetting IP

Shanghai BFC The Bund “Twinkle Twinkle” Large-Scale Permanent Inflatable Display Project

Project Overview

Project Name: Shanghai BFC The Bund POP MART Twinkle Twinkle Large-Scale Inflatable Display

• Dimensions: 6.9 m (L) × 6.67 m (W) × 7 m (H)
• Product Type: Permanent Inflatable Display
• Category: Fixed Cartoon Inflatable
• Built-in Blower: 1,200 W
• Number of Fabric Panels: Nearly 1,000

A Large-Scale IP Display — and a High-Standard Test of Quality

As trend culture continues to merge with urban commerce, a successful large-scale commercial installation needs to achieve much more than visual impact.

It must strike a precise balance between IP accuracy, structural stability, nighttime presentation, on-site installation, and long-term operation.

For this project, Wenzhou 360 Inflatable served as the exclusive inflatable partner of the project, working closely with its partners to create a giant POP MART Twinkle Twinkle inflatable installation at Shanghai BFC The Bund.

Set against Shanghai's iconic urban skyline, the installation created a striking visual dialogue between contemporary trend culture and the city's nighttime landscape.

As night fell, the giant Twinkle Twinkle character and surrounding star elements illuminated the site together, creating an imaginative fusion of IP culture, urban architecture, and nighttime visual art.

The customized installation reached:

6.9 m in length × 6.67 m in width × 7 m in height

and was equipped with a 1,200 W built-in blower.

For a large-scale permanent IP inflatable, however, dimensions are only the starting point.

The real challenge lies in ensuring that a flat IP design can maintain the character's original expression, proportions, visual identity, and design language after being transformed into a large-scale three-dimensional structure.

POP MART International Group has developed globally recognized trend IPs including MOLLY, DIMOO, SKULLPANDA, and LABUBU, supported by comprehensive systems for IP authorization, sample approval, and production quality control.

Throughout the project, both sides maintained close coordination across critical production stages while following the applicable International Labor Standards (ILS) audit and Facility and Merchandise Authorization (FAMA) production-control requirements.

For Wenzhou 360 Inflatable, this was more than a manufacturing assignment.

It was a comprehensive test of our IP reproduction capabilities, production management, and experience in large-scale inflatable engineering.

Nearly 1,000 Fabric Panels: Bringing Twinkle Twinkle from Design to Reality

A large cartoon inflatable may appear to be a single complete form.

In reality, behind that seamless appearance lies a sophisticated and carefully engineered structural system.

This project involved nearly 1,000 individual fabric panels.

From the character's main body and clothing to the surrounding star elements, every curved surface required detailed dimensional breakdown, structural planning, panel design, and precision assembly.

Once an IP character is enlarged to this scale, even a small deviation in one area can become significantly more noticeable in the overall visual composition.

The production team therefore had to continuously solve one fundamental challenge:

How can a giant inflatable structure maintain stable three-dimensional form while faithfully preserving the original visual language of the IP?

For the character's main body, Wenzhou 360 Inflatable adopted professional sewing and fabric-panel assembly techniques, combined with airtight sealing treatment.

Through the precise combination of hundreds of individual panels, the inflatable was able to form a fuller, smoother, and more natural three-dimensional silhouette once inflated.

Large-scale IP inflatable manufacturing is not simply about “enlarging a graphic.”

It requires structural engineering to transform a two-dimensional IP design into a three-dimensional spatial installation with physical presence and visual character.

Details Define IP Accuracy——Epson Heat-Transfer Printing for Precise Character Expression

For a trend-driven IP, scale is not the only factor that matters.

The real question is:

How accurately does the enlarged character still look like the original?

Twinkle Twinkle's expression, eyes, clothing graphics, and decorative details all contribute directly to its visual recognition.

To reproduce these design details with greater precision, the graphic areas of the installation were produced using Epson printing equipment and heat-transfer technology.

This process enabled the project team to reproduce important visual elements with greater clarity and consistency, helping the giant inflatable retain the distinctive characteristics of the original IP.

The printed areas also provide strong performance in terms of:

• Scratch resistance
• Color reproduction
• Durability
• Resistance to fading

From a distance, visitors see a 7-meter-tall giant trend-art installation.

Up close, they can still appreciate the details within the character's expression and graphics.

Strong visual impact from afar. Precise craftsmanship up close.

This combination was one of the key objectives of the project.

An Often-Overlooked Challenge——Using Mesh Fabric to Improve Uniform Light Transmission

Nighttime presentation was another important challenge of the project.

When internal lighting is introduced into a large inflatable installation, uneven light distribution can easily create areas that are excessively bright or noticeably dark, compromising the overall visual effect.

Internal structural baffles play an important role in supporting the shape of a large inflatable. However, they can also interfere with the transmission of internal light.

The challenge was therefore to maintain sufficient structural support while minimizing any impact on nighttime illumination.

After targeted material and structural optimization, mesh fabric was incorporated into selected internal baffle sections.

Although seemingly a small material adjustment, this solution helped improve the transmission and distribution of light within the inflatable structure.

While maintaining the required structural support, the mesh sections allowed light to pass through the internal space more evenly.

The result was a dual visual experience:

A complete and clearly defined IP form during the day, and a softer, more balanced illuminated appearance at night.

True customization is not simply about solving “Can it be made?”

It is about solving the more important question:

“How can the final result look its best?”

Installation in Wind and Rain——A Night of Commitment on the Bund

For a large-scale inflatable project, completing manufacturing does not mean the work is finished.

The final on-site installation is often the critical stage that determines whether the project can be delivered as planned.

During the installation of this project, the team encountered rainy nighttime conditions and intermittent gusts of wind.

For a large inflatable installation, changing weather conditions can significantly increase the complexity of on-site operations.

Limited visibility at night, wet working surfaces, and wind affecting the deployment and positioning of the large structure all created additional challenges.

Faced with these conditions, the Wenzhou 360 Inflatable installation team did not simply prioritize speed.

Instead, the team continuously adjusted the installation process according to the actual site conditions while maintaining a strong focus on installation safety and final quality.

From unfolding the inflatable and positioning the main structure to securing connection points and commissioning the blower system, every stage required close coordination among the on-site team.

Under the rain and nighttime lighting, the wet installation area reflected the surrounding light.

Gusts continued to affect the deployment of the giant inflatable.

Yet the installation team remained on site, systematically checking the structure and securing points throughout the process.

When Twinkle Twinkle was finally completed at Shanghai BFC The Bund, the finished installation represented more than the precision assembly of nearly 1,000 fabric panels.

It also reflected the commitment of an experienced team that completed the installation under challenging weather conditions.

A large inflatable may deliver only a few minutes of visual impact once completed.

Behind those few minutes, however, are countless hours of design, manufacturing, communication, quality control, and on-site execution.

From IP Collaboration to Long-Term Partnership——Building Professional Inflatable Solutions for Trend IPs

POP MART International Group continues to develop trend-focused IPs with global cultural influence.

Large-scale offline installations serve as an important bridge connecting IP, consumers, and urban commercial spaces.

As the exclusive inflatable partner for the project, Wenzhou 360 Inflatable contributed more than the manufacturing of a single product.

The collaboration involved a deeper level of coordination covering:

• IP character transformation
• Structural engineering
• Manufacturing techniques
• Quality control
• On-site installation
• Final visual presentation

Creating a large-scale trend IP inflatable requires an understanding of the IP itself, as well as a deep understanding of the commercial environment in which it will be displayed.

The installation must preserve the original character while accounting for structural changes caused by large-scale production.

It must meet manufacturing standards while adapting to the practical conditions of each project site.

And it must deliver a compelling visual experience not only during the day, but also under nighttime lighting.

This is the value of long-term, close collaboration between IP partners and professional inflatable manufacturers.

It enables outstanding IP creativity to move beyond the original design and become a tangible presence within cities, commercial spaces, and consumers' everyday experiences.

A Giant Twinkle Twinkle Lighting Up Shanghai BFC The Bund

When the giant Twinkle Twinkle appeared at Shanghai BFC The Bund, the IP was no longer simply a character associated with a product or brand.

It became a large-scale urban trend installation that people could experience up close, photograph, and interact with.

From nearly 1,000 precisely engineered fabric panels to the sewing and airtight assembly of the character's main structure;

From Epson heat-transfer printing used to reproduce IP details to mesh-fabric internal baffles designed to improve uniform light transmission;

From strict IP production-control requirements to on-site installation in rain and gusty nighttime conditions —

every detail reflected Wenzhou 360 Inflatable's commitment to professional large-scale IP manufacturing.

We believe that an outstanding large-scale IP inflatable is not simply about “making it big.”

The real challenge is finding the right balance between creative vision, craftsmanship, structural engineering, material performance, and on-site execution.

Looking ahead, Wenzhou 360 Inflatable will continue to leverage its professional custom manufacturing capabilities and work closely with partners to create more large-scale inflatable installations for international IPs and urban commercial environments.

Our goal is to deliver installations that combine artistic value, visual impact, and engineering quality — transforming beloved IPs beyond the boundaries of screens and products and bringing them into the real world in a more immersive, dimensional, and unforgettable way.

未来，温州叁陆零气模也将继续依托专业的定制化生产能力，与合作伙伴保持深度协同，为更 多国际化IP与城市商业空间打造兼具艺术价值、视觉传播力与工程品质的大型充气美陈作品。 让IP突破屏幕与产品的边界，以更震撼、更立体的方式，走进真实世界。