Producer Ross Caroland, formerly with the United States Postal Service and now with the CDC, approached Magnetic with a unique issue:

The Post Office wanted to launch a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the risks inherent to approaching postal trucks delivering the mail.  This urgent need was in response to some cases in the past where small children approached the postal truck without the driver’s knowledge and were accidentally hurt or killed.

Magnetic was asked to create an animation which could help educate the children and parents and prevent these tragedies from occuring.  It was an honor to be a part of this noble cause.

Here is the finished work:

The main crew on this project was:

• Ross Caroland – Producer
• Director – Don Culwell
• Creator – Ross Caroland
• Writer – Ross Caroland, Rickey Boyd, John Hamm, Andrew Lee
• Production Designer – Rickey Boyd
• Designer – Andrew Lee, Kat
• Story Artist- Andrew Lee
• Matte Artist – Andrew Lee
• Lead Modeler – Chris Harkins
• Modeler – Jeff Greulich
• Texture Artist – Chris Harkins, Don Culwell
• Lead Character TD – Steve Alley
• Lead Animator – James Coakley Jr.
• Animator – Andrew Lee, John Hamm, Don Culwell
• Visual FX Artist – Chris Harkins
• Lead Lighter – Chris Harkins
• Lighter – Don Culwell
• Lead Compositor – Don Culwell
• Compositor – Joel Gibbs
• Voice of Benny – Rickey Boyd
• Voice of Franklin – Rickey Boyd
• Sound Design – Eric Friend

It all started with a brain storm session and an initial treatment from Ross Caroland (Producer at USPS). He wanted to use an Eagle as a spokes person and possibly a sidekick character that the kids could laugh at… I mean “with”.

The end result had to be something that could be approved by the Post Master General and pass through USPS legal without being castrated. After kicking some really funny ideas around we ended up with the script for the finished spot minus a pelvic thrust and a few MD logos. However, they did let us keep one of MD’s owners initials on the boxer briefs.

The complete 2 minute spot with an alternate 30 second version, features Benny and Franklin, the birds. Benny is an eager, yet clumsy, little squirt that acts as the comic relief.  Franklin, the wise narrator acts as the authority figure. As Benny and Franklin talk, Benny realizes the threat to the children in his neighborhood. He rushes from one house to another warning them to STAY AWAY FROM THE TRUCK!!!

We had a lot of fun creating this piece. It’s a great feeling to think that this animation might keep children from being accidentally hurt or killed by a postal truck.

This PSA has been aired nationally for over a year now and is being used by the Postal service at schools coast to coast.

The poster was featured in color on the cover of Postal Bulletin magazine which is the longest running periodical in the nation. Since being published in 1880 only one other issue of PB has featured a full color cover. WOW!