Theo, from prototype to campaign icon

The design and production journey behind a life-size crash test dummy

For Standis, Art Nzo was commissioned to create a crash test dummy for Hedin Automotive. Not a decorative object, but a full-scale figure designed to step into the spotlight as a colleague in recruitment campaigns. The challenge lay in combining credibility, mobility, and character. The result had to be instantly recognizable as the iconic dummy, yet convincing in its role as Theo; the unexpected colleague who could just as easily be repairing a car as answering the phone.

The journey began small. Through a series of scale models we explored proportions and, most importantly, the behavior of the joints. Each joint was tested individually, adjusted and improved again and again. This was an intensive iterative process, where every prototype revealed new insights into the mechanics of the hips, arms, knees, and wrists. The essence of the project was not found in surface details but in solving how a figure nearly two meters tall could achieve convincing freedom of movement. In the end, it came down to the interplay of twenty-nine carefully designed parts, each connected in such a way that together they formed a believable and robust whole.

Once the foundation was in place, we moved on to large-scale production. Using 3D printing, the various parts, head, torso, arms, legs, and hands, were built up layer by layer. The raw prints were thoroughly sanded and refined to achieve a smooth, sleek surface. Then came the finishing stage, with a industruial lacquer that gave Theo his distinctive appearance. This was where everything came together: the design, the prototypes, the technical choices, and the countless iterations that laid the groundwork for a functional, movable dummy. Every step, however small, proved vital to the outcome.

From object to character

Theo ultimately became more than just a figure. His articulated nature allowed him to take on roles in a wide range of scenes. In Hedin Automotive’s campaigns he appears as a mechanic, an office worker, the colleague who always takes on the next task while also winking at the actual vacancy. The technical process behind him makes him a one-of-a-kind character: carefully designed, extensively tested, built from dozens of parts, and assembled into a whole that moves convincingly and comes to life on camera.

^{_{Theo, the life-size articulated crash test dummy designed and produced by Art Nzo for Standis, at work under the hood of a blue car. Photo courtesy of Hedin Automotive.}}

Today, Theo continues his story—not as a prototype in a workshop, but as a campaign asset that instantly captures attention. He shows up next to a car with the hood open, behind a desk with a phone in hand, or simply in the everyday setting of headquarters. And when there’s no shoot or campaign on the schedule, he quietly spends his days reading at Hedin, as if he’s already settled in as just another colleague.