To promote the new season premiere of Animal Planet’s hit show River Monsters, Turtle Transit transformed five Smart Cars into larger-than-life piranhas. 

The custom-built fleet featured 3-D exteriors with protruding rooftop fins, rear tails, and teeth on the front bumpers. Vibrant graphics were applied to give a life-like piranha appearance. 

To hype up consumers on the streets, we built out one car with an interactive monitor that showcased looping previews of the upcoming season. The school of fish traveled together with brand ambassadors, “monster anglers,” who intercepted consumers and handed out branded hats, koozies, and tune-in cards. 

Given their number and small size, the piranha fleet caused significant attention as the school made their way to hotspots across the country, Times Square, NYC, to Los Angeles, CA.

Knowing that these leased vehicles were for a short-term activation, we explicitly created each to be disassembled once the promotion was over. The roof fins were made of aluminum and attached with plungers and a hidden strap that enabled them to be mounted when driving around town, and removed before the team hit the highways.