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The creators of UEFA’s official mascot for Euro 2024, “Albärt”, who was designed to get children across Europe physically active, have now set their sights on supporting primary schools teaching KS1 & 2 music and art in a nationwide pilot, which visited St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School in Up Holland, Skelmersdale, yesterday. Internationally renowned toy and entertainment Toikido, who last year released their Roblox game, “Piñata Smashlings” to much acclaim, have partnered with education experts iChild to engage young learners and encourage their passion for creative academic subjects.

Toikido provided the school with a free resource pack containing three lessons supporting the music and art curriculum for KS1 and KS2, as well as extension ideas for art and design and English.

The packs have been designed to blend learning with fun by featuring beloved game characters from Piñata Smashlings including “Berry Boo, Tutti Bel, Jasper, Jet and Noakes”.

Utilising music from the upcoming Piñata Smashlings album "Smashling Hits", students learnt about the importance of pulse, rhythm, and sound effects, which they will later use to create their very own musical story. They also undertook a range of art activities including designing their own Piñata Smashlings character.

Students from St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School meet the Piñata Smashlings!

Accompanied by several colourful costume characters, Grammy award winning producer and Toikido’s Head of Music, Jason Perry, will visit 20 selected schools across the UK from April 16th to May 23rd with exciting lesson-plans, attractive activity books, as well as free toys for each child.

Physical play and collective participation will also be encouraged through various activities and challenges hosted in specially designed “Piñata Party Tents”, which will be pitched in school playgrounds and are designed to encourage memorable moments of joy and camaraderie.

Mr Carl Roscoe, Head Teacher of St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School said: “Everyone at St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School very much enjoyed the visit from Toikido and the Pinata Smashlings. It was lovely for our students to host the playful creatures and show them how much fun we have at our fantastic school in Up Holland!!”

Speaking about Toikido’s education campaign, Jason Perry, Head of Music at Toikido stated: “It was a real pleasure to visit St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School and see the children’s excitement as they took part in our Pinata Smashlings themed music and art lessons as well as meet some of their favourite characters from the game.

“Toikido’s success has been built on creativity, innovation and having fun and we are delighted to replicate these pillars in our exciting school tour for so many schools across the country.

“It has been claimed educational reforms have sidelined subjects like music and art, and so Toikido is keen to encourage the value of creativity and inspire the next generation of artists, designers, musicians, and writers.

“Every child has the ability within them to be creative, and we are thrilled to be able to support our excellent teachers in helping young people express, explore, and understand the significance of, their creativity!”

Founded in 2020, Toikido’s internationally renowned for the imagination and ingenuity of its team, who create captivating toys for emerging digital brands. Its growth and creativity have led to comparisons with Aardman, the world-famous animation studio, and the creators of Wallace & Gromit.

The studio is dedicated to developing its own exceptional intellectual properties (IP) across all entertainment genres, and offers an ecosystem across licensing, gaming, music, marketing, and entertainment. Its team includes Grammy and BAFTA winners, inventors, as well as social media, IP, and tech experts.

Creators of UEFA’s Euro 2024 mascot transform music and art for a day at Skelmersdale school