Esco Fuori, Cresco Dentro – Little Tikes
Carefreeness is lying in the grass with your arms wide open.
Esco fuori, cresco dentro (“I go outside, I grow inside”) is a project by Little Tikes created to celebrate the power of active play and the imagination of children. I was invited to develop the creative concept and produce the visuals for a music video accompanying the project’s original song, which was later presented at the Giffoni Film Festival.
From the very beginning, the idea was to bring to life the song’s message - that children’s imagination can transform even the simplest things into extraordinary worlds. To capture this visually, I worked with a strong contrast: the children, shown in solid color, represent reality, while their creativity unfolds around them in outline animation, illustrating the limitless worlds they invent through play.
We developed five distinctive characters, each with a unique personality:
the trendy one, with her cute cat-shaped purse;
the creative one, with a paintbrush and pencil always tucked in her pocket;
the brainy one, always ready to explore;
the cuddly one, with her inseparable teddy bear;
and the cheeky one, who’s always ready to play.
Different as they are, they all share the same joy of playing together — a celebration of diversity and collaboration through play. These characters later took on a life of their own, appearing in social media spin-offs that extended the story beyond the video.
To make the song even more engaging, a simple choreography was created for the chorus. It was later taught to children during summer camps, becoming a playful morning greeting dance — a daily reminder to move, smile, and grow.
One of the creative challenges was to integrate Little Tikes’ iconic toys into the animation naturally. The Cozy Coupe, the Whale Teeter Totter, and the Turtle Sandbox were woven into the scenes subtly, serving as part of the children’s imaginary adventures rather than as product placements.
The result was a joyful, imaginative journey that brought together music, movement, and animation — a celebration of how children see the world, and how play helps them grow inside and out.
Client: Little Tikes
Lyrics: Alberto Pellai - Paolo D'Errico
Production: Save the cut
Director: Erminio Perocco
Executive producer: Bianca Sartirana
Creative producer: Riccardo Perazza
Production director: Flavia Carresi
Music publishing: The Saifam Group
My role: Direction, illustration, animation