CapybaraBooom · Case — Tanya Samarakovskaya

REC ●4K CAPYBARABOOOMMoskvarium

02✦

Exhibition concept.

“CapybaraBooom” is a character-led universe built from scratch: characters, a world, a phygital exhibition and a wider ecosystem, all developed from one question — why did the world fall in love with capybaras?

Capybaras took over social media for a reason: in a world of anxiety and overload, their image became the perfect meme for the moment. The Moskvarium exhibition turns this cultural phenomenon into a high-emotion space — alive, playful, visually bright and kawaii.

The format is edutainment: scientific facts are embedded in the mechanics. Visitors don’t just read panels — they act, compete and leave with a story.

Tangerine booom

Capybara-san

03✦ Success formula

Success formula.

01✦

Full immersion

7 zones, a quest, capycoins. Visitors don’t just observe — they spend 90 minutes inside the universe.

02✦

For the whole family

From ages 3 to 99: play for kids, irony for parents, and Gen Z aesthetics without compromise.

03✦

Built-in virality

Every zone is designed as a ready-made shot for stories. Organic sharing is built into the experience.

04✦

Phygital ecosystem

Digital gifts and online activations — the experience continues beyond the venue.

05✦

Edutainment

Facts about capybaras are built into the mechanics. Visitors learn something new without feeling like they are being taught.

06✦

A full universe

4 characters with distinct personalities, backstories and merch. Not just a mascot — a living universe.

04✦

Exhibition zones.

01

Intro · interactive

Capybarization zone

The first zone of the exhibition: visitors go through a virtual “capybarization” process — creating their own character, collecting capycoins and finding out who becomes the ultimate capy. The route starts here — and immediately pulls them in.

Onboarding · interactive

Entrance — Onboarding · entrance Not inside the zone yet — already inside the story

CapyHall — Exhibition hall Branded identity and the quest start screen

02

Edutainment zone

Capybarius zone

An interactive space where scientific facts about capybaras are delivered through pop-culture language. The zone is guided by Professor Capybarius, with CapyQuiz and game mechanics instead of static panels.

Capybarius · edutainment

CapyQuiz screen — Capy Quiz Listen to Professor Capybarius’ questions and pick the right answer

Capycoin on an interactive pedestal — Capy Food · Capy Tour Feed the capybara healthy food and row toward adventure — tap your card for capycoins

03

360° panorama

The Amazon zone

A circular 360° projection screen in a roller-coaster format: an interactive journey down the Amazon with sharp turns and a dynamic boat visitors can steer. The most thrilling point of the route.

360° · roller coaster

Journey through the Amazon — Capy Tour · Amazon Row with the paddles, dodge obstacles and collect capycoins along the way

04

Sports zone

The CapyBro zone

Visitors discover capybaras’ athletic abilities by competing against them. Turn the cranks, jump higher, test your aim and challenge friends or family. At the center is CapyBro, lifting a bamboo barbell instead of weight plates.

Sports zone

Bamboo barbell — Capy & Leo · Capy Jump Turn the cranks to the finish and jump as high as you can — who jumps higher, you or the capybara?

LED · dynamic lighting More movement — brighter light

Sports zone — Capy Basket · Fast Reaction Toss balls into moving cups and catch the stick before it hits the floor

05

Zen zone

Capybara-san

A meditating capybara above a glowing lotus. An interactive projection with several modes — a quiet pause in the middle of the route.

Glowing lotus · orb

Mirror wall Infinite space · visitors see themselves inside the calm

Silence — Capy Mandala · Capy Tarot Draw a light mandala in the sand with your fingers and get a fortune from Capybara-san

06

Fun zone

The Capybara-boy zone

Capybaraoke, arcade machines and a dance floor with LED flooring and motion tracking. Sing, dance and play — the most playful spot in the exhibition.

Arcades · karaoke · dancing

Capybaraoke Live singing to capybara tracks

Arcade machines — Capy Arcade 8 games: run, jump, clear obstacles and set new records

Dance floor with LED floor — Capy Dance Dance battle: step on the arrows on the floor right in time with the music

07

Finale · photo zone

Tangerine booom

A large pool of orange tangerine-like balls — capybaras’ favorite treat and a viral meme turned into a huge photo zone and physical space. After the digital zones, the route shifts into movement, brightness and activity.

Ball pit

Photo zone · top view — Neuro photo zone · Leaderboard Create an animated photo with the characters, tap your card and grab your digital rewards via QR

05✦ Character development

From sketch
to launch.

A character-led universe
dozens of iterations
4 capybaras · merch

Form exploration · recording Form exploration — process recording

The 4 final characters grew out of dozens of alternative versions. Each capybara has its own world, backstory and silhouette logic — from a hand-drawn sketch to a 3D render ready for the exhibition space and the merch line.

01 · Zen

CapySan

Don’t stress, be capy

Floats above a lotus. Brings visitors into a state of zen — effortlessly and without words.

Palette: ochre · soft pink · gold
Attribute: lotus · an aura of calm
Zone: Capybara-san · zen

02 · Joy

CapyBallerina

Life is a celebration

Donuts for energy, music in her ears. The most light-hearted capybara in the exhibition.

Palette: pink · cream · peach
Attribute: donut · beads · pointe shoes
Zone: Capybara-boy · dancing

03 · Fun

CapybaraBoy

Dancing is life

Star-shaped glasses, a purple blazer and a party spirit. The most stylish capybara in the exhibition.

Palette: purple · fuchsia · neon
Attribute: star glasses · headphones · cap
Zone: Capybara-boy · fun zone

04 · Drive

CapybaraBro

Sport is life

Lifts a bamboo barbell, wears a hoodie and believes in morning workouts. Proud. Absurd. Viral.

Palette: blue · brown · pink
Attribute: bamboo barbell · hoodie · rock-on sign
Zone: CapyBro · sport

20 characters

The full cast of the universe: mascot guides, crossover looks, special editions and collaborations. Each one has its own personality, costume and vibe.

See the development

Exploring the character form

From references and moodboards through dozens of 3D iterations to four final capybaras. Six key milestones of the process. Click any card to view it full size.

References and shared traits — **References**Moodboards · shared traits · style groups

Silhouette development — **Silhouette**Line → flat color → volume

3D iterations with notes — **3D iterations**Renders + direct art direction notes

Final form — **Base form**“before / going with this, hooray!”

Images and personalities — **Looks and personalities**Dozens of outfit and expression variants

06✦

Process.

Concept map

Route zoning

A graphic system for the route: 7 zones, 21 installations and a consistent visual grammar. The map works both as navigation and as a standalone poster.

Key visual

The main 6×3 visual

The flagship visual for outdoor advertising. The exhibition identity grew out of it.

Quest mechanic

RFID tags and capycoins

A wristband with an RFID tag lets visitors collect capycoins at RFID stations across the zones — a single game currency for the whole route.

Visual identity development — **Visual identity**Palette · typography · patterns · usage rules

Character development process — **Character creation**Sketches · iterations · final cast selection

Interactive screen UI — **Exhibition UI system**All interactive screens · scenario states · interaction rules

Capy or No Capy quiz screens — **Capy or No Capy**Quiz · screen scenarios

Capi Food interactive development — **Capi Food**Interactive build · ingredients · logic

Arcade games — game mechanics — **Capy Games Arcade**Game mechanics · mini-games for Zone 06

Jump mechanic scenario — **Jump · scenario**CapyBro sports challenge

Capybaraoke sketch — **Capybaraoke**Stage · screen · visitor interaction

Love Battle scenario — **Love Battle · scenario**Two-player mechanic · screen flow

Exhibition print wall — **Print wall**Large-format graphics for the space

07✦ Interactive quest

Go full
capybara.

Quest mechanic

Collect
capycoins

Every visitor moves through the route as a player. Each zone offers tasks and coins from the exhibition’s internal currency.

01

Interactive “capybarization” at the entrance — create a character and get a starter bonus

02

Zone tasks — quiz, sports challenges, dance battle

03

Speed and accuracy bonuses — the better the result, the higher the ranking

04

Final exchange — capycoins can be exchanged for prizes, merch and digital bonuses

Capycoins — the internal currencyA single game system across the 90-minute route

Leaderboard

Who’s the
ultimate capybara?

The leaderboard updates in real time. Visitors know where they stand — and want to climb higher.

🏆

The top 3 earn the title “Ultimate Capybara” and a special prize at the exit

📲

Result QR code — a personal quest card, ready for stories

🔄

A reason to return — the score resets, and visitors want to come back and beat the record

08✦ Leaderboard

Top capybaras.

Results
update
in real time

#CapybaraCapycoins

🏆

CapyTanya ✦✦✦

120₵

02

CapyLesha ✦✦

119₵

03

CapySveta ✦

115₵

04

CapyLera

110₵

05

CapyYulia

103₵

Go full capybara!

09✦ Project development

Project
development.

From concept to launch
full cycle

Creative concept

Route dramaturgy, the character-led universe, the “don’t stress” philosophy, brand character and tone of voice.

01

Art direction and key visual

4 characters, kawaii styling, color system, typography and merch line.

02

Zoning and scenography

7 zones, a 90-min route, 21 installations, technical briefs for contractors.

03

Game mechanics · capycoins

Internal currency, quest structure, interactive “capybarization” and “Capy or No Capy”.

04

Phygital ecosystem

The capybarabooom.ru site, digital gifts, online activations and after-visit mechanics.

05

Production

Team, budget, venue, contractors, installation, opening and touring setup.

06

10✦ Team

Team.

Project: Moskvarium · VDNKhCenter of Oceanography and Marine Biology
Creative Director: Tatiana SamarakovskayaCreative Director, Moskvarium · VDNKh
Producing: Tatiana Samarakovskaya, Svetlana Krapivina, Valeria Levshina
Art direction: Yulia Artamonova, Yaroslav Primachenko
Character development: Tatiana Samarakovskaya, Yulia Artamonova
Interactive mechanics: In-house Moskvarium team
Concept: In-house Moskvarium team, Tatiana Samarakovskaya
Technical director: Yuri Chernousov
Neural artists: Roman KuliginProductionMaxim KozinNeural artist
Media artists: 404.zeroCapybara-san zone

Capybara-booom

Exhibition concept.

Success formula.

Full immersion

For the whole family

Built-in virality

Phygital ecosystem

Edutainment

A full universe

Project gallery.

Exhibition map.

Exhibition zones.

From sketchto launch.

CapySan

CapyBallerina

CapybaraBoy

CapybaraBro

20 characters

Exploring the character form

Process.

Route zoning

The main 6×3 visual

RFID tags and capycoins

Go fullcapybara.

Collectcapycoins

Who’s theultimate capybara?

Top capybaras.

Go full capybara!

Projectdevelopment.

Creative concept

Art direction and key visual

Zoning and scenography

Game mechanics · capycoins

Phygital ecosystem

Production

Team.

Circle of Light

POLE.

Capybara-
booom

From sketch
to launch.

Go full
capybara.

Collect
capycoins

Who’s the
ultimate capybara?

Project
development.