What started as a light-hearted trend of creating AI-generated action figures just got a powerful twist, thanks to South African creatives who turned playful fun into a bold call for conservation.
South Africa (11 April 2025) – South Africans have embraced a global trend that’s equal parts hilarious and heart-warming, turning themselves into AI-generated action figures.
From pint-sized superheroes with microphones to miniature versions of dog parents in comfy car seats, it’s become the latest fun way for people to see themselves through a slightly more heroic (and occasionally ridiculous) lens. And the best part? It’s incredibly easy to join in. All you have to do is ask your preferred AI platform to create one using what it knows about you. You can read more about that here.
Here’s what it thought of me:
But a South African creative agency has taken the trend a step further. And flipped it entirely on its head for a very serious reason.
Mike Sharman and Garth Manthé, the creative forces behind Retroviral Ai Lab, decided to use the fun and light-hearted AI movement to raise awareness about something far more urgent: endangered species. They created a gripping series called the “Extinction Edition”… a bold and unsettling reimagining of the action figure trend that doesn’t celebrate people but rather confronts the tools used to destroy animal lives and habitats.
Each “Extinction Edition” pack is designed like a traditional toy, but instead of a smiling figure with accessories, it showcases objects responsible for the suffering of endangered animals. From the poaching tools associated with Black Rhinos, to the plastic pollution that harms turtles and the illegal wildlife trade threatening Pangolins and Orangutans, the series stops you in your scroll.
The duo partnered with WWF to bring this powerful concept to life and it’s doing exactly what it was meant to: making people stop, think, and hopefully act. Because the message behind the campaign is clear… “The world needs less action figures and more action.”
In a digital landscape often flooded with memes, filters, and trends that come and go, this campaign stands out by taking what’s popular and turning it into a conversation starter about conservation. It’s creative activism. The kind that doesn’t shame but rather shakes us into awareness. It uses contrast and smart design to draw us in and then leaves us with a truth we can’t ignore.
But here’s the balance: just because the “Extinction Edition” is heavy with purpose doesn’t mean we all have to stop making our own action figures. In fact, the joy of seeing yourself as a tiny superhero or sassy figurine should remind us of something even greater… that we all have the power to do good. That while the WWF campaign calls for more action, it doesn’t cancel out the fun. It reminds us that we can channel that creativity into causes that matter, too.
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So go ahead, make your action figure. Laugh a little. Share it with your friends. And then take a moment to think about the world we live in… and how we can protect the real heroes… the creatures that don’t have voices or platforms of their own.
Because every bit of awareness counts. And every bit of action does too.
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