How a Jiu-Jitsu Merch Company Made an Animated Mascot Using Krikey AI Animation

Summary

TBone Merch is a lifestyle and customization brand based in New Jersey that specializes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu-themed apparel and custom 3D printed caricature statues. While they have a robust online shopping presence, they wanted to expand their social media content with animated Jiu-Jitsu content. That’s when they discovered Krikey AI from a Google search. By leveraging Krikey AI’s end-to-end generative animation tools, TBone Merch was able to produce high-quality videos quickly, affordably, and without any prior animation experience. The result is a scalable, repeatable creative pipeline that supports training, branding, and community engagement for the company.

 “We were able to create professional, stylized martial arts animations in minutes — without needing an animation team.” — Thiago, Founder, TBone Merch

Challenge: How to make an animated mascot?

• TBone Merch had the idea for a bone mascot, but did not know how to take the image and convert it into an animated 3D mascot that could potentially do stylized Jiu-Jitsu moves. The founder had the vision and knew exactly what video concepts he wanted to create without the hefty budget and resources required for complex, professional-looking animations.
• Part of TBone Merch’s vision was also to create supplemental Jiu-Jitsu training lessons for young students new to martial arts. Animation was the key to engaging and inspiring young students.

Solution: Krikey AI’s Custom Character Creator & Animation Tool

• Krikey AI Animation enabled TBone Merch to turn his 2D bone image into a 3D cartoon character that could be edited into compelling social media content - in minutes.
• Krikey AI Animation also allowed him to make his content globally accessible with Voice AI and the ability to translate his videos into over 20 different languages. The founder wanted to ensure his content was available both in English and Portuguese.
• Krikey AI Animation’s extensive animation library allowed him to quickly drag-and-drop martial arts’ style movements for his mascot to perform. He also used Krikey’s Video-to-Animation tool to record specific Jiu-Jitsu movements on his phone, upload them to Krikey, then have his animated mascot replicate the movements perfectly.

Results

• Faster production of marketing content: within hours, not weeks, TBone Merch was able to create animated videos using their custom bone mascot character.
• A unique visual style that strengthens studio identity: TBone Merch could feature specific Jiu-Jitsu movements that make for both singular content as well as teaching materials for young students.
• Scalable pipeline for future instructional and promotional videos: Rather than outsourcing social media content to third parties, TBone Merch was able to create content in-house saving time and budget.

Challenge: Creating Martial Arts Animations Without Traditional Animation Tools

TBone Merch set out to find a workflow that would allow him (someone with no animation experience) to produce engaging animated content for every generation. 

Traditional pipelines would have involved lengthy storyboarding, motion cleanup, rigging, and revision cycles. For a small creative shop, this type of production simply wasn’t feasible.

Additionally, Thiago needed content that could engage a wide range of customers, from kids to adults, on different social platforms. The challenge was finding a modern, AI-powered workflow that made animation both achievable and repeatable.

Solution: A Custom Bone Character Brought to Life with Krikey AI

Using Krikey AI, Thiago streamlined the entire animation process. He started by designing a custom bone character, crafting a visual identity that reflected the spirit and culture of his brand. 

With Lip-Synced Dialogue, he can have the mascot announce product drops in any language. Multilingual Narration enabled him to localize marketing content instantly, supporting diverse Jujitsu-loving communities. Background Customization tools allowed him to place the character in clean, stylized training environments that kept consistently in the world of martial arts.

What previously would have required expensive, complex software could now be accomplished in minutes, unlocking new creative freedom and enabling TBone Merch to produce consistent content at speed.

Results: A Scalable Creative Workflow for Ongoing Brand Marketing content

The collaboration delivered a flexible and efficient workflow for ongoing content creation. Thiago can now produce new Jiu-Jitsu inspired animations on demand, allowing for timely social media content with clarity and visual appeal. 

The new workflow supports faster iteration, stronger brand identity, and more frequent content output. For TBone Merch, this project opens the door to expanded offerings such as belt-level lessons, promotional videos, character-driven stories, and event announcements. Instead of relying on costly traditional animation pipelines, TBone Merch now has a sustainable, scalable method for bringing martial arts content to life.

 “Krikey AI allowed us to bring a custom dragon character to life and animate Jiu-Jitsu techniques faster than we ever imagined.” — Thiago, Founder, TBone Merch

About the Customer

TBone Merch is a New Jersey-based lifestyle brand founded by designer and entrepreneur Thiago, offering niche apparel, 3D printed caricature statues, and storytelling experiences for martial arts communities and beyond. Known for bold, expressive character design, TBone Merch supports local studios and creators by producing unique digital assets and merchandise that reflect their identity, values, and cultural voice.

About Krikey AI

Krikey AI is a Generative AI video creation platform built on AWS, offering tools such as the Custom Avatar Creator, Lip-Synced Dialogue, Multilingual Narration, and Background Customization. With Krikey AI, anyone can produce 3D animated videos in minutes — no animation experience required. The platform supports content creation across fitness, dance, education, entertainment, marketing, and training.