Fancy Monkey

Instant pudding is one of the most nostalgic products on the shelf — and one that was in need of an update. Founder Jen Mesinger, a pastry chef with more than 35 years in the dessert world, kept picking up boxes and finding the same thing every time: a beloved classic filled with artificial colors and junk ingredients that lacked real flavor. She set out to fix it. Fancy Monkey is her answer — vegan, plant-based, non-GMO pudding mix sweetened with real cane sugar.

But the real breakthrough was bigger than a better instant pudding mix. Jen realized she had unlocked something more versatile: a single product that could be the launchpad for an entire world of desserts, built to deliver big dessert energy without the intimidation factor. At launch she created over 50 recipes using the mix — from easy everyday treats to genuinely fancy showstoppers. Jen also engineered the mix to work with any milk, testing 17 alternative milks and documenting exactly how each one performs, along with unique recipes tailored to each. Our challenge was to reinvent a tired category and, at the same time, tell this much larger story — that Fancy Monkey wasn’t just pudding mix, it was a platform.

That thinking drove every touchpoint. We led packaging design in collaboration with illustrator Evan Hecox, whose bold, playful illustrations and hand-crafted wordmark give the brand its unmistakable personality and shelf presence. We designed and developed the website as a vibrant home for the brand, anchored by a robust recipe portal and a step-by-step milk guide — walking customers through every flavor, every milk, and how to get perfect results with each. We handled photography creative direction to capture the desserts at their most appetizing and expressive, and carried the same energy through email and social media design to bring the brand to life across every channel.

The result is a brand that reintroduces an old favorite on its own terms — better ingredients, endless possibilities, and a whole lot more fun.aldes