Building a World of Cuteness + How We Created our Jingle (Live from Japan)
ISSUE 003: YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF BIG SILLY, STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
Hello from Japan 🌸 I mean, everything here is adorable! I write to you now from a floating deck in Kyoto – I haven’t worn socks without the toe split in days, and my food pyramid has been what my childhood dreams are made of (see below)
In today’s Gazette, I unveil the magic behind our fan-favorite theme song, a few Big Silly bits from Japan, and why I want to create a world of cuteness and global girlhood domination.
Pop Culture News of the Week (Niche)
I refer to something on my TikTok FYP as ‘came across my desk’, so here are the latest and greatest files:
Emily Mariko’s husband is on TikTok! It took about .5 seconds to recognize that iconic kitchen, and the best part about unveiling a new character to the TikTok-sphere is more often than not, the comments:
“why are we rushing??? Im so overstimulated 😭 emily pls”
“not my house but i knew my way around”
“I’m enjoying these…good job Mr. Emily Mariko”
David Ko transformed Chateau Marmont’s penthouse for r.e.m beauty’s Starlet launch! David does things with pink drapery you could only dream of (someday for BST🤞)
This girl Devi found out her Mom’s best friend “who’s like an aunt to me” is Club Chalamet.
I love finding videos and seeing that the accounts only have a few thousand followers, it’s like a mini version of a niche-internet-A-Star-Is-Born. Laura (@lauralovesny) has a cute jingle in each of her videos, and it’s perfect. 🎵Cuz Lauraaa, Laura loves New York!🎵
Which is a perfect segway into…
Every Great Show has a Great Intro <3
If you’ve tuned in for our Wednesday night game, you’ll know that we kick off every episode with a signature intro video and theme song. Last spring, I was given some very sage advice from the Godfather of gameshows— Michael Davies, the EP of Jeopardy and President and Founder of Embassy Row, “You need a theme song”... you don’t-not-listen to that.
It was like a message from the heavens, and we got to work.
So much of the Big Silly brand stems from the aesthetics of my tweenhood. Think MyScene, Disney Channel Games, the Shoe Diva aesthetic. I’d seen Ashley Setiawan’s aka @loserartaccount work on TikTok– she creates these dreamy-girlhood-animations that make you want to comment “me af”, often set to Lorde or Lana del Rey.
After a few emails, Ashley animated exactly how I hope it feels to play the game– one where you’re teleported from your bedroom with your besties (with Carrie’s Manolos, a vintage Fendi and magazines strewn about) to this alternate world of gaming girlhood. I’m also leading a game of trivia dressed like Fran Fine, “Could you put me in a vintage pink Mugler set?” I requested.
After we created the 20 second animation, it needed its backtrack– I wanted something catchy and light, lyrics you’d remember after playing just one game. On a sticky July day at the beach, I recall sticking my head in the sand, humming and rattling off a few lines, and like a strike of lighting (and some great feedback from my husband Emmett) the jingle was born:
Lyrics:
“It’s big and it’s silly, it’s pink and it’s frilly
It’s coming to you live from the very-best-city
It’s the Big Silly Trivia Game!”
Boom! That’ll do it. After some strategic scrolling, I came across this Brooklyn-based duo SYTË promoting their song “Beat Goes On” and reached out to see if they’d sing the jingle. My favorite song is Inner Smile by Texas, I gave that iconic tune to SYTË as an auditory North Star, and they nailed it. Check them out on Spotify here.
✨ The Final Product 🎬✨
A theme song is essentially emotional glitter. It lights up your brain and lets you know you’re in for 30+ minutes immersed in a world that you love. When that 20 second theme song plays before we go live, I feel like a popstar in an orchestra pit– waiting to launch out onto the stage with my microphone, a pair of platforms and a dream.
To continue building our world, I’ve tapped Ashley to create custom animations for our collaborations with brands like Barneys, Spotify and Instagram. I want every piece of Big Silly to feel like part of its own cinematic universe.
I love this one we made for our Instagram x Threads event (Rom Com Trivia!), it even features Reese Witherspoon handing out a copy of Romantic Comedy a la Reese’s Book Club (which really happened).
To tie it all together, we’re throwing a party to celebrate one year of The Big Silly Trivia Game at Jean’s later this month. Want to join us? Email evaline@thebigsillytriviagame.com <3 We’re picking a few lucky party people.
The Parker-Posey-Party-Girl invite of it all, by Ashley Setiawan.
Community Chit Chat
“Californiaaaaaa here we come” 🎵or “Who’s that girlllll? It’s Jess!” All your favorite programs have an equally catchy intro to match. Whether it’s a song that has become synonymous with the show (“I Don’t Want to Be” x One Tree Hill), or an original tune that you learn as a pledge of your viewing loyalty “THAT’S SO RAVEEEN!”
Question of the week:
What’s your favorite theme song + intro?
Weekly Poll
Big Silly poll time! In the spirit of cuteness, bag charms, and highly coveted knick-knacks, which house of tchotchkes do you belong to?
In our last issue, we voted on your dream business venture for when you inevitably become a famous reality TV star - what a distribution!
The Exchange (Beta)
The Big Silly Exchange™ is up and running! Like Craigslist, but not scary…and really cute.
📢 MAJOR LISTING ALERT 📢 Join The Big Silly Trivia Team! We’re looking for a day to day operator. Are you hyper-organized? Do you love pop-culture and a good Slack message? Find all the details at the button below:
We’re plotting and planning our next season, if you are a brand and want to get involved, email isabella@thebigsillytriviagame.com or reply to this email! 💌
Next week, we wrap up Japan with all things Kawaii! Thank you for playing, reading, and being here.
Stay silly. Stay sparkly. ✨
Love,
Natalie 🎀
Huge fan of the big silly exchange - what a cool space. Have a great rest of your trip in Japan! <3