Inside the Race to Save the Clay Behind ‘Wallace & Gromit’ | WSJ

TL;DR

Aardman scrambled to stockpile and recreate their signature clay after their sole supplier, Newplast, announced it was shutting down after 25+ years.

Key Points

• 1.Newplast was the only company making the specific wax-free clay Aardman relied on for 25 years — its wax-free formula prevents characters like Wallace and Gromit from drooping under hot studio lights.
• 2.When Newplast's founders retired and the closure went public, it became a global news story; Aardman's response was to hoard supplies across 3–4 rooms of shelves and scour shops and warehouses for remaining stock.
• 3.Aardman attempted to mix their own clay in-house, blending whites, reds, pinks, and yellows by feel — adding chalk percentages to adjust softness — but decided full in-house production wasn't their core business.
• 4.The crisis was resolved when a company called Hugh bought Newplast, restarting production and giving Aardman a lifeline; they still have several hundred boxes in stock and plan to use clay for the next 50 years.