A new shopping experience: The Paul Frank Virtual Vending Machine powered by Blippar

Paul Frank – the iconic lifestyle brand famous for their love of colour and for Julius the grinning cartoon monkey – has launched a pop-up shop in New York City… and it’s blippable.

Located at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square, the store will sell all the LA-based brand’s favourites – clothes, sleepwear, record bags and other fun accessories – as well as a number of New York-flavoured gifts (just in time for the holidays). The shop will also host weekly DIY, beauty and music events, enabling customers to take part in activities including tote bag-making sessions, nail art, karaoke nights and coffee tastings.

What’s more, the temporary shop will have two immersive mobile experiences, powered by Blippar. Users who download the Blippar app onto their mobile phones or tablets will be able to blipp two in-store markers to activate exciting augmented reality experiences on their screens.

1. Virtual vending machine:

Blipp the gold coin featuring the face of cheeky Julius the monkey – found in the shop’s window and on the pop-up’s marketing paraphernalia - to launch Paul Frank’s virtual vending machine. When blipped, the coin spins backwards into a colourful animated vending machine behind it, drops inside, then unlocks a virtual shop experience, allowing fans to purchase items from the Paul Frank pop-up store even when the shop is closed.

2. New York taxicab selfie:

Inside the pop-up store is a large cutout of a New York taxicab driven by Julius the monkey. Blipping this will turn the cab into a mobile animation, and fans will be able to take a photo of themselves inside the cab with Julius, then share it on social media with the hashtag #PaulFrank. An in-store monitor in the shop window will be live-streaming the Twitter feed of images.

‘The Paul Frank pop-up shop is an exciting opportunity to bring an entirely new brand experience to fans in the Big Apple this holiday season,’ said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands, who own Paul Frank. ‘The infectious spirit and creative energy of New York City makes it the perfect location to bring Paul Frank directly to our customers.’

The store - located in the Paramount Hotel, Times Square, 35 W 46^th Street between 7^th and 8^th - opens on Tuesday, November 4, and will stay popped up until January 30, 2015.