Two familiar jingles can sell nostalgia, but Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and Chia Pet are using theirs to promote wildlife conservation.
The brands' Wild Revival Collection opens for pre-order on October 15, with five limited-edition Chia Pets inspired by conservation stories.
Archival footage of the original "Wild Kingdom" title treatment, co-host Jim Fowler, and the show's theme music anchor the hero spot.
The familiar "Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia" jingle interrupts the scene before the video reveals the five animal planters.
"Wild Kingdom has helped people connect with Mutual of Omaha's purpose of protection for generations," Jen Wulf, VP of brand marketing at Mutual of Omaha, told DesignRush.
"Partnering with Chia Pet, another iconic brand people love, lets us tell that story in a fresh way and introduce Wild Kingdom's mission of protecting wildlife to the next generation."
The collection gives both brands a commercial reason to revisit their histories.
At the same time, the brand partnership introduces families to conservation stories through a familiar product.
Nostalgia Connects Two Legacy Brands
The Wild Revival Collection planters sell for $29.99 and include educational information about the featured species and conservation efforts.
Each animal represents a different conservation challenge or success.
- American bison recovered from the brink of extinction through decades of conservation work.
- Sea otters rebounded along parts of North America's coastline after being hunted to near extinction.
- Bald eagles recovered through habitat protection and species recovery programs.
- Red pandas represent ongoing efforts to protect forests threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.
- Sea turtles highlight work to protect nesting beaches, reduce bycatch, and restore habitats.
Together, the five species give families examples of how conservation efforts can help wildlife populations recover and survive.
The products also connect these stories to the familiar Chia Pet growing experience.
Caring for a planter gives families a hands-on activity to pair with the educational information in each package.
"Each Chia Pet serves as a reminder that protecting wildlife begins with small, intentional actions," Mutual of Omaha said in the press release.
The launch video draws on the brands' recognizable assets.
Archival footage and the original "Wild Kingdom" theme establish the TV show's identity before Chia Pet's signature jingle introduces the collaboration.
The pairing connects "Wild Kingdom," which premiered on network television in 1963, with Chia Pet, which debuted in 1977.
Both brands have decades of consumer recognition to draw on.
The collection also gives "Wild Kingdom" a physical product through which families can explore wildlife stories outside the TV format.
"Whether watching the show or growing a Chia Pet at home, we hope these shared experiences spark curiosity, inspire learning and encourage the next generation to help protect the natural world," said Wulf.
A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to support conservation work.
The collection opened for pre-order on Chia.com, with Amazon and select AZA-accredited locations across the U.S. to follow.
Nostalgia marketing gives both brands a way to make themselves relevant to a new generation while linking the purchase to wildlife education.
Childhood Nature Experiences Create Conservation Opportunity
AZA members invested more than $350 million in 2023 in conservation projects that directly helped wildlife and habitats.
Its SAFE initiative now runs 50 species programs, including the American bison, one of the five animals in the collection.
Research also supports the value of giving children opportunities to interact with nature.
A 2024 study of 489 families found that children actively seek out plants and wildlife when they have access to natural outdoor spaces.
Nostalgia provides another reason for the creative approach.
In 2024, CivicScience reported that 59% of U.S. adults felt somewhat or extremely nostalgic in the previous week.
Mutual of Omaha's own June 2026 survey of 500 U.S. adults found more than half believe that today's kids miss the nature experiences they had growing up.
The Wild Revival Collection connects this kind of nostalgia to a conservation mission with measurable real-world impact.
Three lessons emerge from the campaign.
- Familiarity creates an accessible entry point. Brands should use recognizable assets to introduce new subjects to audiences who already know them.
- Hands-on products can support learning. Companies should pair physical experiences with educational content to encourage curiosity about a subject.
- Purpose needs a tangible connection. Marketers should link contributions to a specific cause to help consumers understand where their purchases make a difference.
The collection connects brand recognition, family activities, and conservation support, giving consumers several ways to engage with the initiative.
Our Take: How Can Packaging Encourage Learning?
The educational packaging could add value to the Wild Revival Collection's growing experience.
Each Chia Pet introduces a species and explains the conservation work helping protect it, giving families a starting point for learning together.
The opportunity lies in making the information useful enough to spark questions after the planter is set up.
Parents could use the species stories to discuss habitat loss, endangered animals, and successful recovery efforts.
Mutual of Omaha already links each species to a Wild Kingdom article through QR codes, which gives families a next step after opening the box.
And we see this educational packaging as a way to connect product use with a cause.
Wild Kingdom and Chia Pet use a familiar product to introduce families to wildlife conservation.
Paris Hilton's partnership with Loop Earplugs similarly links hearing protection to conversations about ADHD and sensory needs.
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