BRC Imagination Arts, a full-service strategy, design, and production company that transforms how people feel, think, and connect, and biodiversity intelligence company HiveTracks have collaborated with Expo 2031 Minnesota USA to create the event's official mascot.
The A1 International Horticultural Exposition is the first of its kind to be hosted in the US, and will feature mascot Wiggli, a curious scout honey bee.
Ahead of the event's opening, this engaging mascot is now embarking on a five-year, five-region American tour and an international digital activation.
Hope and the power of collective effort
Wiggli epitomises the expo’s theme, Human / Nature: Where Humanity and Horticulture Meet, and encourages visitors of all ages to wonder, wander, and explore.
The expo will take place from May to October 2031 in Dakota County, Minnesota, and is expected to welcome millions of guests from across the US and the world.
Wiggli’s adventure represents a five-year story that links Expo 2031 to audiences across all regions of America and beyond.
Wendy Meadley, CEO and founder, Expo 2031 Minnesota, says: "Wiggli is how we begin the conversation. She is curious, she is brave, and she is built for collaboration with both people and the natural world.
"From today through 2031, Wiggli will carry the Expo 2031 story to communities across America and to audiences around the world. We couldn’t be more honored to introduce her alongside our extraordinary creative and stewardship partners."
Wiggli's role as a scout bee shapes everything about her; she never flies past something interesting without stopping to take a closer look, and is adventurous, creative, collaborative and inspiring
Image courtesy of BRC Imagination Arts
As a scout bee, Wiggli's role is to explore the world, gather new ideas, and share her discoveries back at the hive. She slows down to notice and asks big questions. She celebrates others' ideas as enthusiastically as her own. When something doesn’t work the first time, she brushes it off and tries again.
Wiggli’s personality is defined by five key characteristics: curiosity, an adventurous spirit, collaboration, creativity, and the ability to inspire others.
As honey bees fly between flowers, return to their hives, and bring communities together, they weave the natural world together, one small act at a time.
As a symbol for an expo built on the convergence of humanity and horticulture, Wiggli represents hope and the power of collective effort. She serves as a reminder that every act, no matter how tiny, contributes to meaningful change.
Wiggli was developed by Expo 2031 Minnesota in collaboration with BRC Imagination Arts and HiveTracks.
BRC Imagination Arts has delivered some of the most renowned national and corporate pavilions of the past 40 years, while HiveTracks' platform supports over 17,000 active beekeepers in managing in excess of 50,000 hives across more than 145 countries.
This global network of pollinator stewards inspires one of Expo 2031’s earliest communities, carrying Wiggli’s story from local gardens to international audiences ahead of the event's opening.
Christian Lachel, chief creative officer, BRC Imagination Arts, says: "The greatest mascots make you part of the story. Wiggli does exactly that.
"She flies alongside visitors at Expo 2031 and across every community that welcomes her in the years before opening day, turning the meeting of humanity and horticulture into something you can actually feel."
"Bees have always been nature’s scouts, the messengers who tell us how the land is doing," says Max Rünzel, CEO, HiveTracks.
"Wiggli, inspired by the global community of beekeepers and conservation partners on HiveTracks, shares that role with the world. Long before the gates open in Minnesota, we will help bring Expo 2031 to life across the world, connecting pollinators, people, and habitats."
Five-region tour
As Expo 2031’s official ambassador, Wiggli is spending the years leading up to the expo's launch telling an unfolding story that millions can join, engaging in active conversation with audiences of all ages.
That conversation spans digital channels and the real world, with initiatives including short-form video and social platforms, family activities and storytelling, classroom and library partnerships, content collaborations with creators, brands, and educators, and appearances at festivals, gardens, and community events.
As such, Wiggli will meet families where they are: at home in the garden, in class, and on the platforms where stories travel fast and far, extending beyond the US.
Wiggli will help build a living, worldwide community of pollinator stewards, inspiring a global audience, helping to carry her story, share pollinator awareness, and amplify Expo 2031’s message of Human/Nature.
As a result, the expo comes alive and becomes part of an international conversation five years before its official opening.
Each of Wiggli's tour stops will offer a starting seed for what she encounters and learns as she explores America| Image courtesy of BRC Imagination Arts
This journey will consist of a five-region engagement programme across the US.
Each stop reflects one of the expo’s climate zones and horticultural pavilions, offering a taste of what guests will explore in Minnesota in 2031, a celebration of regional identity, and an invitation to join the story.
These stops will include: Wiggli Heads West (Arid), exploring desert water resilience and solar farming; Lush America (Tropical), with exotic plants and tropical crops; and America in Bloom (Temperate), which champions the everyday horticulture of American life.
At the America’s Breadbasket (Continental) stop, Wiggli will discover the working landscapes that nourish the nation, and with Northern Lights (North Star), she encounters the great northern ecosystems beneath the country's boldest skies.
Each of these engagements aligns core tourism markets and partner communities across America with their corresponding Expo 2031 climate zone. They are invited to host Wiggli, share their region’s story, and travel to Minnesota in 2031, proud to have contributed to the expo.
As Wiggli flies coast to coast, she carries the message that Expo 2031 is for all of America, and all of America is part of this expo.
Earlier this year, BRC Imagination Arts announced that it has been selected to lead the creative design and development of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2031 Minnesota, including the pavilion’s immersive visitor experience.
