Say Cheese! The much anticipated Wallace and Gromit 50p

In 2019, the eccentric inventor and his trusted canine friend made their way back from the moon and onto a UK 50p to celebrate 30 years since their debut film, A Grand Day Out.

After weeks of anticipation, The Royal Mint finally released the first ever Wallace and Gromit 50p to celebrate 30 cracking years of the British Comedy duo.

Originally a small concept in Nick Park’s student sketchbook, Wallace and Gromit have become instantly recognisable stars of the silver screen!

The pair now feature in 4 stop-motion animation short films: A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993), A Close Shave (1995), A matter of Loaf a Death (2008) and two full-length feature films, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Vengeance Most Fowl (2024).

An original Nick Park design

Excitingly, the reverse of this 50p was designed by none other than Nick Park himself!

The original artist behind the popular animation characters, Nick’s artwork created a truly authentic design for the coin, featuring Wallace and Gromit peering out of the spaceship they took to the moon in A Grand Day Out.

What’s more, the initials ‘NP’ have been struck onto the design to confirm the design by Nick Park.

A Latin Twist

From their first appearance in 1989 to their dedicated following today, Wallace and Gromit have become international cultural icons and a real staple of British-ness!

However, the design on this coin embraces Latin to include the inscription ‘CASEUS PRAESTANS’, which translates to ‘cracking cheese’, a nod to Wallace’s iconic catchphrase.

Which Wallace and Gromit story is your favourite? Let us know in the comments!