National Geographic Channel

BarkFest

Format: Website c.2015
Fig 588a. National Geographic Channel
BarkFest

Muster your favorite canine companions for a sunny, electromagical romp with other dog-lovers from around the world! Tails will wag, paws will shake, and a grand time shall be had by  all.

Few things are as pure and joyous as the bond between dogs and their humans. While Nat Geo WILD’s BarkFest celebrated the wonders of our favorite four-legged friends with dog-friendly television programming, we unleashed our imaginations to bring the party online by creating a virtual dog park big enough for the whole world. Whenever you feel the need to gaze upon the face of unconditional love, you can peruse an endless parade of the cutest user-submitted pooch pics you’ve ever seen! Proud owners simply post their best photos to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with the tag #BarkFest, and our magic Internet retrievers fetch them all and usher them into our fur-filled gallery. Depending on the charisma of your canine, it may be selected to represent one of nine key dog attributes, including Devious, Innocent, and Funniest. At the end of BarkFest, one lucky entrant will be crowned Top Dog! The very best submissions will even be featured on-air during Nat Geo WILD’s BarkFest extravaganza.

In addition to BarkFest photos, colorful, illustrated Pun Prints will introduce you to silly characters including Mary Puppins, Count Wagula, and Bone-Ba Fetch, and dog-related trivia tidbits can teach even the oldest dog new tricks. Video clips featuring Dognition games designed by leading canine scientists and trainers help you play along at home with your own furry friends. How long will your dog maintain eye contact with you? Will it choose to come to you for a treat or target an unguarded morsel instead? BarkFest wants to know! You can choose to explore the park accompanied by a sprightly Corgi, a stately bulldog, or an eager Labrador, and your adopted e-dog happily walks or trots along with you to share in the adventure. You can select a new pup at any time, and if you interact with him, he’ll bark, roll over, or perform a variety of other endearing tricks. You’ll amble through our cheerful dog park, comprised of multiple parallax layers of illustrated bliss, simply by scrolling your mouse. Now, go play!

Project Services


  • Strategy
  • User Experience
  • Conceptualization
  • R and D Prototyping
  • Copy and Content
  • Animation
  • Illustration
  • Sound Design
  • Design
  • Development

Building BarkFest

  • Pick-a-Pooch

    Pick-a-Pooch

    You can choose an animated Welsh Corgi, English Bulldog, or chocolate Lab to join in your explorations. Take a moment to play with the dog by clicking on it to trigger a random trick!

  • Terrific Trivia

    Terrific Trivia

    Short dog-related trivia facts pop up occasionally among user photos. Did you know some dogs can count to five and understand as many as 250 words and gestures? Woof!

  • A Picture is Worth a Thousand Barks

    A Picture is Worth a Thousand Barks

    Submitting a photo of your canine companion is as simple as uploading to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tagging it with #BarkFest.

  • Pun Prints

    Pun Prints

    Have you met our costumed friends? Bone-Ba Fetch, The Bark Knight, Count Wagula, and more are ready to introduce themselves. You might also learn a few groan-worthy gags!

Press Awards & More


  • Total Award Items: 1
  • Total News Items: 0
  • Total Items Combined: 1