Sweet Dreams is centred on the story of fictional fast food brand the Real Good Chicken Company and its long-standing mascot Chicky Ricky, a cartoon character drawn by French artist McBess and voiced by actor and comedian Munya Chawawa.

The brand is facing a crisis as customers turn away from cheap fast food, in search of healthier and more sustainable options. Spread over several rooms in one of Aviva Studios’ vast spaces, visitors to Sweet Dreams are taken on a journey through the company’s history, where we learn of the various corporate crises it has faced, from health scandals to being cancelled, and meet other central characters including The Boss (voiced by Reggie Watts) and another brand mascot, Penny Peckish (Morgana Robinson).

Chicky Ricky is portrayed as an innocent at the heart of an evil corporate machine, who is being blamed for the brand’s decline, due to its marketing and branding being out of date. Along the way the installation nods to everything from food banks to brand purpose – “nowadays brands have to offer love”, says The Boss, as he sees his customers’ expectations changing.

The team at Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) created the story with former chef-turned-writer Simon Wroe, and the piece brings together 2D illustration and puppetry as well as gaming technology, ASMR and cutting edge AI within the installation, which is delivered to the audience via screens, sculptures, and moments of interactivity.

“We tell the story over a series of rooms and have cherry picked from different artistic disciplines,” says Robin McNicholas, director of MLF. “We’re inviting people into the world of Sweet Dreams … [which brings] all of those different disciplines into one cohesive space and explores how new forms of storytelling can be made.”

Sweet Dreams is funny, though as a piece of corporate satire, the whole experience is painfully on the nose, taking in how brands use mascots to beguile kids despite health concerns – “My smiley face says, ‘it’s alright, you can eat this!’” chirps Chicky Ricky – and the deeper problems inherent in capitalism. When profits decline, workers are required to slog harder than ever, with only the offering of a regular five-second scream break to relieve the pain.

The experience is aimed at everyone from children to adults, with its anti-corporate message somewhat reminiscent of classic Pixar movie Wall-E. Unlike that film though, there is no obvious relief for poor Chicky Ricky from the machine-like hellscape of the modern food industry.

“Sweet Dreams hold a cartoon mirror on our world,” continues McNicholas. “We’re serving up a story where audiences can deepen their connection to the food they eat. We aim to spark further conversations about our place in the food chain, via chirpy cartoon faces that often are the gatekeepers to the things we consume.”

One thing that the show does overlook is how much audiences respond to logos, especially those as charming as McBess’ designs here. An extra level of nuance is brought to the piece by the discovery that you can buy various pieces of Real Good Chicken Company merch in the gallery foyer. So while you might emerge blinking from the installation in despair at the manipulative nature of corporations, brands, and marketers, it’s hard to resist going on to spread the brand’s message yourself via a beautifully designed tote bag.

Sweet Dreams is at Aviva Studios in Manchester until September 1; factoryinternational.org