The department store John Lewis is continuing the trend of having an animal for a mascot. This year this is Monty the Penguin who has a touching story about love.
In the end of the ad you see that Monty is actually a stuffed animal. He has a young boy (Sam) for his best friend but it seems he’s missing something. A mate. So his friend finds one and gives it to him for Christmas.
The story is a great example of life with stuffed animals. If you notice at the end, the Monty stuffed toy is ruffled and dirty because the boy brings it everywhere with him. But in the eyes of the boy, Monty is always looking the same – like brand new. This is exactly how every fan of stuffed animals feels.
While some media think the ad is stupid it already had its desired effect. Lots of Monty the Penguin memorabilia was sold out, including all four stuffed pengiuns. There are two Monty’s – a large and a medium one and two Mabel’s – his new girlfriend, also a large and a medium one. Currently they are sold out but they should be back soon.
Last year John Lewis had a story about The Bear and the Hare. It was also a one featuring animals. Monty here is turning into a big franchise with lots of souvenirs, events like Monty’s House, toys. There are even mobile apps, books and so on.
So Monty the Penguin will have a great Chirstmas. How about you? How about your stuffies? Will they have a special place during the Holidays? Are you preparing gifts for them? Let us know in the comments below or in our forum.
Also, you can check out Monty’s story. It features a cameo from another famous pengiun. Can you guess which one?
