The John Lewis Christmas advert has divided fans this year – some are loving its cute depiction of a monster befriending a child.
But some aren’t sure what it’s about, and whether the monster is a good influence or a bad one.
One person who’s presumably not a huge fan of the campaign – said to have cost the retailer a whopping £7m – is author Chris Riddell.
The writer took to Twitter yesterday to point out some unusual similarities between the new Christmas advert and a book he published in 1986, called Mr. Underbed.
His Tweet read: “John Lewis helps themselves to my picture book.” He’d also created a short video which flicked between images from his book and the new advert.
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Chris told the Guardian: “The idea of a monster under the bed is by no means new but the ad does seem to bear a close resemblance to my creation – a big blue unthreatening monster who rocks the bed and snores loudly.
“Needless to say, I think Mr Underbed is a lot more appealing than Moz, but of course, I’m biased. I’ll be fascinated to hear John Lewis’ thoughts on the matter.”
The John Lewis campaign was released to a huge fanfare last week, and is estimated to have cost a whopping £7m.
This would have been spent on a fee for John Lewis’ ad agency Adam&Eve, the rights to use the Beatles’ 1969 song Golden Slumbers, and charges for rock band Elbow to cover the song.
It would also include the cost of buying up all the advertising space needed to promote the two-minute clip, which was directed by famous Frenchman Michel Gondry.
Last year’s advert featured a boxer dog named Buster, who was counting down the days until Christmas so he could have a bounce on the family’s new trampoline.
A spokesman from John Lewis said: “The story of a big hairy monster under the bed which keeps a child from sleeping is a universal tale which has been told many times over many years.
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“Ours is a Christmas story of friendship and fun between Joe and Moz The Monster, in which Joe receives a night light which helps him get a good night’s sleep.
“The main thrust of our story is utterly different to Chris Riddell’s.”