Geoffrey the Part Time Reindeer

The story

Why it stays with you

Santa's reindeer discover the toys and forget the job. Geoffrey the Giraffe steps into the harness in a Christmas adventure that brings back Toys R Us' familiar Magical Place theme.

A visit to the toy shop leaves Santa with an unexpected staffing problem. While the reindeer are occupied inside, Geoffrey has to take on a rather different night shift.

The pleasure is in watching a familiar shop mascot become the hero of a small Christmas adventure. The returning Magical Place theme gives older viewers something to recognise, while the story offers a new introduction to Geoffrey.

This is the 2017 campaign, not the original animated Magical Place advert remembered from earlier television breaks. The Corner created the campaign, with production credited to Akama.

There is contemporary evidence behind its inclusion: System1 reported that it topped its 2017 FeelMore Xmas testing of more than 50 adverts. That is a result from a particular research programme, rather than a claim that it is Britain's universally agreed favourite.