Apple holiday ad goes viral for choosing puppets over AI
Apple’s new holiday ad is trending as viewers search for how the company created its charming woodland story without CGI or generative AI. Many wondered whether Apple would lean into the tech-heavy holiday ad trend of 2025, but the Apple holiday ad instead delivers a surprise: everything on screen is made with handcrafted puppets. The result is a warm, nostalgic short film that stands out in a season crowded with digital productions. It also reinforces Apple’s long-running strategy of pairing high-end technology with human creativity, a mix that often defines its most memorable campaigns.
Inside A Critter Carol: A forest full of handmade characters
The short film, titled A Critter Carol, follows a cozy, storybook-style forest filled with tech-curious animals. Apple’s creative team worked with puppeteers instead of CG studios, crafting every raccoon, owl, bear, and squirrel with practical materials. This artistic decision gives the ad a tactile texture rarely seen in modern holiday campaigns. Each character was built to interact naturally with the environment, allowing the performance to feel authentic and warm. It’s a detail that viewers noticed immediately as the clip began spreading across social feeds.
A lost iPhone 17 Pro becomes the center of the story
The plot begins with a hiker trekking through a snowy trail before accidentally dropping their iPhone 17 Pro. That small moment becomes the heart of the Apple holiday ad, setting off a chain reaction as a mischievous raccoon discovers the device. Apple intentionally designed this scene to showcase how everyday products can inspire surprising creativity, even in fictional woodland worlds. The lost phone becomes a storytelling tool, not just a product placement, which helps the ad avoid the overtly sales-driven tone common in seasonal marketing.
Woodland creatures become filmmakers in a playful twist
Once the raccoon unlocks the phone, the entire forest joins the fun. A bear, wolf, owl, deer, squirrel, and rabbit gather to perform “Friends” by Flight of the Conchords. Using the iPhone 17 Pro’s cameras, the animals record a music video-style performance filled with movement, personality, and humor. The puppetry work shines here, blending soft fur textures with expressive gestures that digital animation often struggles to replicate. It’s this blend of whimsy and craftsmanship that has fueled the ad’s rising popularity online.
Apple Watch saves the day: seamless product storytelling
In a neatly scripted moment, the original hiker locates the missing iPhone using their Apple Watch. It’s a real-world feature woven naturally into the story rather than presented as an interruption. The retrieval scene adds a final emotional beat, showing relief, recognition, and the quiet magic of stumbling upon an unexpected recording. Apple frequently focuses on subtle storytelling to demonstrate its ecosystem, and the Apple holiday ad continues that tradition in a way that feels more like a short film than a commercial.
Why Apple avoided generative AI this holiday season
The choice to avoid AI is notable in a year when brands like Coca-Cola leaned heavily on generative visuals that viewers described as “visually jarring.” Apple’s decision aligns with its recent messaging about the balance between technology and human creativity. By opting for puppets, the company signals that innovation doesn’t always require digital effects. It also taps into a growing cultural desire for authenticity—particularly during the holiday season, when audiences gravitate toward warm, handcrafted aesthetics.
A Critter Carol captures nostalgia in a tech-saturated year
What makes the Apple holiday ad stand out in 2025 is how familiar, almost retro, it feels. The puppets evoke classic holiday specials while the iPhone 17 Pro and Apple Watch bring the story into the present. This nostalgic blend has helped the ad perform well on YouTube, X, and Instagram, where short-form clips of the raccoon filming the music video have gone viral. Apple’s ability to merge charm with modern tech has once again produced a campaign that resonates across generations.
A holiday ad built for emotion, not algorithms
While many companies chase algorithm-friendly spectacle, Apple leans into emotion, character, and craft. A Critter Carol succeeds because it doesn’t feel engineered for virality—even though it achieved it anyway. Viewers are responding to the warmth, humor, and the very intentional decision to create something real in a digital-first era. As holiday campaigns flood the internet, this puppet-powered short film proves that authenticity can still outshine AI-driven flash.
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