"French shoppers had been clamouring for the Intermarché supermarkets to make a plush-toy wolf available in time for Christmas, and Cotillard had previously vowed to do his best to make that happen. But on Monday, he admitted that that only "a hundred" could be produced by the end of the year. "We took the choice to be consistent and to not import them from China," he said. The hundred soft toys that will be made will be given away to children's charities, he added."
""The truth is, we were just totally caught out" by the success of the commercial, which in just a week has been viewed a billion times around the world, the CEO of the Mousquetaires/Intermarché group, Thierry Cotillard, told France 2 television. "There is a real 'wolf-mania'," he said."
"The ad has been embraced by internet users, many of whom said that its animation technique - computer renderings of hand-drawn cartoons - far surpassed AI offerings from some of the world's biggest companies, including Coca-Cola and McDonald's, in their Christmas adverts."
Intermarché's Christmas advert featuring an 'unloved' wolf went viral, reaching a billion views worldwide within a week. French shoppers demanded a plush toy of the character, but the company can produce only one hundred by year-end. The decision was taken to avoid importing from China; the produced toys will be donated to children's charities. The CEO described strong "wolf-mania" and promised a France-made soft toy for 2026's Christmas. The supermarket warned consumers about likely knock-offs, scams and fraud. Internet users praised the ad's animation, noting hand-drawn-style renderings outperformed some AI-produced adverts.
Read at The Local France
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