Shocking festive scene created by retailer Iceland following news of their banned Christmas advert featuring a displaced Orangutan searching for a new home
Leading celebrities James Corden, Anna Friel and Paloma Faith are leading support of the campaign
Shoppers and commuters have been left stunned after spotting a distressed
orangutan clinging to a Christmas tree at Coin Street and other London locations
Seasonal stunt features a tailor-made ultra-lifelike animatronic ape to showcase the
devastating effects on the species’ natural habitat as a result of rainforest destruction
Initiative follows news that more than 600,000 people have signed a Change.org
petition calling for the Iceland Christmas ad to be allowed on TV
The film has had more than 12m views on Facebook and received backing from
celebrities including James Corden, Anna Friel and Paloma Faith
Thousands of orangutans are dying each year due to the loss of their natural
environment, leaving them homeless and unable to survive
The initiative follows on from new research commissioned by Iceland, which reveals
that the use of palm oil and deforestation are among the top three environmental
concerns of consumers, alongside food waste and single use plastics
Leading frozen food specialist Iceland is pioneering a high-street revolution to give
consumers the choice of Christmas without palm oil following its pledge to eliminate
the ingredient from all own label products by the end of 2018
Animatronic ape set to tour Iceland supermarket stores to raise awareness. Follow
the story online with #NoPalmOilChristmas
Londoners were stunned this morning as they witnessed what appeared to be an angry
Orangutan on the loose and clinging to a Christmas tree at Coin Street, London.
Further sightings were reported at locations across the capital including Oxford Street and
the parks of London where the ape appeared to be in search of a new home.
The displaced ape was actually part of the supermarket chain Iceland’s Christmas
campaign, with the stunt being staged using sophisticated animatronics to highlight the
retailer offering the choice of Christmas without palm oil.
The disruptive campaign follows the banning of Iceland’s Christmas advert last week, which featured a baby Orangutan seeking a new home after its normal forest habitat has been eradicated as a result of deforestation.
A team of leading special effects artists spent months designing and building the ultra-
realistic animatronic replica orangutan, which is controlled both remotely and via a specialist puppeteer who has spent years studying the movements of the species to fine-tune their skills.
