Lovelorn snowmen and bouncing dogs: a rundown of John Lewis Christmas ads

The John Lewis Christmas campaign has become a fixture of the consumer festive calendar, introducing characters ranging from a lovelorn snowman and his snow girlfriend to a trampolining dog.

Here is a rundown of the ads since the first one screened in 2007.

2007: Shadows

The ad shows a group of people stacking a pile of potential gifts including a desktop lamp, a computer and a leather satchel in an empty room. The finished product ends up creating a shadow that looks like a woman walking her dog through the snow, accompanied by the tagline: “Whoever you’re looking for this Christmas.”

2008: From Me To You

Culminating in the tagline: “If you know the person, you’ll find the present,” it shows a succession of characters followed by a matching gift.

The soundtrack is a cover of The Beatles’ From Me To You recorded for the campaign, with vocals by Matt Spinner, a member of the John Lewis IT department and its music society.

2009: Sweet Child O’ Mine

The ad shows children opening gifts for adults including a laptop, coffee machine and handbag, followed by the tagline: “Remember how Christmas used to feel? Give someone that feeling.”

2010: A Tribute to Givers

Ellie Goulding’s cover of Elton John’s Your Song was the soundtrack to this ad, which showed parents sneaking a rocking horse upstairs while their children watched television, a man struggling to wrap a pair of candlesticks, a mechanic attempting to wrap a teapot at work and a young boy hanging a stocking on his dog’s kennel.

2011: The Long Wait

2012: The Journey

The soundtrack is Gabrielle Aplin’s cover of The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and the tagline is “Give a little more love this Christmas.”

2013: The Bear and the Hare

2014: Monty the Penguin

The ad features a Tom Odell cover of John Lennon’s Real Love.

2015: Man on the Moon

The biggest tearjerker of them all shows a young girl who spots a lonely old man on the moon and decides to send him a telescope to give him a connection to Earth. The partnership with Age UK had the tagline: “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas.”

Norwegian artist Aurora provided the soundtrack with a cover of Half The World Away by Oasis.

2016: Buster the Boxer

The story of Buster, who makes a break for the new Christmas trampoline after having to suffer watching foxes, a badger, squirrels and a hedgehog trying it out first, was accompanied by a cover of Randy Crawford’s One Day I’ll Fly Away by electronic trio Vaults.