Aldi's New Christmas Ad Features A Subtle Dig At M&S Caterpillar Cake Legal Drama

Marks & Spencer took legal action over Aldi's caterpillar cake earlier this year.

Aldi couldn’t resist poking fun at their recent caterpillar cake drama in their new Christmas advert.

Earlier this year, Aldi found themselves at the centre of a legal row with Marks & Spencer, after the latter claimed the former’s Cuthbert The Caterpillar cake infringed on their own iconic Colin The Caterpillar trademark.

Following reports of M&S having taken legal action, Aldi repeatedly poked fun at the matter on social media, and latter gave their own caterpillar cake a makeover in the wake of the lawsuit.

After Aldi debuted their new Christmas ad earlier this week, viewers spotted a reference to the debacle in the background of one scene.

While the A Christmas Carol-inspired clip centres around a Scrooge-like fruit named Ebanana – who is visited by Aldi’s regular character Kevin the Carrot – the opening shot of the clip shows a sad-looking caterpillar cake being led off in handcuffs.

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Did you spot Cuthbert in the background of Aldi's new advert?
Aldi

And the subtle dig definitely got the thumbs up from viewers on social media:

The supermarket later confirmed the cameo from Cuthbert was deliberate when they referenced it on their official Twitter page: 

Aldi’s ad also features a swift cameo from Marcus Rashford, who voices a character named Marcus Radishford in the clip.

M&S unveiled their own Christmas advert last week, which saw them bringing their much-loved Percy Pig character to life for the first time – and roping in a certain Hollywood heartthrob to provide his voice.

Meanwhile, Disney and McDonald’s are among the big-name brands to have gone down a more tear-jerking route for their festive ads in 2021, with John Lewis also living up to their reputation for giving us all of the feels with their latest Christmas campaign.