Walmart Drafts the Muppets and Walton Goggins for a Christmas Carol Takeover
TL;DR: Walmart has made The Muppets and Walton Goggins the stars of 'A Who Knew Carol', a single, season-long holiday platform that reworks The Muppet Christmas Carol across TV, streaming, social, out-of-home and creators to pull off a brand 'reappraisal' as it chases higher-income shoppers.
A Christmas Carol, remixed for the Walmart era
On 26 October, Walmart unveiled 'A Who Knew Carol', a holiday campaign that rebuilds the 1992 classic The Muppet Christmas Carol around its own brand. Walton Goggins plays Ebenezer Scrooge opposite Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, with three ghosts tied to seasonal shopping beats: gift inspiration, Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings, and last-minute delivery.
The jokes lean into the format. Rizzo the Rat grumbles that Walmart did not exist in Dickens' day, and Pepe the King Prawn - who was not in the original film - shows up to court meme culture. Stephanie Beatriz plays Scrooge's niece and fronts the Spanish-language versions.
One story, the whole season
The strategic heart of this is consolidation. Rather than running separate bursts for gifting, Black Friday and last-minute delivery, Walmart has wrapped the entire quarter in a single narrative. CMO William White frames it plainly: 'Having one theme, one campaign throughout the season allows a really quick read for customers to know it's Walmart.'
That is a lesson most brands under-use. Fragmented seasonal messaging forces shoppers to re-learn who you are every few weeks. A single, elastic idea - here, a Dickensian redemption arc - lets each phase of the season feel like a new chapter rather than a new campaign.
A 'reappraisal' play dressed as entertainment
White calls 'Who Knew?' a reappraisal story, and that reveals the real job. Walmart is still working to shift perceptions and win more style-conscious, higher-income shoppers, and nostalgia-rich IP like The Muppets does the heavy lifting - broad, multigenerational, and newly relevant after a TV special and a World Cup final halftime cameo.
The media plan matches the ambition: broadcast, streaming, online video, social, out-of-home, audio, podcasts and creator networks, with on-air NFL talent referencing the campaign. Produced through Publicis agencies including Fallon, Leo, The Community, Digitas and Zenith, it is built to be unavoidable in a cluttered window - Deloitte expects US holiday retail spending to rise around 10% year on year.
What businesses should take from it
You do not need Goggins or a Muppet budget to borrow the principle. Pick one ownable idea for the season and stretch it across every touchpoint, so each promotion compounds the same brand story instead of starting from scratch.
And note the casting logic: Walmart is not buying fame for fame's sake, it is borrowing cultural warmth that pre-sells the brand's reappraisal. For any business fighting a dated perception, the move is to attach to something audiences already love, then let the product play the supporting role.
Quick FAQ
What is Walmart's 'A Who Knew Carol'?
It is Walmart's 2026 holiday campaign, launched 26 October, that reimagines The Muppet Christmas Carol with Walton Goggins as Scrooge. It runs across the whole festive season under Walmart's 'Who Knew?' brand platform.
Why did Walmart use The Muppets and Walton Goggins?
The Muppets offer broad, multigenerational appeal and nostalgia, while Goggins adds current star power (he played the Grinch in Walmart's 2025 ads). Together they support Walmart's reappraisal push toward more style-conscious, higher-income shoppers.
What can smaller brands learn from it?
Unify the season under one ownable idea rather than running disconnected promotions, and borrow cultural affection - familiar characters, music or formats - so the brand feels warm before the product is even shown.
What impresses me here is not the Muppets, it is the discipline. Walmart has turned a whole quarter of promotions into one story, so every Black Friday push still builds the same brand. Most businesses waste the festive season restarting their message weekly. Pick one idea and ride it from November to January. - Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The winning move this Christmas is not a bigger ad - it is one ownable idea stretched across the entire season so every promotion compounds the same brand story.
Does your festive marketing tell one connected story, or does it restart from scratch every few weeks?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Dive, Adweek, Campaign US, Nerdist.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
