IRN-BRU Christmas advert featuring several Edinburgh landmarks and seasonal attractions is back on our screens

Their Christmas commercials have become seasonal favourites in Scotland

IRN-BRU’s Christmas advert that features several Edinburgh landmarks as it parodies an iconic Christmas tale is back on the telly, marking the beginning of the festive period according to the soft drinks giant A. G. Barr.

First aired in 2006, IRN-BRU’s seasonal commercial is inspired by the 1982 animated TV film, The Snowman, with their tongue and cheek advert being a seasonal favourite when it airs on Scottish screens each year.

Once crowned as the nation’s favourite Christmas ad in a 2021 survey by ScotPulse, the commercial is usually first broadcast on December 1 and always delivers IRN-BRU’s trademark Scottish humour.

Several Edinburgh landmarks can be seen in Irn Bru's Christmas advert. Photo: AG Barr

Posting on social media today, IRN-BRU wrote on X ‘Now it’s Christmas’ prompting one user to say: “Possibly the greatest effort of any ad riffing on a film ever 10/10.” An earlier post by the leading Scottish soft drinks company said limited edition IRN-BRU Snowman cans are now available in shops with a picture caption adding ‘Exclusive BRU is coming for you.’

Similar to the original story in The Snowman - and employing a near identical animation style - we see a young boy soar through the skies with a magical snowman, but unlike the original, the boy is equipped with an IRN-BRU in hand. As they travel on their journey we see the Snowman beckon the boy to pass his IRN-BRU, a request denied by the youngster as they fly past the Forth Bridge, Edinburgh Castle and the Big Wheel in West Princes Street Gardens.

We then see the boy start to taunt the snowman, offering the can of ginger to his frosty friend before smirking and placing it out of reach behind his back. He sings: “I tell him get your own…it looks like he is going to cry - I tell him once again the IRN-BRU is mine.” His joke backfires however.

Growing tired of the boy’s selfishness the Snowman takes it on himself to commandeer the fizzy drink and the young lad then drops from a great height. We hear the boys say: “I’m falling through the air, I wonder where I’m going to land…he nicked my IRN-BRU and let go of my hand.” Landing in a pile of snow we see ‘Have a phenomenal Christmas’ written in lights in the background.

Irn Bru's iconic Christmas advert first aired in 2006 with a squeal made in 2017. Photo: AG Barr

A sequel was made in 2017 with the plot thickening between the duelling protagonists; where the Snowman is chased by the boy who has now acquired an aeroplane as they race across the skies, only for Santa to enter the equation and snap it from the pair who are now ‘wrestling in the air.’

You can find limited edition IRN-BRU Snowman cans in supermarkets and shops now.