Carling Black Label has brought back its famous 1990s squirrel advertisement, introducing a new squirrel named Skige to mark a new era for the beer brand. The original commercial featured a daredevil squirrel navigating an obstacle course to reach a nut feeder, and the remake recreates this with Skige tackling a rope bridge, maze, and see-saw.
Skige underwent three weeks of training and completed a course that took over 100 hours to build. The squirrel was trained by Trevor Smith, the same handler who worked on the original advert, and the original voiceover artist Stephen Frost also returned. Frost said: 'I was around for the original, so it's been a real trip down memory lane. It's great to be involved in something that still has so much energy and personality today but for a new generation of drinkers.'
The advert comes after research showing that 51% of adults support remaking 1990s adverts, with 43% citing humour as the most important element. A survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by Carling revealed the top 25 things people would like to bring back from the 1990s, including MTV music videos, free toys in cereal boxes, and classic Saturday morning television like Live and Kicking.
Ryan McLaughlin, brand director for Carling, said: 'The research shows just how much nostalgia the 90s holds in people's hearts. We've seen lots of things make a comeback... bringing back the iconic squirrel felt like the perfect way to connect past and present.'
