In a Christmas advertising landscape swimming in sad children and cute animals, KFC has made a real effort to stand out this year.

Instead of a snowy short film, it’s invested in a series of 10-second comic book-style ads, each featuring some kind of turkey-based mishap. A failure to defrost shatters one would-be cook, while a family struggle to stuff theirs into the oven. There’s a sly dig at turkey’s dryness, too. KFC simply wishes us luck and tells us it’s got us covered until the big day.

Some of the hiccups are a bit niche – does anyone really drop their bird because it’s too slippery? – but these ads are stylish, original and fun. And refreshingly, the only tears jerked are those of the cartoon man who’s burned his dinner.

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