Let the U.K. Christmas wars begin! British toy store chain Smyths got a positive reception last year for its first work out of McCann Manchester, featuring a little boy who's not afraid to dress up as a "queen" for the day. Now, the retailer is back with a pre-holiday animated spot featuring a rejected toy, called Snot.

Snot is, true to his name, green, lumpy and sticky. He's basically an accident -- the result of a production line error, and the spot sees him alone, wandering towards a Smyths toy store. The other toys look afraid, but it turns out that's because of the massive dinosaur toy on the loose; Snot saves the day by being sticky and indestructible. The moral of the story is that Smyths is the only toys where you can "pick Snot" (geddit?).

Chris Palmer at Gorgeous directed for McCann (which was also responsible for last year's Kevin the Carrot ad for Aldi, of which this reminds us somewhat.) The campaign also features real Snot plushies as well as a storybook.

The campaign runs from now until mid-December, and will see Smyths link up with London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and Temple Street Foundation with all profits from the plush toy and books sold in all 110 stores going to the charities.