Aldi Kevin the Carrot 2026: When the Advert and Toys Come Out, Prices and Every Kevin Since 2016

Updated Saturday 31 October 2026 — Aldi has not announced its 2026 Kevin advert or toys yet

Is Kevin the Carrot back for Christmas 2026?

Not officially, yet. As of Saturday 31 October 2026, Aldi has not announced a 2026 Christmas advert or a 2026 Kevin toy range. Its first look at the 2026 Christmas range on 7 October covered food, drink and gifts but did not mention Kevin. Its latest Christmas announcement, on 29 October, was about festive crisps.

That silence is normal, and there is no sign Aldi is dropping him. Kevin has appeared in every Aldi Christmas advert since 2016, and 2025 marked his tenth year. Aldi reported its best-ever Christmas in 2025, with sales of £1.65 billion. Its Kevin adverts are also among the most effective in the country, as the scores further down show. In short, Aldi has every reason to bring him back.

Don’t panic if the first teaser has no Kevin in it

Aldi likes to tease its fans. In 2024 its first Christmas posters and social posts showed a fairy-like “Spirit of Christmas” and no carrot at all, and shoppers started asking where Kevin had gone. The posters were then swapped for fake CCTV footage of humbugs stealing the Spirit of Christmas, and Kevin turned up in the full advert days later to get it back. A Kevin-free teaser is more likely to be a trick than a farewell.

When is the Aldi Christmas advert 2026 coming out?

Aldi has not given a date. But its last six launch dates show a clear pattern, and it points to this coming Monday.

Launch dates from Aldi UK press releases and trade press coverage, compiled by UK Daily Report. 2020 is left out because we could not confirm its launch date from two sources.

What the pattern shows

• Monday is now launch day. 2023, 2024 and 2025 all launched on the first Monday of November. In 2026 that is Monday 2 November.
• The launch has crept earlier every year since 2021, from 11 November to 10, then 6, 4 and 3 November.
• It goes on TV that evening. In 2025 Aldi said the advert would be on TV for the first time from 8.15pm on launch day, according to its press release.

One advert, or a series?

In 2025 Aldi split the story into three adverts released through November, rather than making one big film. It had not done that in earlier years: 2024’s Mission: Impossible-style advert, for example, was a single film. Aldi has not said which format it will use in 2026. If it repeats the series idea, expect the first part in early November and the last close to the toy launch, as happened last year.

When do the Kevin the Carrot toys come out in 2026?

Aldi has not announced the 2026 toys. Three patterns from the last decade make the likely dates easy to narrow down:

Toy dates from Aldi UK press releases and contemporary reports. 2018’s exact day is unconfirmed. In 2020 Aldi sold online first from 15 November and put stock in stores from 6 December because of Covid restrictions.

• The toys always go on sale on a Thursday. Every year with a confirmed in-store date has been a Thursday, because that is when Aldi’s middle-aisle Specialbuys change.
• They arrive between 7 and 24 days after the advert, usually between 14 and 28 November.
• Aldi announces them about a week before. In 2024 the announcement came on 6 November for stores on 14 November. In 2025 it came on 20 November for stores on 27 November.

One clue to watch: in 2025 the toys came out on the same morning as the final advert, the wedding episode, with Kevin and Katie plush dressed in their wedding outfits. If Aldi runs a series again, the toys may again be timed to the last episode, which would favour 26 November, the day before Black Friday.

How much will the Kevin the Carrot toys cost?

Aldi has not given 2026 prices. The standard plush has been remarkably stable: it cost £2.99 in 2016 and 2017 and has been £3.99 every year since 2018. That is eight Christmases without a rise. Here is what the 2025 range cost, from Aldi’s own announcement:

Our expectation for 2026: £3.99 for the standard plush again, with a few cheaper costume Kevins and a bigger “pal” around £9.99. We will update this table the moment Aldi publishes the range.

How to actually get your hands on one

Kevin plush is a Specialbuy, and Aldi’s rule for Specialbuys is that once they have gone, they have gone. Popular characters can disappear on the first morning. In 2016 the very first Kevin plush reportedly sold out in half an hour. These tips give you the best chance:

• Go to a shop. For 2023, 2024 and 2025 Aldi only gave an in-store date and did not sell the plush online. Plan to buy in person unless Aldi says otherwise.
• Go on the first morning. The toys go on sale when your store opens on the Thursday. Opening times vary, so check your local store on Aldi’s store finder the night before.
• Know the limit. In 2025 Aldi limited Caulidog, the Polar Bear and the kids’ plush to two per character per customer. Expect similar limits, so plan your list before you queue.
• Try a smaller store. Large, busy stores sell out fastest. A smaller or out-of-town store may still have stock later in the day.
• Don’t overpay resellers. Resale listings appear within hours, and in 2018 HuffPost UK reported eBay listings over £1,000. Those were asking prices, not real sales. Restocks are not guaranteed, but paying many times the £3.99 shop price rarely makes sense.
• Ignore “free Kevin” giveaways on social media that ask for your bank or card details. Aldi sells the toys in its shops. It does not ask for payment details to send you one.

Last year’s Kevin: the three-part wedding story (2025)

To mark Kevin’s tenth Christmas, Aldi and its agency McCann Manchester told one story across three adverts, released through November:

• Part 1, Monday 3 November: the proposal. A nod to the cue-card scene in Love Actually. Kevin stands outside Katie’s door with their cauliflower dog, Caulidog, who has a ring on his collar, and proposes. It went on TV from 8.15pm that evening, Aldi said.
• Part 2, Friday 7 November: the stag and hen dos. Kevin ends up strapped to the North Pole in a mankini while Katie enjoys a calm spa weekend. Aldi also posted “leaked” messages and voice notes from Kevin’s stag-do group chat on social media, Prolific North reported.
• Part 3, Thursday 27 November: the wedding. Best man Kelvin the Carrot gets Kevin home just in time, but the registrar goes missing and the vows are in doubt until Kevin saves the day with a musical number. It first aired at 6am, The Grocer reported, the same morning the wedding-outfit toys reached stores.

Aldi also produced a limited run of carrot-themed gold engagement rings as part of the publicity. The campaign worked: Aldi later reported a record £1.65 billion of Christmas sales, and System1 rated The Proposal at 5.8 stars out of 5.9, one of the highest scores of the season.

Why Aldi keeps bringing Kevin back

Kevin was not an instant hit. His first advert in 2016 scored only three stars on System1, the ad-testing company that measures how viewers feel while watching an advert and rates it from 1 to 5.9. But Aldi kept him, and the scores climbed. By 2024 the Kevin advert scored the maximum 5.9 stars, the sixth year in a row it had scored above five stars, Marketing Week reported. Only about 1% of adverts reach five stars.

The reason is simple: people recognise him. When research company Zappi tested the 2024 advert, 85% of viewers remembered it was for Aldi, against a typical 72%. And 45% said Kevin himself was how they knew it was an Aldi advert, more than mentioned the logo or the name.

What could Kevin do in 2026?

Aldi has given no hints about the story, and we will not guess at a plot. But one pattern is worth knowing: most recent Kevin adverts have been spoofs of a famous film or story.

Last year’s story ended with Kevin and Katie married, so 2026 starts a new chapter. If Aldi sticks to its formula, expect another well-known Christmas or family film to be given the carrot treatment, with Katie, the kids and Caulidog all likely to return.

Every Kevin the Carrot advert and toy range since 2016

From Aldi UK press releases and contemporary press coverage. Marcus Radishford was voiced by footballer Marcus Rashford, and Aldi donated £10,000 from his toy’s sales to the charity Magic Breakfast.

Kevin outside Christmas

Aldi has also brought Kevin out for special occasions: a Platinum Jubilee Kevin in May 2022, Easter Kevins in bunny and lamb outfits in March 2024, a Team GB Kevin for the Paris Olympics in July 2024 and two rainbow Pride Kevins in June 2025, all at £3.99. Like the Christmas plush, these were one-off Specialbuys.

Aldi going into Christmas 2026

Aldi starts the season as the reigning Christmas Retailer of the Year at the Quality Food Awards. It has won that award every year since 2020, and it reminded shoppers of that when it revealed its 2026 Christmas range on 7 October. It also goes in off the back of a record 2025 Christmas, which makes a big Kevin campaign even more likely. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, and Black Friday is 27 November, the day after our later toy-date pick.

Aldi Kevin the Carrot 2026: your questions answered

Is Kevin the Carrot coming back in 2026?

Aldi has not confirmed it yet, but he has been in every Aldi Christmas advert since 2016 and the campaign keeps breaking records, so a return is very likely.

When does the Aldi Christmas advert 2026 come out?

Aldi has not said. The last three adverts launched on the first Monday of November, so Monday 2 November 2026 is the most likely date, with Monday 9 November the fallback.

When do the Kevin the Carrot toys come out in 2026?

Not announced yet. The toys have always gone on sale on a Thursday in mid-to-late November, so Thursday 19 or Thursday 26 November 2026 are the most likely dates. Aldi normally announces them about a week before.

How much are the Kevin the Carrot toys?

The standard plush has cost £3.99 every year since 2018. In 2025 some costume Kevins were £3.49, and the long-legged My Kevin Pal was £9.99.

Can you buy Kevin the Carrot toys online?

Not in recent years. For 2023, 2024 and 2025 Aldi sold the plush in stores only. Aldi did sell them online between 2019 and 2022.

Is there a limit on how many Kevin toys you can buy?

Usually, yes. In 2025 Aldi limited Caulidog, the Polar Bear and the kids’ plush to two per character per customer.

Who are the Kevin the Carrot characters?

Kevin, his wife Katie, their children Chantenay, Jasper and Baby, and the family dog Caulidog, who joined in 2025. Each year’s advert adds new co-stars, such as the Humbugs (2024) and the Polar Bear (2025).

Did Kevin and Katie get married?

Yes. In the final part of the 2025 advert, released on 27 November, Kevin and Katie married after Kevin rescued the ceremony with a musical number, Aldi confirmed.

Who makes the Aldi Christmas advert?

The 2025 Kevin adverts were made by the agency McCann Manchester.

How long has Kevin the Carrot been around?

Since Christmas 2016. The 2025 campaign was his tenth, and 2026 would be his eleventh.