Dunkin’ is leaning into nostalgia this holiday season with a short animated film that reintroduces one of the brand’s most recognizable icons: the Munchkin. Long treated as bite-sized pastry accomplices to the chain’s coffee culture, Munchkins carry decades of brand equity without ever formally receiving an origin story. This year, the company dusts off that missing lore and reframes the donut holes as magical, mischievous little characters who embody warmth, generosity, and the bright-eyed whimsy of the holiday season.

The result is a surprisingly tender, emotionally calibrated piece of holiday storytelling—something that feels adjacent to Rankin/Bass stop-motion nostalgia but modernized with vibrant digital animation and contemporary pacing. For a brand whose marketing over the past few years has largely embraced humor and A-list celebrity cameos, this project feels like a tonal refresh: quieter, gentler, deeply endearing. It’s a play for the heart rather than the laugh, but still unmistakably Dunkin’.

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Where many seasonal brand animations drift into generic softness, Dunkin’s holiday short chooses a crisp visual identity. The Munchkins are rendered as rounded, affectionate spheres—some snowy white, others glazed and golden—each with expressive micro-features that convey personality without tipping into hyper-designed cartoon territory.

The environments, from frosted neighborhood streets to the warmly lit interiors of a Dunkin’ shop, are crafted with a nostalgic brush. There’s a hint of mid-century holiday postcards in the color palette, even as the digital textures carry a tactile richness. The film moves smoothly, but never so quickly that the coziness is lost. It’s the kind of animation that is meant to make viewers feel held, not dazzled.

This visual touch is intentional. Holiday campaigns thrive on emotional recognition—on reminding viewers of a feeling they have always known. Dunkin’s choice to shape its brand characters into seasonal companions echoes the emotional strategy behind iconic mascots like the M&Ms or the Coca-Cola polar bears. But here, the scale is miniature, the intimacy tighter, the sentiment more grounded.

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The narrative premise is simple: Munchkins are little magical beings born from the spirit of holiday generosity, appearing whenever people show small acts of kindness. They move through the world unnoticed by most, but they notice everything. They collect sparks from good deeds, store them like tiny lanterns, and nudge the world toward warmth in return.

This is a shift away from the literal donut-hole origin that most fans casually accept—namely, that a Munchkin is the circular cut-out from a larger donut. Instead, the film allows Dunkin’ to expand its brand mythology, giving its most famous tiny treat an emotional purpose. The choice reframes the product as a symbol of sharing, small joys, and community connection. It is sweet without being saccharine, playful without losing sincerity.

Holiday advertising often walks a fine line between sentiment and salesmanship. Dunkin’s film keeps its heart intact by letting the story breathe. The branding is present but never intrusive; the Munchkins are the stars, and the product becomes an extension of their world, not the other way around.

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While Dunkin’ is no stranger to humor—especially with its recent celebrity-anchored spots—the holiday animation relies on gentler comedy. A few scenes show Munchkins stumbling into snowy mishaps, rolling across countertops, or shivering adorably as they huddle for warmth. The humor comes from physicality, charm, and relational cues rather than punchlines.

This tonal shift allows the short to span generations. Children will be drawn to the characters’ softness and movement, while adults will recognize the campaign’s careful emotional balancing. The humor never disrupts the warmth; it amplifies it.

The soundtrack, a blend of twinkling chimes and subdued orchestration, mirrors this emotional approach. It’s festive but restrained, favoring heart over spectacle. Dunkin’ is clearly chasing something more enduring than a viral laugh—it wants a piece of the cultural holiday canon.

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Revisiting a decades-old product and giving it narrative depth could have felt forced, but Dunkin’ manages to sidestep the pitfalls. The Munchkins have always been part of the brand’s visual identity, whether stacked in boxes, served in pink-and-orange packaging, or referenced in playful merch. What was missing was the emotional glue.

The animation supplies that missing ingredient. It treats Munchkins not as objects but as symbols of joy delivered in small, meaningful doses. This aligns seamlessly with the way people actually consume them—the sharing, the gifting, the communal eating during the holidays.

In a landscape where many brands chase maximalist spectacle, Dunkin’ opts for a story small enough to fit in your hand. This humility is part of why the piece feels honest.

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The holiday advertising calendar has become its own cultural season. Every November, brands compete for emotional territory: John Lewis with its tear-jerker narratives, Coca-Cola with its warm familial touch, luxury brands with their moody surrealism.

Dunkin’ enters this arena not trying to out-weep or out-wow anyone. Instead, the brand positions itself as a companion. A neighbor. The warm light on a cold morning. The drive-thru where someone hands you a coffee with a smile when the year feels heavy.

By giving the Munchkins a sentimental story, the brand strengthens the symbolic meaning of the product and aligns it with a broader cultural desire for softness, joy, and uncomplicated warmth. It’s not trying to reinvent holiday sentiment—it’s trying to participate in it.

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At its core, Dunkin’s new holiday animation is a gentle reminder of why small joys endure. In giving the Munchkins an origin woven from generosity and quiet magic, the brand reframes its most familiar treat as a symbol of connection.

The film lands because it doesn’t chase grandeur—it chases feeling. It’s intimate, kind, and softly luminous, much like the holiday moments it celebrates.

And in a season that can often feel rushed or overproduced, Dunkin’ offers a story that invites viewers to pause, smile, and share something small and sweet.

A Munchkin, after all, has always been just that.

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