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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Mark Sweney

Top Cat's back to give a little extra help to the Halifax

Top Cat with his sidekick Benny the Ball
Top Cat with his sidekick Benny the Ball

Street-wise feline and cartoon favourite Top Cat is to make a return to TV starring in an ad campaign for Halifax.

Hanna-Barbera’s TC, as his close friends called him, right-hand man Benny the Ball and erstwhile adversary Officer Dibble will return in Halifax’s new TV campaign due to launch during Channel 4’s Gogglebox on Friday night.

In a nod to the roots of Top Cat, who lived with a gang of cats in an alleyway in Manhattan, Halifax has commissioned a mural to be painted on a wall in London’s suburb of Clerkenwell.

Tp Cat TV ad

“No other bank could run this new campaign,” said Catherine Kehoe, managing director of group brands and marketing at Halifax. “It reflects perfectly our personality and is a real celebration of how our friendly and down-to-earth colleagues support everyone.”

The ad campaign was created by agency adam&eveDDB, best-known for its work on a string of high profile ad campaigns for John Lewis, and special effects outfit The Mill.

Top Cat, at one time called Boss Cat in the UK to avoid confusion with a cat food brand, debuted on TV in 1962 in a 30-episode run.

Top Cat TV ad

He remained a firm favourite in repeats, as well as cameos in a number of shows, but a move to the big screen in 2012 was panned by critics.

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