Aldi auctioning limited edition NHS Kevin the Carrot toys to raise money for charity

100 per cent of proceeds will be donated to NHS Charities Together and Teenage Cancer Trust

Kevin the Carrot has become an Aldi Christmas staple, with parents queueing in their thousands to get their hands on a toy each festive season.

This year, the cuddly root vegetable hit stores in November and sold out almost instantly, resulting in the plush toys being re-sold for up to 10 times their retail price.

If you didn’t manage to get your hands on one first time round, fear not, because Kevin and his wife Katie are making a comeback for a very special reason.

This month, Aldi is selling 500 of its famous Kevin and Katie carrot plush toys wearing doctor and nurse uniforms to recognise the ongoing work of medical staff throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The limited-edition Kevin and Katie carrot toys will be sold via eBay with 100 per cent of the proceeds donated to NHS Charities Together and Teenage Cancer Trust.

The auctions are taking place now until 10 December, with the next drop launching at 7pm on Tuesday night. Bids can be made via the auction site, starting from £1.11 – to honour the NHS 111 service.

This is the second time Aldi has launched the NHS-themed carrot cuddly toys. In April, the budget supermarket held its first round of auctions, selling 400 Kevin and Katies wearing either scrubs or white doctor’s coats.

“Following the success of our Aldi auction earlier this year, we want to raise money again to show our appreciation for the amazing work of the NHS and Teenage Cancer Trust staff,” said Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK.

“With our Kevin and Katie plush toys proving extremely popular and having helped to raise money for charity in the past, we felt what better way than to bring back our ‘superhero’ doctor and nurse carrots for fans to bid on.”

Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, added: “We’re thrilled Aldi has chosen to raise money in aid of NHS Charities Together and particularly in such a creative way that helps celebrate our health heroes.

“These funds will help support the wellbeing of NHS staff, volunteers and patients now and in the future. Thank you, Aldi, and everyone who bids, for supporting us and the incredible work of Teenage Cancer Trust.”

Kevin the Carrot returned in Aldi’s 2020 Christmas TV advert last month, which channelled classic Christmas films Home Alone and E.T. and saw the plucky carrot racing to get home for the festive period with his family, aided by a prickly hedgehog and Father Christmas.  

It quickly became one of the top 50 viewed videos, with five million views on YouTube that weekend, plus a further 1.6 million views for the teaser advert, also starring Kevin’s fighter jet co-pilot Lieutenant Turkey.

This year, Aldi launched an expansive toy collection to coincide with the advert, including Kevin, Katie, Harry the Hedgehog, Grate Grandma and Grate Grandad and Wingman Turkey plush toys.