Familiar characters give Walmart a way to reopen a shopping decision customers may have closed years ago.

A couple days ago, I wrote about how Casper suggested Scrooge needed a better mattress.

Well, Walmart has decided what he needs is a shopping revelation, delivered by Muppets.

I grew up loving them on TV. And now my kids have their own affection for Disney’s version through YouTube, so I got a bang out of Walmart’s two-minute film, A Who Knew Carol.

Walton Goggins takes the Scrooge role this time, with Stephanie Beatriz as his niece.

The production recreates the opening musical number from 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, complete with physical sets and the characters’ familiar habit of questioning the production they’re in.

Underneath the fun is a smart fit: Scrooge changes his mind after being shown what he’s missed.

Walmart wants us to reconsider what we think it sells.

The campaign stretches that idea across the whole holiday season.

The Ghost of Christmas Presents introduces gifts, the Ghost of Deals to Come handles savings, and the Ghost of Christmas Fast tackles last-minute delivery.

Dickens has supplied a surprisingly useful retail calendar.

That’s relevant way beyond Walmart.

Customers can know your name so well that they stop thinking about what you offer. New products then have to get past an old opinion before they get considered.

I suspect all this Scrooge activity will send a little more curiosity toward Depp’s Ebenezer, too.

There’s room for several beloved curmudgeons in our holiday viewing.

If you’d like help creating and marketing products people feel compelled to buy, the product marketing consultants at Graphos Product can help.