‘Frosty,’ ‘Rudolph,’ and Now ‘Toby the Turkey’: Jefferson City TV Stations Air Vegan Appeal During Kids’ Holiday Specials
For Immediate Release:
December 3, 2024
Contact:
Maddy Missett 202-483-7382
Parents may scramble to add plant-based options to their holiday feasts thanks to a family-friendly holiday spot, courtesy of PETA, that is airing on local TV stations during Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and other holiday specials through Christmas Day. The animated spot—starring a beguiling little bird named Toby the Turkey—reminds everyone thatturkeys feel joy, pain, and fear just as humans do and hopes to prompt naturally empathetic “littles” to ask adults to serve vegan vittles and take them to task over any meaty main course served at holiday feasts. PETA’s cartoon is running on TV stations in Jefferson City, Columbia, and St. Joseph—fitting locations since Missouri is home to some of the country’s top turkey-producing and slaughter operations.
The video opens with Toby—rescued by a human family—watching TV in a cozy home, only to be confronted by a horrifying ad for a turkey dinner. Panicked, he races around the house, right into the arms of the family matriarch. As a few of his feathers fall to the floor, no one knows what happens to Toby—until the final scene, which, to the viewers’ relief, shows him at the table, not on it, tucking into a savory vegan roast with his loving human family.
“Turkeys are wonderful, feeling individuals who love their families and value their lives, and who don’t want to be carved up any more than we do,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Children have a natural affinity for animals, and PETA is encouraging kids to speak up for all Toby’s by persuading their families to leave animals in peace this holiday and beyond.”
In nature, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dust baths, and roosting in trees—but tens of millions are killed each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas alone. Workers hang the young birds upside down, drag them through an electrified bath, slit their throats, and dump them into scalding-hot water in defeathering tanks—often while they’re still conscious.
PETA’s free vegan starter kit and “ThanksVegan” guide contain tips for anyone looking to make the switch.
The spot is running during family-friendly holiday specials airing on OOMU and KOMU in Jefferson City and Columbia and NNPG, KNPG, and KCJO in St. Joseph. In addition to Missouri, PETA’s video will air in Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa, other top turkey-producing states.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
