John Lewis christmas advert accused of plagiarism by children's author

Chris Riddell noted similarities between Mr Underbed and Moz the Monster

Chris Riddell — an esteemed writer and illustrator of children’s books — has suggested John Lewis plagiarised one of his stories for their latest Christmas advert.

The former children’s laureate posted a video featuring the advert alongside pages from his book Mr Underbed, both of which feature large blue monsters who live under children's beds.

“John Lewis help themselves to my picture book,” the author wrote alongside the post.

Speaking to The Guardian, Riddell said: “The idea of a monster under the bed is by no means new but the ad does seem to bear a close resemblance to my creation – a big blue unthreatening monster who rocks the bed and snores loudly.”

The Goth Girl author added: “I was struck by the similarity of the concept when I watched the ad, and subsequently a number of people have tweeted and emailed me pointing this out. So I decided to do a Facebook post, tongue in cheek, about John Lewis promoting Mr Underbed.

“It was the first picturebook I wrote and illustrated and was published in 1986. Subsequently, at the publisher’s request, I re-illustrated it in 2009. During my time as children’s laureate I spoke about Mr Underbed often at public events, as my first book.”

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry helmed the John Lewis advert which features a monster named Moz.

Created by the agency Adam&Eve, the advert — soundtracked by an Elbow cover of The Beatles song Golden Slumbers — was well received by fans of the eagerly awaited Christmas adverts.

A spokesperson for John Lewis responded to Riddell’s post, saying: A John Lewis spokeswoman said: “The story of a big hairy monster under the bed which keeps a child from sleeping is a universal tale which has been told many times over many years.

“Ours is a Christmas story of friendship and fun between Joe and Moz The Monster, in which Joe receives a night light which helps him get a good night’s sleep. The main thrust of our story is utterly different to Chris Riddell’s.”

The company’s 2014 advert, featuring Monty the Penguin, was noted to be very similar to Oliver Jeffers’ bestseller Lost and Found. Although the author never commented on the situation, John Lewis issued a statement saying “stories about penguins at Christmas time are not new, and the story in our advert is totally unique”.