"Iconic"

27 February 2026

40s

Cat got your shoe?

TK Maxx's latest commercial is less 'The Cat in the Hat' and more 'The Cat with a Shoe for a Hat'. When kitty emerges from a TK Maxx bag with a red loafer on its, er, loaf, its owner takes a photo that goes—you guessed it—viral. In the blink of a cat's eye, it becomes a bona fide fashion icon and trendsetter that threatens to put Larry in the shade.

Scored by Average White Band's 'Pick Up the Pieces', the ad shows how the look of 2026 runs its course. There are people to meet, photo shoots to attend, crazed fans to escape, and contracts to be signed, of course—the latter reminds us of the music video for 'Flat Beat', though the cat is far more legible than Flat Eric.

Before anyone or anything gets too ahead of themselves, however, the owner takes back her shoe as nature intended. She gives the cat its due, but now it's time for the real bargain hunter in the house to have her moment. Whatever customers buy, wherever it ends up on a pet's body, the retailer wants the target audience to feel like icons for less.