Watch Colossal Biosciences' Woolly Mouse Make His First-Ever Christmas Extra Cozy (Exclusive)
- - Watch Colossal Biosciences' Woolly Mouse Make His First-Ever Christmas Extra Cozy (Exclusive)
Moná ThomasDecember 22, 2025 at 11:48 PM
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Colossal Biosciences debuted a wintry-themed short film starring its woolly mouse experiencing Christmas for the first time
The festive short playfully explains the science behind the mouse’s mammoth-inspired fur
The video blends cozy holiday storytelling with Colossal’s ongoing de-extinction work
’Twas the night before Christmas — and at Colossal Biosciences, the holiday spirit arrived with whiskers, wavy fur and a surprising dose of science.
In a newly released festive video, exclusively shared with PEOPLE, the Dallas-based biotech company puts a playful spin on A Visit from St. Nicholas, reimagining the classic poem through the eyes of a very busy woolly mouse. Set inside a cozy, decorated home, the short film follows the mouse as he scurries past stockings, climbs the Christmas tree and admires a decorative wreath hanging above an adorably sized fireplace, clearly thrilled to be experiencing his very first holiday season.
Colossal Biosciences
Wholly Mouse in 'A Woolly Mouse Christmas Story' video.
The tone is light and storybook-like, but the star’s appearance is anything but ordinary. With longer, thicker, curlier hair than a typical lab mouse — and a typical trait found on the prehistoric woolly mammoths — he’s built for cold weather, even if he’s spending Christmas indoors. The video gently weaves whimsy with wonder, ending with well wishes to viewers: “From Colossal’s lab to your wintry nights, happy holidays to all … and to all woolly mice.”
Released alongside an holiday song from Colossal, the video doubles as a festive take on one of the company’s most talked-about scientific milestones.
Earlier this year, Colossal introduced the woolly mouse as a key proof point in its larger mission to eventually restore traits of the long-extinct woolly mammoth.
“I’m excited,” Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview in March. She described the mouse as “really our first validation” that the company can successfully create living animals with mammoth-inspired genetic traits. “It’s the first time that we’ve succeeded,” she added.
While there was never a historical woolly mouse, researchers intentionally chose mice for speed and feasibility. Elephants — the mammoth’s closest living relatives — have a 22-month gestation period and take years to mature, making them impractical for early testing. Mice, by contrast, have a gestation period of about 20 days, allowing scientists to study how specific genes translate into physical traits quickly.
Colossal Biosciences
Wholly Mouse in 'A Woolly Mouse Christmas Story' video.
The woolly mouse is engineered with multiple cold-adapted characteristics using mammoth gene orthologs, including curlier hair similar in color to mammoth remains found in permafrost and genes linked to fat metabolism. These traits mirror adaptations that once helped mammoths survive frigid, resource-scarce environments.
During the March interview, Shapiro shared that the company would monitor the woolly mice to see if they’re “actually happier in cooler environments,” as intended. According to a spokesperson, at this time, the woolly mice are “thriving and doing great,” offering high praise for their loyal fans.
Colossal Biosciences
Wholly Mouse in 'A Woolly Mouse Christmas Story' video.
Beyond the mammoth project, Colossal’s work has increasingly captured public attention — in part because of how it blends cutting-edge science with pop-culture-friendly storytelling.
Back in October, the company marked the first birthday of its de-extinct dire wolves, Romulus and Remus, with a PEOPLE-exclusive celebration that included a dog-friendly cake and a music video and song written by Emmy Award–winning musicians Stan Bush and Lenny Macaluso.
Colossal is also making breakthroughs on its dodo bird and thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) projects, framing de-extinction not as spectacle, but as a tool for conservation, resilience and ethical reflection. The same philosophy carries through, even in the smallest stars of the lab.
As for the woolly mice themselves, their role is finite — but their future is secure. “This is not a project that will go on indefinitely. It served a purpose of testing genotype to phenotype, which we got positive results,” Sara Ord, director of species restoration, previously told PEOPLE.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
