BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 17, 2025--
Dunkin’ is sprinkling extra joy into the holidays with The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN – a new children’s book and animated spot narrated by Emmy® –nominated writer, producer and director Mindy Kaling. The heartwarming tale follows one tiny MUNCHKIN Donut Hole Treat on a journey of belonging and joy, reminding readers that sometimes “the smallest part is the best part.” A portion of the proceeds* from every book sold will benefit the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, which helps bring joy to children battling hunger or illness.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251117266436/en/
Earlier this month, Dunkin’ unveiled its holiday lineup featuring packaging inspired by MUNCHKINS® Donut Hole Treats. Now, that same festive, storybook-style design comes to life in The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN, turning Dunkin’s most beloved small treat into a holiday hero.
The animation features narration by Dunkin’ fan Mindy Kaling, whose signature voice brings warmth and wit to the story’s message of belonging, making it a joyful watch for kids and grown-ups alike.
“Dunkin' MUNCHKINS are a favorite in my house, so this was kind of a no brainer for me,” said Mindy Kaling. “What I love about this story is how it celebrates the overlooked things that end up being the most special. I’m a sucker for an underdog – and for the holidays – so this book is definitely earning a spot in our bedtime story rotation.”
“The holidays at Dunkin’ are all about creating moments of joy,” said Jill Nelson, chief marketing officer at Dunkin’. “We love that one of our tiniest treats gets to be the hero of the season. The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN is a reminder that joy can come from the smallest things – whether it’s a donut-hole treat, a moment of kindness, or a story shared together – all while supporting the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation and the incredible work it does for children and families.”
Adding a little something extra for families, the book concludes with a recipe for MUNCHKINS Bread Pudding, turning the story’s hero into a treat you can make and share at home. It’s a sweet way to extend the story beyond the last page, and another reason this holiday keeps getting more delicious.
The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN is available starting today at participating Dunkin’ locations, just in time for gifting this holiday season. The animated spot can be enjoyed on Dunkin’s YouTube channel and social platforms ( Instagram, TikTok ).
To keep the fun going beyond the storybook, Dunkin’ is also dropping limited-edition MUNCHKINS-inspired merch at DunkinRunsOnMerch.com, a fun way to celebrate the season’s tiniest hero.
To stay up to date on everything Dunkin’, visit DunkinDonuts.com or subscribe to the Dunkin’ blog to receive notifications at news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.
*$2 from every book sold, up to $550,000, will benefit the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation®.
About Dunkin’
Dunkin’, founded in 1950, is the largest coffee and donuts brand in the United States, with more than 14,000 restaurants in nearly 40 global markets. Dunkin’ is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit DunkinDonuts.com and InspireBrands.com.
About Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation
The Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin' and the generosity of its franchisees, guests, vendor partners and employees, provides the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. The Foundation partners with food banks, children's hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations to fund joyful environments and experiences for kids when they need it most. Since 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted more than $65 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country. For more information, please visit www.bringjoy.com.
The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN™ is a heartwarming tale that follows one tiny MUNCHKIN Donut Hole Treat on a journey of belonging and joy, reminding readers that sometimes “the smallest part is the best part.”
Dunkin’ is sprinkling extra joy into the holidays with The Little Holiday MUNCHKIN™ – a new children’s book and animated spot narrated by Emmy®–nominated writer, producer and director Mindy Kaling.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday presented the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medals during a ceremony in the Oval Office, hailing the slate of artists he was deeply involved in choosing as “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class” ever assembled.
This year's recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford.
Trump said they are a group of “incredible people” who represent the “very best in American arts and culture” and that, “I know most of them and I've been a fan of all of them.”
“This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans,” said a tuxedo-clad Trump. "This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled.”
Trump ignored the Kennedy Center and its premier awards program during his first term as president. But the Republican has instituted a series of changes since returning to office in January, most notably ousting its board of trustees and replacing them with GOP supporters who voted him in as chairman of the board.
Trump also has criticized the center's programming and its physical appearance, and has vowed to overhaul both.
The president placed around each honoree's neck a new medal that was designed, created and donated by jeweler Tiffany & Co., according to the Kennedy Center and Trump.
It's a gold disc etched on one side with the Kennedy Center's image and rainbow colors. The honoree's name appears on the reverse side with the date of the ceremony. The medallion hangs from a navy blue ribbon and replaces a large rainbow ribbon decorated with three gold plates that rested on the honoree's shoulders and chest and had been used since the first honors program in 1978.
Strait, wearing a cowboy hat, was first to receive his medal. When the country singer started to take off the hat, Trump said, “If you want to leave it on, you can. I think we can get it through.” But Strait took it off.
The president said Crawford was a “great star of Broadway” for his lead role in the long-running “Phantom of the Opera.” Of Gaynor, he said, “We have the disco queen, and she was indeed, and nobody did it like Gloria Gaynor.”
Trump was effusive about his friend Stallone, calling him a “wonderful” and “spectacular” person and “one of the true, great movie stars” and "one of the great legends."
Kiss is an “incredible rock band," he said.
Songs by honorees Gaynor and Kiss played in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office as members of the White House press corps waited nearby for Trump to begin the ceremony.
The president president said in August that he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the 2025 honorees when he personally announced them at the Kennedy Center, the first slate chosen under his leadership. The honorees traditionally had been announced by press release.
It was unclear how they were chosen. Before Trump, it fell to a bipartisan selection committee.
“These are among the greatest artists, actors and performers of their generation. The greatest that we’ve seen,” Trump said. “We can hardly imagine the country music phenomena without its king of country, or American disco without its first lady, or Broadway without its phantom — and that was a phantom, let me tell you — or rock and roll without its hottest band in the world, and that’s what they are, or Hollywood without one of its greatest visionaries."
“Each of you has made an indelible mark on American life and together you have defined entire genres and set new standards for the performing arts,” Trump said.
Trump also attended an annual State Department dinner for the honorees on Saturday. In years past, the honorees received their medallions there but Trump moved the ceremony to the White House.
Meanwhile, the glitzy Kennedy Center Honors program and its series of tribute speeches and performances for each recipient is set to be taped on Sunday at the performing arts center for broadcast later in December on CBS and Paramount+. Trump is to attend the program for the first time as president, accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
The president said in August that he had agreed to host the show, and he seemed to confirm on Saturday that he would do so, predicting that the broadcast would garner its highest ratings ever as a result. Presidents traditionally attend the program and sit with the honorees in the audience. None has ever served as host.
He said he looked forward to Sunday's celebration.
“It’s going to be something that I believe, and I’m going to make a prediction: this will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done and they’ve gotten some pretty good ratings, but there’s nothing like what’s going to happen tomorrow night,” Trump said.
The president also swiped at late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose program was briefly suspended earlier this year by ABC following criticism of his comments related to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
Kimmel and Trump are sharp critics of each other, with the president regularly deriding Kimmel's talent as a host. Kimmel has hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Academy Award multiple times.
Trump said he should be able to outdo Kimmel.
“I've watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” Trump said. “If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president.”
President Donald Trump speaks at a Kennedy Center Honors reception for recipients Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford at the State Department, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, left, presents Sylvester Stallone with his Kennedy Center Honors medal in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, center, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, left, presents Michael Crawford with his Kennedy Center Honors medal in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, left, speaks as he presents Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford with their Kennedy Center Honors medals in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump, left, presents George Strait with his Kennedy Center Honors medal in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE - The Hall of Nations at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Nov. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, file)
Kiss band member Gene Simmons speaks to members of the media at the White House, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
President Donald Trump speaks before a concert by Andrea Bocelli in the East Room of the White House walking towards the East Room, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
