The Barnsley trade printer decided to mark Chinese New Year, but with a Yorkshire twist, coining it the ‘Year of the Ferret’, and giving a simultaneous hat tip (or should that be Yorkshire flat cap tip) to some ancient Chinese innovations that paved the way for modern printing. Like movable type. 

Spin Print director Dan Brook, pictured with furry friend, explained the complex rules of the ancient Barnsley art of ‘ferret legging’ – basically putting a ferret down one’s trousers, while sober. Trousers are to be tied firmly with string at the ankle, and no underwear is permitted. The ferret must have all its own teeth. 

However, Brook was also forced to admit that he did not actually insert the pictured ferret into his designer denim. “No, my jeans were too tight. I needed a smaller ferret,” was his frankly pathetic excuse. 

The quirky promotion has proved a resounding success for the firm, which ran a cross-media competition to nominate another animal for next year. The winner was customer Rosie Broughton, who suggested the Yorkshire Terrier: “Because they are small, cute and feisty, like Yorkshire lasses.”

Meanwhile, we hear Dan is still searching for some sort of high-strength Ferret Fabreeze to get the smell of the polecat off his hands.