The Carlyle Group wishes everyone a humorous New Year

It’s that time of year again. The Carlyle Group unveiled its annual holiday video today and we weren’t disappointed.

This year we see the firm’s three co-founders—David Rubenstein, William Conway and Daniel D’Aniello–wondering what made them different from other investors. They look to their childhood for the answer.

We see the kid version of Rubenstein, in my opinion the funniest of the Carlyle co-founders, reading Michael Lewis’ “MoneyBall” during a little league game. (A prior version of Carlyle’s holiday video appeared earlier this week on YouTube. We’re told that was a test. This is the final version which went out this morning.)

“Rubenstein, get your head in the game,” a player shouts at the soon-to-be PE exec who appears to be sitting on second base.

“I’m trying to be an owner, not a player,” the young Rubenstein, dressed in a black suit, black glasses and grey hair, shouts back.

Next, a younger D’Aniello plays Monopoly with his friends. “I just acquired another property and it’s going to be big,” he brags.

A kid Conway pitches Dunkin’ Donuts coffee to a sleeping friend in the school cafeteria. “Hey, try this great coffee,” he said. “Their EBITDA doubled last year. I think it will be the next great thing.”

In 2011, Carlyle set a high bar with its lemonade stand holiday video. In that one, the three co-founders wonder what life would’ve been like if they hadn’t started Carlyle all those years ago. Is this video as funny? You tell me.

Photo courtesy of The Carlyle Group