Scrat has been chasing that acorn for about 20 years by the time he finally gets to eat it, based on the later Blue Sky farewell video and coverage of the character’s long-running gag.

Quick Scoop

The joke started with the original Ice Age era and kept running through the franchise, which is why people usually describe it as a two-decade obsession rather than a single movie plot point.

Why people say 20 years

  • The character became known for repeatedly chasing the same acorn across the franchise.
  • A 2022 farewell video had Scrat finally getting the acorn after 20 years of antics.
  • That timing is the source of the common “20 years” answer, even though the exact in-universe timeline is more of a running-gag estimate than a strict count.

In one line

He was trying for around 20 years before he finally got to eat it.

TL;DR: Scrat’s acorn chase lasted about two decades before the payoff.