PETA Finally Got Nabisco To Uncage Barnum's Animal Crackers
Nabisco's animal crackers have come out of their cage and they've been doing just fine thanks to PETA. After 116 years of being depicted as caged circus animals, Nabisco Barnum's Animals Crackers are now on boxes roaming free through an African savanna-style backdrop where they always belonged.
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has been speaking out against Nabisco's parent company Mondelez since 2016 for its depiction of the animals on the circus-themed snack boxes as caged and ready to be used for entertainment by circus companies. The brand is named for 19th century circus magnate P.T. Barnum, whose namesake Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus finally shut down in 2017.
"Given the egregious cruelty inherent in circuses that use animals and the public's swelling opposition to the exploitation of animals used for entertainment, we urge Nabisco to update its packaging in order to show animals who are free to roam in their natural habitats," PETA previously wrote.
We're sending a big thanks to Nabisco! After working with PETA, Barnum's Animals Crackers iconic package now shows animals free in nature instead of captive in boxcars. It perfectly reflects that society no longer tolerates using wild animals in circuses! https://t.co/TZfQDQaLeL pic.twitter.com/6sR3I58thS
— PETA 🐳🐬 (@peta) August 21, 2018
Mondelez agreed and began working on a redesign, which was unveiled as a zebra, elephant, lion, giraffe, and gorilla walking side by side through nature. "When PETA reached out about Barnum's, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary," said Jason Levine, Mondelez's chief marketing officer for North America, in a statement to The Associated Press.
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PETA saw the change as a big victory and wrote about the win on their website. "Big victories can come in small packages, and no matter where we look, we find new evidence that people are embracing compassion for animals like never before," the animal rights group said.
This is just the latest change to the 116-year old snack. The Daily Meal reported last month that the old-fashioned string had been replaced with a more modern handle.
Has it been so long since you've had an animal cracker that you forget they were even still a thing? Check out more old-school snacks we but you completely forgot existed.