Animal crackers uncaged in box redesign after PETA pressure
They’re free!
The noble beasts caged for 116 years on boxes of Nabisco’s Barnum’s Animals Crackers now roam the wilderness in a package redesign.
Parent company Mondelez International made the move after pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to make over the circus-themed box, which depicted the animals behind bars for more than a century, according to the Associated Press.
“Big victories can come in small packages,” the animal rights group wrote on its website Monday.
“The new box for Barnum’s Animals perfectly reflects that our society no longer tolerates caging and chaining exotic animals for circus shows,” it added. “PETA is celebrating this redesign just as we’ve celebrated the closure of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and an end to the use of wild animals in many other circuses.”
The redesign is now on U.S. store shelves, displaying a zebra, elephant, lion, giraffe and gorilla wandering free side by side. The brand has temporarily revamped its packaging before to highlight wildlife conservation efforts, but this time the change is permanent, USA Today notes.
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/TZfQDQaLeLpic.twitter.com/6sR3I58thS
— PETA (@peta) August 21, 2018
“When PETA reached out about Barnum’s, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary,” Jason Levine, Mondelez’s chief marketing officer for North America, said in a statement to Associated Press.
The Ringling Bros. circus stopped using elephants in its shows in 2016 after PETA and others animal advocacy groups accused the circus of cruelty. The circus shuttered for good in 2017 after 146 years because of poor ticket sales.
The cookies live on ― but at least the creatures who represent them are no longer in captivity on the box.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.