The Story Behind the Animal Cracker

These festive treats may remind you of a day at the circus as a child, but the story of how they came to be goes all way back to England in the late 1800s. The animal-shaped cookies soon made their way across the Atlantic to America, where they became so popular, exporters from England could not keep up with demand.

American businesses were quick to pick up the slack and companies like Stauffer's Biscuit Company, which still exists today, made their first animal crackers in 1871 out of York, PA.

Check out the slideshow above to find out how animal crackers came to be associated with the circus, what animals you can still find in a box today, and why there is a string attached to a each box of Barnum's Animal Crackers.

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