For 116 years, the infamous Barnum's Animals Crackers have been sold in boxes with wild animals, like lions, gorillas, and elephants, caged inside a circus boxcar.
After consistent pressure from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the snack company recently decided to make some changes to their outdated packaging, finally freeing the animals from their cages!
For over 30 years, PETA has protested the use of animals in circuses. In 2016, they wrote a letter to Barnum's parent company, Mondelēz, asking for a redesign. Mondelēz agreed to the request and recently showcased their new, cage-free, packaging! The new packaging shows the animals happy and roaming free in their natural habitat.
This positive change is in line with modern societies' zero tolerance for animal cruelty. The snack was named after the 146-year-old Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. After PETA and other groups accused them of animal cruelty, they stopped using elephants in their shows in 2016, and then in 2017 closed for good.
Mondelēz’s chief marketing officer for North America, Jason Levine, said “When PETA reached out about Barnum’s, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary. 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. 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.”
Take a look at new and improved packaging below!