Animal crackers freed from their cages in box redesign following PETA letter

The animals on the boxes of animal crackers are roaming free in the box’s new design after the company behind the snack received pressure from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The parent company of Nabisco, Mondelez International, redesigned the packaging of its famous Barnum’s Animals crackers after PETA penned a letter calling for a change in 2016, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

PETA has long protested circus use of animals in performances. Barnum’s Circus closed down in 2017 after pressure from PETA and low ticket sales.

“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 said in the letter prompting a redesign.

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The newly redesigned boxes depict the animals that used to be in cages in the original design as wandering in grasslands. 

“When PETA reached out about Barnum’s, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary,” Mondelez’s chief marketing officer, Jason Levine, said in a statement obtained by the AP.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman also celebrated the redesign for the company, which has been producing Barnum’s Animals crackers for the past 116 years. 

“The new box for Barnum’s Animals crackers perfectly reflects that our society no longer tolerates the caging and chaining of wild animals for circus shows,” she told the news agency.