Barnum’s Animal Crackers undergo brand redesign amid PETA call to action

22 Aug 2018 --- After more than a century, Barnum has rebranded its popular Animal Crackers packaging to show savanna animals, not behind bars – but roaming free. The move comes after animal rights activists PETA – who have been protesting the use of animals in circuses for almost thirty years – pressured band owner Mondelez to make the redesign in a letter of Spring 2016. Mondelez agreed and began planning for the redesign while cracker’s circus name “Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey” was dropped altogether.

Kimberly Fontes, a spokesperson for Mondelez International tells PackagingInsights: “At more than 115 years old, Barnum’s Animal Crackers is one of the oldest brands in our portfolio. Throughout our history, we have leveraged and evolved our classic design to drive awareness around the key animal and environmental issues. To continue to make the brand relevant for years to come, we felt this was the right time for the next evolution in our design, now showing the animals in a natural habitat.”

In the Spring 2016 letter to Mondelez, PETA wrote: “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.”

Jason Levine, Mondelez's Chief Marketing Officer for North America, said in a statement: “When PETA reached out about Barnum's, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary.”

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman adds: “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.”

By Joshua Poole