When I was a child, I loved these animal cookies. I saved the empty boxes and had a whole circus. I wondered if I should eat the head first or the body first or put the whole cookie in my mouth at once.
Since 1902, the African animals on the boxes of the Barnum's Animal Crackers have been in circus cages in a red and yellow wagon. In 2016, the animal rights organization PETA asked Nabisco, the cookie manufacturer, to change the box design because circus animals are often kept in cruel conditions.
One hundred and sixteen years after the original box was designed, Nabisco has changed the design to show animals roaming free. While PETA claimed the change as a victory, it may also have to do with the declining popularity of circuses.
Over the years more than 50 different animals have been inside the boxes, although some were rejected because of their unusual shape. Alligators, for example were rejected because of their shape. The tails were too fragile and would break.
Do you have childhood memories of these cookies? Do you still buy and eat them today? What were/are your favorite cookie animals? Have you seen the new boxes on the store shelves yet?
I didn't know these even existed. Is this what the Shirley Temple song was about? But if these are more of a sweet than savoury item (according to Wikipedia), why would you put them in soup?
I definitely would have wanted to collect the boxes if they had been available in my childhood.
While I don't always agree with the way PETA sees and does things, I agree with them for once. It's bad enough we can only see these animals in zoos and circi (circusses?) in real life, we can at least portrait them in the wild in pictures! We don't have these animal crackers, we have Leibniz Zoo instead! https://www.leibniz.de/produkte/zoo-original.html#/slide_1 (also available as farm animals, forest animals and mystical animals ;) )
I've never seen these before, I bet they are very popular with children.
ReplyDeleteSame here! I collected the boxes periodically. Loved Animal Crackers and I do like the new box design.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know these even existed. Is this what the Shirley Temple song was about? But if these are more of a sweet than savoury item (according to Wikipedia), why would you put them in soup?
ReplyDeleteI definitely would have wanted to collect the boxes if they had been available in my childhood.
I havent seen these before either, my Mum baked all the biscuits we ate as kids so I have happy memories of those.
ReplyDeleteYes, I still buy them or their generic clones. I have saved tins from them and an Animal Cracker tote too. I love it that they have changed the box.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't always agree with the way PETA sees and does things, I agree with them for once. It's bad enough we can only see these animals in zoos and circi (circusses?) in real life, we can at least portrait them in the wild in pictures!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have these animal crackers, we have Leibniz Zoo instead! https://www.leibniz.de/produkte/zoo-original.html#/slide_1
(also available as farm animals, forest animals and mystical animals ;) )