AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
A small, familiar box is getting a makeover.
THE PHILIP JONES BRASS ENSEMBLE AND ELGAR HOWARTH'S "ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS (ARR. FOR BRASS ENSEMBLE)")
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, turn your attention to the animal crackers, now cage-free.
THE PHILIP JONES BRASS ENSEMBLE AND ELGAR HOWARTH'S "ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS (ARR. FOR BRASS ENSEMBLE)")
CORNISH: Yeah, Nabisco has let loose the lion and other animals on its famous cookie boxes.
CHANG: For 116 years, they were shown behind the bars of a circus wagon.
CORNISH: And frankly that was way too long for PETA. Ben Williamson is a spokesperson for the animal rights organization. It reached out to Nabisco's parent company two years ago.
BEN WILLIAMSON: In our letter, we noted the inherent cruelty of animal circuses and the public's growing opposition to the use of animals in entertainment.
CHANG: Williamson says the company agreed it was time for a new image. PETA even shared its suggestion of how the boxes could look.
WILLIAMSON: And we were delighted when Nabisco shared its own redesign with us, which was similar in spirit. And that is the box that is now being rolled out around the country.
CORNISH: The animals are now shown walking on a savannah toward the viewer - lion at the center, elephant and zebra on one side, giraffe and gorilla on the other.
CHANG: And it's a peaceable kingdom. Predator and prey seem pretty chill. But maybe a little too chill.
WILLIAMSON: If I were one of those animals, I'd prefer to be stood side by side another animal of a different species in the wild than caged in a box car and forced to perform under the threat of punishment.
CORNISH: Maybe the times were simply catching up with Barnum's animal crackers. After all, the real Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus folded its tents last year.
WILLIAMSON: These new boxes for Barnum's Animals reflect society's modern values that no longer tolerate the caging and chaining of wild animals for circus shows.
CHANG: Although the packaging looks different, rest assured your animal crackers remain the same. And they can only get loose if you let them out of the box.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE PHILIP JONES BRASS ENSEMBLE AND ELGAR HOWARTH'S "ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS (ARR. FOR BRASS ENSEMBLE)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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