share on facebook tweet this

Snack enthusiasts everywhere can rest easy at night because Barnum’s Animal Crackers are no longer in cages.

Mondelez International, the parent company of Nabisco rolled out brand new redesigns of the iconic boxes on Monday.

PETA has been leading the charge for the change since 2016. (RELATED: PETA Will Probably Love California’s Proposed Bill Banning Animal Testing On Cosmetics)

“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 a letter obtained by the New York Post.

“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,” PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman continued.

Interesting and modern change for Barnum and Bailey’s Animal Crackers! The animals on the box are now shown without cages.https://t.co/LOE3bLGO9L –@KianaOnAir pic.twitter.com/wTvFcnzFe2 — 106.1 BLI (@1061BLI) August 21, 2018

After more than a century, the iconic Barnum’s Animal Crackers box has gotten a redesign. Instead of animals caged in a boxcar on their way to a circus, the animals are now roaming free — side-by-side in a grassland https://t.co/zWqNzyba25 pic.twitter.com/4vNwR6pA5M — CNN International (@cnni) August 21, 2018

PETA has long been advocating against the mistreatment of animals in captivity, and Barnum’s Animal Crackers, which been sold since 1902, sporadically offers special box designs to raise money for animal rights.

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

The new product hits shelves this week.

Follow Jena on Twitter.