Easter is coming up, and for many people the holiday is synonymous with Cadbury Creme Eggs, the classic chocolate candies that are a staple of Easter baskets everywhere.

The Cadbury Eggs are known as much for their advertisements as much as their taste: in recent years, the company has held tryouts for an animal to become the year’s “Cadbury Bunny.”

Now, the winner of this year’s contest has been announced — and it’s a rescue raccoon named Louie!

According to a press release from Hershey, Louie, a 2-year-old raccoon, was rescued by his owner Jaime Arslan in Miami, Florida in 2021, after he had been deemed unfit to live in the wild.

Since then, Louie has given back by helping to raise money for wildlife rescues and rehabilitation centers through his unique artwork: he is a master at “toe-painting.”

By winning the contest, Louie will receive $7,000 in prize money and will be the star of next year’s Cadbury Bunny Tryouts commercial.

“We’re thrilled that Louie has been chosen as the winner of this year’s Cadbury Bunny Tryouts – we are longtime fans of the Cadbury brand and are honored to see Louie join the long legacy of incredible Cadbury Bunnies,” Jaime Arslan said in the press release.

“Louie’s TV debut in Cadbury’s 2025 commercial can’t come soon enough!”

The contest has been a tradition since 2019, based on the classic, long-running candy ad which featured animals auditioning to be the new Cadbury Bunny:

Every year, the contest features all kinds of animals, from cats and dogs to sheep, ducks, horses, chinchilla, and reptiles.

This year’s contest was done with a “March Madness” theme and a tournament bracket elimination style, with votes cast over social media. Thirty-two semi-finalists narrowed down to a championship match between Louie and the runner-up, a cat named Loki.

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In the end, Louie triumphed, becoming the first raccoon to become a Cadbury Bunny.

Previous winners include Crash, a one-eyed cat who won last year’s special “Rescue Pets Edition” contest, and therapy dog Annie Rose, who won in 2022 after bringing joy to nursing homes during the pandemic.

Other previous winners include Betty the Frog (2021), Lieutenant Dan the Treeing Walker Coonhound (2020), Henri the English Bulldog (2019).

How amazing! Congratulations to Louie on winning the 2024 Cadbury Bunny Tryouts — we can’t wait to see your commercial! ?❤️

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