HERSHEY, Pa. — Thousands of pet lovers across the country have spoken, and Louie the Raccoon is officially the winner of the sixth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts.
As the grand prize winner, Louie will not only have a starring role in the 2025 Cadbury Bunny Tryouts commercial, but will also take home $7,000 in prize money.
Louie is a two-year-old raccoon from Miami, Florida, who was rescued by his owner Jaime in 2021 after he had been deemed unfit to live in the wild. When he isn't lounging in his favorite tree, he's busy fundraising for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centers by creating art using his toe-painting skills.
This year's Cadbury Bunny Tryouts featured a bracket-style elimination tournament on Instagram – a first for the storied annual competition. Pet owners nationwide submitted their pets for consideration through Instagram posts explaining why their beloved furry (or scaly) friend should be the next Cadbury Bunny. Throughout the month of March, pet lovers and Cadbury fans voted for their favorite contestants as finalists were narrowed down from "Thirty-Cute" to the Final Bunny.
"Each year we look forward to crowning a new Cadbury Bunny, especially this year where we engaged fans in a new way through our bracket-style competition. It was incredible to see pet lovers getting in on the fun," said Natalie Shuntich, senior associate marketing manager at The Hershey Company. "Witnessing how fans participated in each wave of voting, and the loving support for our thirty-cute finalists from Cadbury fans across the U.S. is a testament to the love for the Cadbury brand."
Louie joins fan-favorite past winners in the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts Hall of Fame, Crash the Rescue Cat (2023), Annie Rose the Therapy Dog (2022), Betty the Frog (2021), Lieutenant Dan the Treeing Walker Coonhound (2020), Henri the English Bulldog (2019).
"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," said Jaime Arslan, Louie's owner. "Louie's TV debut in Cadbury's 2025 commercial can't come soon enough."
Keep an eye out for Louie's starring role in Cadbury's iconic Cadbury Bunny Tryouts commercial in 2025 and for the next chance to submit your own pet for the coveted title.