On March 25, the Hershey Company, which acquired Cadbury U.S.A. in 1988, announced the winner of Cadbury U.S.A.'s 2024 Easter Bunny contest, and the winner is none other than Miami's very own Louie the Raccoon, the first rescue raccoon to win the nationwide contest that draws hundreds of thousands of applicants each year.
Louie, who has more than 387,000 Instagram followers, is the first raccoon ever to be crowned the winner of the contest. Pet owners nationwide submitted their pets for consideration through Instagram posts explaining why their beloved furry (or scaly) pet 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. Louie was crowned the winner out of 32 finalists.
"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," says Jaime Arslan, Louie's owner. "Louie's TV debut in Cadbury's 2025 commercial can't come soon enough!"
Louie is a two-year-old raccoon from Miami who was rescued by his owner, Arslan, in 2021 after he had been deemed unfit to live in the wild.
Arslan, a former veterinarian technician, told WSVN-7 News' Heather Walker she met Louie after the tragic loss of her father. In order to cope, she turned to volunteering at a local wildlife rescue. There, she told WSVN-7 News, “I took Louie under my wing, and I channeled all this grief that I had for my dad, and I put it all into taking care of him.”
She soon fell in love with the fluffy, four-legged critter and the rest is history. Once she started sharing videos of Louie online, she took in three other raccoons. They all live at her Southwest Miami-Dade home.
To Arslan, winning the contest is important because Louie represents the kind nature of raccoons that is rarely seen by the public eye. Through her Instagram account, she can educate her followers to change their perception of raccoons. (They can even paint! Well, sort of) Arslan taught Louie how to step into non-toxic paint, which he then hops over onto a blank canvas and goes to work "painting."
As for what's next after this big win, Louie will have a starring role in Cadbury's annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts commercial in 2025.
Arslan has partnered with Samadi Wildlife Rescue to raise funds for a new rescue location. For updates on all things Louie, follow him on Instagram.
