It's the moment we've all been waiting for: General Mills has announced its new mascot. And he's not just cute -- he's a real-life rabbit.
Drumroll, please.
Meet Cinnabun.
The Houston-based bunny beat out more than 7,500 other silly rabbits to become the cereal company's rep. The long-eared snuggle ball will grace the covers of several new limited-edition Trix boxes -- and his owner, Natalie Tran, will obviously be taking home some major bragging rights.
“I’m obviously biased, but I always knew Cinnabun was an especially playful, cute and lovable bunny,” said Tran.
Submissions were based on each bunny's creative flair, cuteness and "representation of the Trix cereal rabbit's personality." Needless to say, there was some stiff competition.
The nationwide search for a new, fluffy mascot is part of General Mills' attempt to revamp its image and become "more real." At the heart of that mission, the company said, is to nix artificial flavors and colors from its cereals and replace them with natural ingredients. So far, 75% of the company's brands have been able to accomplish that goal, including Trix, Reese's Puffs and the decidedly less playful Fiber One brand.
General Mills says it is aiming to have switched all of its brands to an artificial-free recipe by 2017, but cereals that use marshmallows (looking at you, Lucky Charms) won't be amenable to such a quick fix. Trix and Reese's Puffs have been a bit easier to revamp, since both can subsist with using natural flavors like vanilla and spice extracts and still maintain taste.