Crash the Cat Wins the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts

Thanks to every reality competition show since American Idol, this country loves a competition. So I was pretty much on board with the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts even before knowing it also involved sugar and cute pets. The annual contest offers one lucky animal the chance to star as the company’s “spokesbunny” in one of Cadbury’s classic Clucking Bunny commercials. In a win for cats everywhere (who definitely cannot eat chocolate, to be clear), 2023’s crown went to a feline for the first time ever. Specifically, this year’s winner is a one-eyed rescue named Crash.

Now, does this achievement rival the USA hockey team’s miracle upset over Russia in 1980? It might. All previous winners had been dogs, with the exception of one frog. The other 2023 finalists were Cypress the Beaver, Redbird the Guinea Pig, and Bunny the Dog — the betting favorite, I’d assume. But Crash’s journey involved much more than just overcoming his status as the underdog of household pets. Following a terrible car accident, Crash endured several injuries including a broken leg, a broken jaw, and loss of his left eye. The now eight-year-old cat soon found himself in a shelter in Boise, Idaho before quickly winning the hearts of the staff with his quirky personality and ultimately being adopted by one of them.

“We are jumping with joy to hear Crash is the next Cadbury Bunny but not surprised as he is always the center of attention in any room. He’s been through so much over the past few years and we appreciate the love his friends, family and cat enthusiasts across the country have shown,” Maddie Corey, Crash’s pet parent, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to see Crash take center stage for this year’s Cadbury Clucking Bunny Commercial and share his story with the world,” she added.

To compete in the tryouts, pet parents uploaded pics of their animals to Cadbury’s site wearing the iconic Cadbury Bunny ears. Judges selected the top ten finalists before fans voted on the winner between March 6 and March 14. For 2023, only rescue pets were eligible to participate.

“We’ve been on the edge of our seats waiting to see who America would choose as the 2023 Cadbury Bunny and after an impressive number of votes, we couldn’t be more excited to see Crash take home the coveted Bunny ears,” Cam Bogie, Senior Associate Brand Manager of the Cadbury brand team, announced.

In addition to the spokesperson gig, Crash will receive $5,000, and Cadbury will donate another $5,000 to the shelter of his choosing. This year’s competition, dubbed the “Rescue Pets Editions” by Cadbury, is part of ongoing efforts by the company to raise awareness for pets in need and help prevent animal cruelty. To commemorate its fifth Cadbury Bunny Tryout, the company also donated $20,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, an organization they’ve long supported.