Rescue raccoon Louie crowned the new Cadbury Bunny

WASHINGTON (TND) — The sixth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts winner is a furry rescue deemed unfit to live in the wild and a first for the competition.

Louie is a two-year-old raccoon from Miami, FL taken in by owner Jamie in 2021, according to a news release.

"When he isn't lounging in his favorite tree, he's busy fundraising for wildlife rescue & rehabilitation centers by creating art using his toe-painting skills!" Cadbury noted.

A bracket-style elimination tournament on Instagram determined the winner, and pet owners nationwide could submit their pets for consideration through posts explaining why their furry friend should be the next "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," Senior Associate Marketing Manager at The Hershey Company, Natalie Shuntich said.

Previous fan-favorites included Crash the Rescue Cat in 2023, Annie Rose the Therapy Dog in 2022, Betty the Frog in 2021,Lieutenant Dan the Treeing Walker Coonhound in 2020 and Henri the English Bulldog in 2019.

"Louie's TV debut in Cadbury's 2025 commercial can't come soon enough!" his owner said.

Louie the Raccoon has his own Instagram page that features his adorable daily activities including painting, tree climbing and being an all-around cutie.