The Laughing Cow is no longer laughing and shoppers want to know what wiped the iconic grin off her face.
For the first time in more than 100 years, the laughing red cow has traded her trademark smile for a somber expression on select packages of The Laughing Cow Creamy Original cheese wedges rolling out nationwide.
The surprise makeover is part of a mysterious new campaign dubbed “The Not Laughing Cow,” but the company is keeping shoppers guessing about what wiped the smile from its mascot’s face.
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Bel Brands told Fox News Digital the frown is only temporary and promised the mystery will begin to unravel in the coming days.
“The Laughing Cow has spent more than 100 years reminding us not to take life too seriously. So when she suddenly gets serious, you pay attention,” Jamee Pearlstein, chief marketing officer of Bel Brands USA, U.S. Cheese, said in a news release.
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“Whatever finally got to her must be worth talking about. We’ll let her explain when she’s ready,” Pearlstein added.
The new packages feature the suddenly stone-faced cow alongside a QR code and the cryptic message, “We need to talk.” The code directs shoppers to TheNotLaughingCow.com, where the brand is inviting fans to speculate about the reason for her abrupt mood shift.
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Videos on the campaign website lean into the mystery, showing the usually upbeat mascot looking downcast and alone. In one clip, she sits by herself in a diner. Another shows her somberly swinging alone as the words “The Laughing Cow stopped laughing” and “We need to talk” flash across the screen.
The serious-faced mascot has also appeared in parks, diners and across the brand’s social media channels, according to the company.
The company said shoppers began noticing the change even before the brand formally acknowledged it, with fans reaching out directly to ask what had happened to The Laughing Cow.
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“We’ve been excited to see that curiosity and conversation continue to build as more of The Not Laughing Cow packages appear on shelves,” Bel Brands told Fox News Digital.
The special packages are available in select markets in every state across the continental U.S. and can be found in more than 4,700 stores, according to the company.
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Bel Brands stressed that the new expression is not a permanent logo or packaging change.
Once consumers learn why the mascot stopped laughing, the company said it is confident she will eventually smile again and the packaging and social media channels will return to the joyful expression shoppers have known for more than a century.
The temporary redesign marks a dramatic break from an image shoppers have recognized for generations. The Laughing Cow said its smiling mascot has promoted optimism and encouraged consumers to see the positive side of life since 1921.
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