The Cadbury company has announced the winner for this year’s Cadbury “Bunny” competition, and the winner is none other than Lieutenant Dan, a 2-legged rescue dog from Ohio. Lieutenant Dan will star in the 2020 Cadbury “Clucking Bunny” commercial and win $5000. Cadbury will also donate $10,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Lieutenant Dan was born with a deformity that eventually led to the amputation of his hind paws and tail. Lieutenant Dan was adopted when he was 5 months old and uses wheels to get around. His namesake is Gary Sinese’s character in the movie Forrest Gump; Lieutenant Dan served with Forrest in Vietnam before being injured and later joined Forrest aboard his shrimping boat.
Many of us have seen the seasonal advertisements in previous years, claiming that everybody wants to be the Cadbury Bunny, because only he brings delicious Cadbury cream eggs. This isn’t the first time that Cadbury has had auditions. Henri the Bulldog won the first-ever nationwide bunny tryout in 2019.
Some of the other bunny finalists this year included two other dogs (Dodger and Donald “Ducky”) and two cats (Eggbert and a 23-pound cat named Lunchbox), Ginger the hamster, Conswala the llama, Dilly Bar Dabbler the duck, Ducksong the pig, and Ricky Bobby the miniature horse.
I was rooting for fellow Pennsylvania resident Conswala, who is a registered therapy llama and regularly visits schools and senior centers. After all the contest is sponsored by the Hershey Company from Hershey, PA. The Hershey Company, famous for its chocolate (particularly its kisses), sells Cadbury products under license from Cadbury UK Ltd.
On their site announcing the winner, Cadbury states: Lieutenant Dan was born different, but hasn’t let that slow him down! He has a joy for life that is infectious and inspiring!
Ethan Mandel, associate brand manager for Cadbury, said in a statement. “Lieutenant Dan is the epitome of inspiration, passion and energy, showcasing that no matter what challenges you, you can overcome it”
Those words are certainly appropriate in these trying times.
