General Mills Wants You to Show Off Your Bunny's Athletic Chops

General Mills, YouTube
General Mills, YouTube | General Mills, YouTube

Let's face it: The Olympics are great, but they're just not cute. Sure, it's a unifying world event that lets top-class athletes compete for the glory of their countries, but it could also really use some adorable whiskers and velvety soft fur.

Luckily, General Mills is holding their own cuddlier version of the sporting event. The Rabbit Showdown is a competition of athleticism, determination, and fluffy tails. Rabbit owners around the world can film their pets competing in events like hopping hurdles or scurrying the 100-centimeter dash. Your beloved bunny can hop, scamper, and leap into a gold, silver, or bronze medal. All you need is a camera and a rabbit with a special talent to apply (tiny sweatbands are a plus). You can then send your video to RabbitShowdown.com for a chance to win big. Medal winners will get their likeness displayed on commemorative cereal boxes along with other mysterious prizes (we're guessing cereal).

The event is being hosted by the Trix mascot, who is now a real bunny. The competition is a celebration of General Mills's decision to move away from artificial flavors and colors. Trix, Reese's Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, and other cereal brands have already made the switch (Lucky Charms has been a little trickier). With more "real" ingredients come more real mascots, hence the Trix Rabbit's new appearance. Don't worry: The mascot still talks.

“After listening to our consumers, General Mills was the first cereal maker to announce its commitment to remove artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources. We are proud to continue to lead the category by reaching the 90 percent completion milestone across our cereal portfolio,” General Mills marketing manager Briana Falk said in a press release. “The #RabbitShowdown is a fun way to celebrate real progress with really cute furry friends, as we continue on in our journey to make cereal even better.”

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