Trix: The classic General Mills breakfast cereal. It was first created in Minneapolis for the North American market, and then by ‘Cereal Partners’ for other markets around the world. Even Yoplait, one of the world's dominant franchise yoghurt brands, uses the Trix trademark for a line of yoghurt marketed towards children. Just a year after the original release of Trix cereal, General Mills was experimenting with a potential Trix mascot: a rabbit puppet. In 1959, the animated rabbit created by Joe Harris debuted in a Trix commercial. Joe Harris also created the iconic tagline "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!". The tagline is still used in Trix ads today ("Trix (cereal)"). The rabbit, named Tricks, is constantly trying to trick the kids featured in the Trix commercial to give him a bowl of cereal. The kids, however, never let him have it, and exclaim "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!" This isn’t legal. This discrimination should be deemed unacceptable, especially in our modern political and social environment, Tricks the Trix rabbit needs to be freed, and General Mills needs to pay for their crimes.

A legal “person” can be defined as someone who has “responsibilities of a natural person” ("Legal Definition Of Legal Person"). Tricks the rabbit is held to the same expectations as a ‘natural person’. Tricks seems to understand popular culture, deceit, nuances, and even trickery. Tricks even communicates coherently in English. His mind is complex enough to plan out disguises and lies to try to trick the children into giving him what he so desperately needs: that sweet sweet Trix cereal. Tricks the Trix rabbit should therefore be deemed a “person.” General Mills, however, does not treat him as such.

Torture is defined as “an act committed by a person. acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or. mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanc- tions) upon another person within his custody or physical control” (Acting Assistant Attorney General Office of Legal Counsel). The systematic, persistent, cruel torture inflicted by General Mills upon Tricks the Trix rabbit is not only abhorrent, but is illegal under international law (Nations). “The plight of Tricks has drawn comparisons to Sisyphus, a Greek figure who was doomed to endlessly repeat a futile task” ("Trix (cereal)"). General Mills is committing these horrible crimes on an international stage, and needs to be held accountable for its crimes.

Discrimination on the basis of certain protected characteristics is illegal under Federal U.S Law. These characteristics include citizenship status, genetic information, race, and age. General Mills is illegally discriminating against Tricks the rabbit based on his age and genetic information. The anthropomorphized rabbit can not be discriminated against simply because his genetic information is largely similar to that of a normal rabbit’s. Additionally, the catchy slogan “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” is evidence of age-based discrimination, which is also illegal. The rabbit can’t have any of the cereal because he is not a kid. Even if he weren’t an anthropomorphic rabbit, he isn't allowed to have any Trix cereal because it is only “for kids”.

Not only is this slogan and marketing concept blatant and direct discrimination against Tricks the Trix rabbit, but it also encourages and promotes discriminatory practices and mindsets to our youth. The next generation is being exposed to hypnotic advertisements that encouraging exclusivity and discrimination towards people different from themselves. Applying this mindset to past and present issues would present slogans like “Marriage is for straights,” or “Education is for whites,” or “Leadership positions are for men” ("I Believe That The Rabbit In The Trix Commercials Should Be Allowed To Eat Trix Cereal. CMV. : Changemyview"). It is simply unacceptable.

Not much awareness has been raised for Tricks, but even his more-famous anthropomorphic rabbit comrade Bugs Bunny has tried to help Tricks out. In a groundbreaking advertisement aired in 1985, Bugs Bunny helped develop design schematics for a new disguise for Tricks. Still, it wasn’t enough, and since his first appearance exactly 50 years ago, Tricks the rabbit has been tortured, starved, and deprived of his rights by General Mills. We can not let this stand. We need to fight back. Free Tricks the Tricks rabbit.

#freetricks