Today is the 100th birthday of Animal Crackers, that much-favored childhood (and adult, who are we kidding!) treat. Animal crackers first came to the United States in the late 19th century as a British import. Demand went wild (little animal humor there for you) for these "biscuits" so production soon began in America. Animal biscuit crackers were originally distributed under the National Biscuit Company, but in 1902 they officially became known as Barnum's Animals.
The types of animals in the iconic box with the string has varied over the years, the newest member of the herd being the koala, which was introduced in 2002. 54 different animals have been represented since 1902. The current animals in a box include bison, camel, cougar, elephant, giraffe, gorilla, hippopotamus, hyena, kangaroo, koala, lion, monkey, polar bear, rhinoceros, seal, sheep, tiger and zebra.
Try this fun recipe for Homemade Animal Crackers:
