Reddit Is Stumped As To Why Costco Animal Crackers Are Seemingly Anti-Kangaroo

Animal crackers, irrespective of their brand, have been around for long enough to establish a following of circumspect fans. So when there is a small change, like Costco's supposed "No Kangaroos" label, it doesn't go unnoticed.

The original American animal cracker was named after 19th-century circus owner P.T. Barnum, per Foodimentary. It has since been genericized and enjoys production under different brands. One of these brands is Kirkland Signature, Costco's house brand; the generic won a 2019 Business Insider taste test against Stauffer's animal crackers. Kirkland Signature's animal cracker offering, however, appear to be void of kangaroo-shaped treats.

Two separate Reddit threads shared the same photo of a container of Kirkland Signature animal crackers, complete with an illustration of various animals. And while there's a kangaroo in the picture, next to a koala and a hippo, there's a yellow circle on the label that reads "No Kangaroos." So, what gives?

Kirkland Signature animal crackers are a fan-favorite snack. But did Costco really ban the kangaroo shapes from the classic vanilla cookies? The product's official listing on the Costco website features an image that's free of the "No Kangaroos" label, and the kangaroo is still in the illustration. But some Redditors swear the label is real — and they have some interesting theories about why it's supposedly there.

One of Reddit's speculations for the kangaroo cracker's reported discontinuance is that the kangaroo shapes supposedly resembled a male reproductive organ more than an actual kangaroo. But not everybody agrees: "It doesn't look like a penis. It doesn't look like a kangaroo either," wrote Redditor u/idhtftc in a rather astute observation of the kangaroo in question.

Others had jokes about supply chain issues or the (jocular) idea that animal crackers once featured actual kangaroo parts. "Back in the early 1980s, animal cracker companies started using dried and powdered kangaroo tendons to bind the cookies, giving it that perfect soft crunch," joked u/SwitchRicht. "Naturally, this was frowned upon as the health food revolution began around 1998." Redditor u/qpwoeor1235 added: "marsupial erasure is out of control lately." But whether or not kangaroo crackers have actually gone extinct from the Kirkland Signature brand is unclear.