All About Adorable Rescue Raccoon Louie, the Next Cadbury Easter Bunny

Louie the Raccoon is one part of the brother-sister duo Louie and Lucy. And while being one half of a highly photogenic pair of raccoons may not traditionally be that noteworthy, this little gentleman has taken the internet by storm thanks to his amazing painting skills, heartwarming backstory, and undeniably adorable personality. But, there's so much more to Louie's story than meets the eye.

In fact, Louie has done the unthinkable and won an exciting title coveted by cute animals all around the world: he's going to be the next Cadbury Bunny (more on that later). Not only that, but he has fans everywhere googling their local laws to try and see if it's legal to keep raccoons as pets (it's me, I'm fans) in the hopes of getting a chance to raise a Louie of their own. Unfortunately for all of us, raising raccoons is a job best left to the pros, but that doesn't mean we can't get our raccoon fix by reading more about Louie's amazing story.

The Miami, Fla. native is a rescue raccoon who was taken in by a woman named Jamie in 2021. She found Louie when he was a baby, after his mother had tragically died. Jamie was dealing with the recent loss of her own father at the time, and found that caring for her newfound friend helped her process some of her grief. Once it became clear that Louie was going to survive, Jamie gave her furry friend the moniker Louie Ling Lou, using her father's middle name as a tribute.

The 2-year-old raccoon went on to capture the hearts of so many, thanks to an Instagram page Jamie created for Louie, which she said she set up to connect with others who also found themselves tasked with raising the masked critters. Since she created his account, Louie's page has gained hundreds of thousands of followers thanks in no small part to his patience when it comes to wearing ridiculous hats and the absolutely adorable antics he gets up to.

They say that creating art can help you cope with grief, and it looks like that has been true for both Louie and Jamie. According to Louie's website, he's been painting for years now, and he sells his "Loucasso" originals online for just $28 a pop. The proceeds from these sales are currently going to the Samadhi Wildlife, an animal rescue group that plans to use the money Louie raises to open a new location.

Jamie says she was inspired to turn Louie's artistic abilities into a way to help others after a lifetime of watching her father give back to their own community. If you want to help Jamie and Louie get the new Samadhi Wildlife facility up and running, you can also purchase a "Loucasso" for yourself by visiting the Louie the Raccoon website.

Louie has even more reason to celebrate his exceptional life after being named the grand prize winner of the sixth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts in March 2024, according to a press release. This is a huge accomplishment, since the voting takes place through a bracket style tournament, which pits impossibly cute animals against one another in a fight to see who will come out on top, knocking one another out of the competition as the contest progresses.

Louie not only secured the $7,000 prize bag, but also the title as Cadbury's first ever raccoon winner. Fans can expect to see his cute face used in the brand's advertisements in 2025. Until then, they can get their Louie fix by following his Instagram page and following the updates on his website. With a future as bright as Louie's, there's bound to be plenty of news to keep up with between now and when the next Cadbury campaign drops.