What’s got The Laughing Cow down after 100 years?

The Laughing Cow has wiped the smile off its iconic mascot after more than a century, teasing a new campaign that asks consumers what could have made the famously cheerful cow stop laughing.

The brand began hinting at the change on Instagram last week, sharing videos of its mascot looking downcast while sitting alone at a diner and on a playground swing. Both carried the message: "After 100 years, The Laughing Cow stopped laughing. We need to talk."

The change has also made its way onto the brand's packaging, with select packs of The Laughing Cow creamy original cheese wedges replacing its smiling mascot with a serious expression and the words "The Not Laughing Cow". The packaging marks the first time in more than 100 years that the mascot has stopped laughing, according to the brand.

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The Laughing Cow has yet to reveal what is behind the shift, instead building intrigue around the mascot's sudden change in mood across its social channels, website and physical products.

On 26 September, the brand continued the tease with another Instagram video showing the mascot looking sombre alongside the message "preparing for a documentary about why I stopped laughing". The accompanying caption read: "Story time coming soon."

The move turns one of the brand's most recognisable assets on its head. The Laughing Cow has long positioned its smiling mascot around optimism and encouraging consumers not to take life too seriously, making her new expression a deliberate departure from the identity consumers have known for generations.

"The Laughing Cow has spent more than 100 years reminding us not to take life too seriously. So when she suddenly gets serious, you pay attention," said Jamee Pearlstein, chief marketing officer of Bel Brands, US Cheese.

Pearlstein added that whatever had caused the change was "worth talking about", with the brand leaving the explanation to the mascot when "she's ready".

The Laughing Cow is not the only brand to shake up the identity of a familiar mascot to get consumers talking. Last year, Duolingo declared that Duo, formally known as "The Duolingo owl", had died, sparking an elaborate social media storyline around the character's supposed demise.

In an Instagram post, the language learning app said authorities were investigating Duo's cause of death, cheekily suggesting that he may have died while waiting for users to complete their lessons. Duolingo also asked users to refrain from sharing why they hated the owl, noting that he had "many enemies".

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