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Why Did The Laughing Cow Stop Laughing? The 'Not Laughing Cow' Memes And Viral Marketing Campaign From Babybel Explained
For the first time in 100 years, The Laughing Cow, the beloved mascot behind Babybel's iconic cheese brand of the same name, has stopped laughing.
The company recently changed the packaging on The Laughing Cow-branded cheese to show the lovable red cow with a big frown, and for a while, it kept the reason that she stopped laughing a big secret. Now, we know.
So, what's up with the Not Laughing Cow and how did she become a meme? Here's what we know.
@thelaughingcowus Laughing is in her name. But for the first time in 100 years, The Laughing Cow isn't laughing. #thenotlaughingcow #latenightthoughts #newlook
Why Did The Laughing Cow Stop Laughing?
Babybel, the company behind The Laughing Cow brand of cheese, announced on September 22nd, 2026, that its mascot has stopped laughing for the first time in a century.
As of that date, you can now find The Laughing Cow-branded cheese with a new logo, showing the cow with a frown on her face.
Along with the announcement came a few TikTok videos that show The Laughing Cow sadly looking out a window and swinging on a swingset.
@thelaughingcowus For over 100 years, she's been The Laughing Cow. Today, she's not laughing. #thenotlaughingcow #newlook
While The Laughing Cow is now officially sad, we did not immediately know why. Then, at the end of September 2026, it was revealed that The Laughing Cow stopped laughing because everyone started taking things too seriously.
The video explaining this calls these "wedge issues" and shows examples of stupid little arguments that go viral online. Essentially, The Laughing Cow wants everyone to calm down and stop stressing over the little stuff.
@thelaughingcowus We finally know why she stopped laughing. Let’s come together and make her laugh again.
♬ original sound – The Not Laughing Cow
How Is 'The Not Laughing Cow' Used In Memes?
The Not Laughing Cow viral marketing campaign has become a big meme across social media. Because we don't know why The Laughing Cow stopped laughing, people are now filling in the blanks for themselves and imagining funny reasons why the cow might have stopped laughing.
Many users are making memes that poke fun at The Laughing Cow's sudden change in emotions. These memes include edits that place The Not Laughing Cow in unfunny situations, depict her as a doom-and-gloom character and poke fun at The Laughing Cow for being vague about her emotional distress.
What Are Some More 'The Not Laughing Cow' Memes?
For the full history of The Not Laughing Cow, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
