After more than a century of appearing with her famous smile on cheese packages, the “Laughing Cow” has appeared this time with a serious face and a mysterious message that says: “We need to talk,” leaving shoppers with an unusual change in one of the brand’s most famous characters. Since September 22, select packages of Laughing Cow Original Creamy Cheese in the United States have begun to look different, with a serious face replacing the usual smile, along with a quick response (QR) code leading to a special campaign website, where the public is invited to try to find out what made the Laughing Cow stop smiling. The company that owns the brand in the United States, Bel Brands USA, said that the campaign is called “The Not Laughing Cow,” and USA Today reported that the new packaging appeared in more than 4,700 stores across the United States. The change is not limited to the packaging, as the campaign clips show the character sitting alone in a restaurant, and in another clip she is swinging alone on a swing, while phrases such as “The laughing cow has stopped laughing” and “We need to talk” appear. The campaign invites consumers to follow the story and share their speculations on its website, while the character with his new features also appeared in public places and on the brand’s accounts on social media platforms. The company confirmed that the change is temporary, and that the cow's usual features will return, but it has not yet revealed the reason that prompted the character to give up his smile. Jimmy Pearlstein, chief marketing officer at Bell Brands USA, said that the Laughing Cow has spent more than 100 years reminding people not to take life too seriously, adding that its sudden turn to seriousness is "worth talking about," according to the company's statement. The “Laughing Cow” sign dates back to 1921, when it appeared in France, and the image of the smiling red cow became an essential part of its visual identity for more than a century.