Celebrate Mardi Gras with Hazel the Opossum and a healthy serving of King Cake

Somehow we’re on yet another Monday, friends. This is another first — like the quirky platypus, I never thought to add an opossum to the Cuteness HQ lineup. In honor of Mardi Gras this week, let’s talk about a contribution from the Big Easy (courtesy of editor-in-chief Liz Harper) as New Orleans’ Audubon Zoo embraces the popular phrase “laissez les bons temps rouler” with their precious Hazel and her very own teensy King Cake.

King Cake (also known as a three kings or baby cake) is a common treat during the French Quarter’s winter celebrations. When made for humans, this glorious confection is a combination of brioche dough and delectable fillings such as “cinnamon, chocolate, and cream cheese” and decorated with the colors of Mardi Gras (gold, green, and purple). However, the real surprise is hidden within the pastry itself: a tiny baby figurine. Previously the finder of the figurine (sometimes also represented by a bean) was crowned the ruler of the balls held leading up to the final day. Nowadays, finding it is just considered to be good luck.

As a standard North American Opossum, Hazel should probably not have such rich fare (in fact, her cake is made with delicious cricket flour). The opossum’s standard diet consists of animal proteins — eggs, crustaceans, and even insects. They also chow down on apples, berries, and nuts. But most animal owners have also observed an opossum (or five) going to town on cat or dog food! Ultimately, opossums are dietary opportunists and will consume whatever is available in their territory, which can range from as far north as Ontario, Canada, all the way into Central America and as far as Costa Rica! This is made simpler by the fact that they adapt easily to life among humans and can live in rural, suburban or urban areas.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m constantly spelling out opossum, instead of the colloquial name “possum” and no, it’s not just grammatical propriety! Possums are actually a distinct animal — still a marsupial, like opossums, but native to Australia. However, through a process known as aphesis, the unaccented vowel at the start of the word commonly gets dropped.

There’s only a few days left to the Carnival season, which ends on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on March 4. If, too, you would like to celebrate with your own King Cake, check out this recipe from Murmurs of Ricotta — it may not be a ‘traditional’ King Cake, but sounds delightful. Alternatively, save the brioche-making to the pros and check out your local bakery. And of course, follow the Audubon Zoo on their social platforms for even more cute animal encounters: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.