Friday, March 29, 2013

Hopping Mad: The Bunny Museum

I've found that a certain level of diplomacy is imperative when communicating my feelings on any given subject; I never know exactly to whom this blog will reach so I try to be extremely careful in my choice of words.  When it comes to one of Pasadena, CA's most famous repositories of historical "art and artifacts," however, there really is no other way to express this sentiment - IT IS CRAZY!!!



No, we're not talking about The Norton Simon Museum.  In a quaint neighborhood, on a charming street, in a fairly unassuming cottage there lies a giant secret - more like 30,000+ little secrets.  While Mary and I prefer to refer to it as the Bunny Ranch, The Bunny Museum is the private home/collection of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski.  Just in time for Easter, we found our way to the Guiness Book of World Record-holding, largest collection of bunnies.

Clue #1 that something is slightly different here is the wire, bunny
fence surrounding the 10-foot-tall topiary in the shape of a rabbit.

wacky tacky walks a fine line between kitschy/wildly wonderful and just good, old-fashioned insanity.  As we approached the front door, I couldn't shake the feeling that we should have told somebody where we were going.

Good thing Mary was on top of it.

Clue #2 that we were in for something odd was the hanging
 bunny on the front door.  I admit that I was a little frightened
that something bad was going to happen on the other side of
that threshold.

While it would have made for an especially-compelling (and probably Emmy-winning) episode of Law & Order - one in which Josh Brolin takes a break from the rigors of making major motion pictures for the challenge and thrill of playing Mr. Tiny - I had no desire to become the next permanent addition to the collection.  I was surprisingly relieved to see more people join our team.  Even if the other group included a grandmother, her daughter, and granddaughter, I felt that the "safety in numbers" rule still applied.

Candace Frazee
What's up, doc?  No seriously, what is going on here?

We were greeted at the door by Candace, the owner of the home/museum and invited to "Hop on in," once we had paid our "Bunny Money," a mandatory, five-dollar, suggested donation.  Candace explained that twenty-one years ago she and her husband, referring to each other as "Honey Bunny," began to exchange bunny-themed gifts and have continued to do so EVERY SINGLE DAY ever since.  


Ranging from collectible knick-knacks to dime store toys to pieces from Pasadena's Annual Tournament of Rose's Parade, the collection is an expression of their abiding love of and their unique obsession with rabbits and rabbit paraphernalia.
What would be the living room if there was room to live.
One of these things is not like the other.  Can you spy the living creature?

Display shelves line the walls and every available space is filled with figurines, stuffed toys, advertisements, penny banks, artwork, cookie jars, and even taxidermy -  all rabbit in nature.


Mr. Tiny doing his best rabbit impression.
I'm very sensitive to pets/pet odors...there were definitely live animals on the premises.



Bunnies from around the world!



A little like Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, this room appeared to have "No
windows and no doors."  The den was basically a giant ball pit of stuffed
rabbits with a small hollow carved out for a loveseat and Hoda & Kathie Lee



Real bunnies living in the laundry room

One sees some pretty cute things at The Bunny Museum, but "The Bunny Trail" in the museum's rear garden is home to some equally fascinating/frightening relics of rabbit history.



Once the framework for a Rose Parade float, this decaying
 bunny face is now a piece of garden art.

This brings memories of Bunnicula to the forefront of my overactive imagination.

We left our mark in 3D chalk

I'm grateful to Candace & Steve for maintaining their extensive bunny bonanza - but also a little scared.  It goes without saying that it probably takes a good measure of the March Hare's madness to perpetuate the ever-evolving collection; it seems they embrace that fact, even touting on their website that they have the "#1 Insane Museum" and the "#1 Weirdest Museum in the Los Angeles."  We wish them well in their extreme commitment and many happy years of exchanging daily bunny gifts.

"Here Comes Peter Cottontail" - Gene Autry

Be sure to check out the Funny-or-Die videos featuring The Bunny Museum (I couldn't figure out how to imbed them).  As Candace said, with much practice, as we left the museum, "Have a 'Hoppy' day!"


The Bunny Museum
1933 Jefferson Dr
Pasadena, CA
(626)798-8848 (open by appt. only, call for reservations)

www.thebunnymuseum.com


Cheers & Happy Easter!

Mr. Tiny

18 comments:

  1. What a collection! Some of it is a little creepy, but I guess there is a bunny for every audience. Remember our bunny Heathcliff? He was huge. Hoppy Easter!

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    1. I remember what happened to Heathcliff...still gives me nightmares.

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  2. Um.....WOW! Okay, it's a little much but I am dying to see it for myself! And you say that they have exchanged gifts EVERY day? I can't imagine the pressure that goes with that. I love it when people immerse themselves in things like that. It's not for me but I'm glad it's for them.

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    1. I think it is definitely a case of not being able to see the *trees* for the *forest*! It's all such a big whirlwind of bunnies that it is hard to focus on any one item. I'm with you; it thrills me that somebody else is doing this! And yes, they exchange bunny gifts EVERY SINGLE DAY. When I looked up info on the museum, every website had a different number of pieces in the collection because it grows everyday.

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  3. This is great! I love! The Bunnicula sculptures are awesome. Just in time for Easter. Thanks for posting.

    Nestled in Nostalgia

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    1. I think those spooky sculptures are my favorite too!

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  4. oh my. real bunnies. fake bunnies. horrifying bunnies. so much that can't be unseen! If it makes you feel better our neighbors down the street have random stuffed bunnies hung noose style from a tree in their front yard as seasonal decor. I seriously almost wrecked my car trying to photograph them. Glad you made it out alive!!

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    1. Somehow the lynching of bunnies offers little to no consolation...HAHAHAHAHA!!! That is really creepy! I have no shame; I would have come to a complete stop in the middle of the street to get pictures. Please post them on Instagram!

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  5. oh i would looooove to go there! i reminds me of graceland too in holly springs, but at least there are two of them to share the insanity! have you ever been to the crochet museum? that is one i've been dying to go to!
    i love the bunnicula reference! have i ever shared that I have a bunnicula tattoo? maybe someday i'll be the proprietor of some kind of INSANE museum. one can only dream.

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    1. The crochet museum is wonderful and not nearly as creepy as the bunny museum. It is in an old drive-thru coffee stand and fits three people max. I need to start a trek across the US to see all of the weird museums. I've only seen pictures of graceland too - I MUST GO!!!

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  6. Oh god, SO many rabbits! I'm not sure if I'm fascinated or terrified!

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    1. An equal measure of both is completely acceptable!

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  7. That's OK; I collect cobra/snake-themed items instead of bunnies, and my husband collects dragons.. Unfortunately there are not quite as many of those things as there are of 'bunnies". Funny that!

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    1. I guess that keeps your collecting in check! I am out of control in collecting everything; I'm totally unfocused. My uncle gave me a bolo tie with a green, carnival glass, rattle snake as the slider. I really like but have to remember to wear it when I have the opportunity!

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  8. The "bunny ball pit" will haunt my dreams. So. Spooky.

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    1. Isn't it creepy? Imagine the glow of all those button eyes just staring at you from every corner of the room!

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  9. Did you see them on "My Crazy Obsession" on TLC tonight? Holy moly. When she showed viewers that they only have ten dead bunny corpses, wedding cake and Blue Bunny ice cream in their freezer, I just about keeled over.

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    1. Count this as one of the times in my life when I'm actually pleased that I don't have fancy cable. Strangely enough, we didn't get the freezer tour! I'm glad, that place was creepy enough without the bunny corpses!!!

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