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

Chow Time: Pie 'N Burger

No holiday recaps here, we're getting right back to monkey business as usual...

Pie 'n Burger is like an Instagram (find us at wacky_tacky) dream come true.  Time and thousands of satisfied customers have already imbued this burger paradise with soft edges and an amber haze; this Pasadena, CA landmark can instantly be hash-tagged "#nofilter."  Every corner of the small restaurant seems locked in a potential state of serving as a location for a very special episode of All in the Family - one where Archie becomes a "flaming liberal" after being brought for a life-changing burger by none other than Sammy Davis, Jr.

wacky tacky adventure team members
Cynthia, Nick and Mary
darkening the doorway of Pie 'N Burger -Pasadena, CA.

Opened in 1963, the name of the restaurant is no accident.  Pie 'n Burger is exactly what it says - delicious pies and burgers.  Indeed, some of my favorite wacky tacky eateries are the ones where there is no pretense whatsoever, just simple food prepared well in a welcoming environment.  The only reason Pie 'n Burger even qualifies as wacky tacky is because little has changed since 1963.  There are no dazzling mid-Century light fixtures.  There are no beautiful terrazzo floors.  There are no tufted barstools covered in naugahyde.  What they do offer is an incredible hamburger!   

I am a burger lover, but with addictive tendencies, I have to restrain myself from eating burgers for every meal of the day.  I once went on a weekend-long burger bender and after my concerned family members and friends held an intervention, I have seriously revised my burger intake.  Pie 'n Burger is a rare and special treat - always special, never ordered rare, however.

Luckily, it is ALWAYS burger time at Pie 'n Burger!!!

The only menus you'll find at P'nB are the menu boards on the wall.  If anyone has ever ordered a pot pie, a quiche, or strip steak, I have never been witness to it; everyone orders the burgers!  Yes, everyone orders the burgers, even vegetarians (having one in our midst, we learned that the veggie burger is quite delicious).  What they NEVER order at Pie 'n Burger is cheese enchiladas...

The hand-painted menu boards

Cynthia, now affectionately referred to as "Cynchiladas," had never been to Pie 'n Burger before.  Traditionally the service is efficient, if a little curt at times.  We decided that she needed to be initiated by telling her that regulars will order things that aren't on the menu and that Pie 'n Burger is famous for its cheese enchiladas.  Ever the trusting one, she ordered first and the first thing out of her mouth was "I'll have the cheese enchiladas."  The look on the waitress' face was priceless and after stifling it for the set-up, we couldn't stop from erupting into fits of laughter.  I honestly don't know if it was one of those "you had to be there" moments or not but as juvenile as it was, we found it completely hilarious.  Fortunately, the waitress was a good sport and indulged our inanity.  Shenanigans aside, we were there to eat and could hardly wait to be served.

Under an interior shed dormer, the chefs de cuisine at Pie 'n Burger earn every bit of their wacky tacky 5-Star Rating.

Fair enough, neither the people nor the food at P'nB may be extraordinarily photogenic, but believe you me, there are some seriously tasty things happening on those plates.

I think they were a little perturbed that I told them they had
to wait to eat until I took a picture.

Mmmmm.  Serious mmmmmmmm.
With all due respect, it's like what In-N-Out would be
 if it were as good as everyone thinks it is.

Ashamed of how much he enjoyed it,
Nick took a self-imposed time out
behind the cool decorative screen.

It wouldn't be Pie 'n Burger without the pie.
Okay, actually it would.  We were so stuffed, there was no pie ordered by
 anyone in our group.  I think Cynthia wanted some but after the enchilada
fiasco, she was a little gun shy about ordering anything. 

Truly, Nick liked it so much he bought a t-shirt!

If Mr. Tiny could have taken a souvenir, it would have been the lovingly-
rendered replica of Pie 'n Burger in birdhouse form.

I hate to make such a broad pronouncement in writing, but for my money, a Pie 'N Burger burger is one of the (if not the) best hamburgers in the greater Los Angeles area.  It is nothing out of the ordinary.  In actual fact, it is a little less than ordinary - it doesn't even have tomato!  There is something, however, in the unique assembly of the standard ingredients that elevates a P'nB burger to something very special.  If you're wandering around aimlessly after the Pasadena City College Swap Meet in need of a burger fix, then wander no more; go to Pie 'n Burger!  You'll thank me and curse me for your new addiction.

Can you tell that I'm trying to get all my bad food in before the end of the year?  I'm not one for resolutions, but the new year will find me back on the "stop eating so much junk" wagon.



Pie 'n Burger
913 E California Blvd
Pasadena, CA
(626)795-1123

www.pienburger.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Moses Supposes His Toeses are Anthuriums: "Enchanted Paradise" The Downey Rose Float

One of only five parade floats left in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade that is still self-built (not designed/built/created by a professional float company), the City of Downey's entry into this year's Rose Parade was entitled "Enchanted Paradise."  We were fortunate enough to be invited to the top secret location in Downey, CA to see the float as a veritable army of local volunteers glued, seeded, and flowered the float in preparation for its January 2 debut.  As you know, tiki culture is a big slice of the wacky tacky pie, so we couldn't wait to see what the citizens of Downey had designed; "pure tropical splendor" is the only way to describe this offering to the tiki gods.

An artist's rendering of the float
(Source)

Every float begins as a scale model.
Along the sides of the float-staging area are models of previous float designs.

Design and fabrication of the float began in February of last year. 

The City of Downey Rose Float should really be called
The People of Downey Rose Float as no public funds are
allocated for the entry.  Every bloomin' bloom is placed by
the hands of volunteers and all monies are funded by
private donations and fundraisers.

Mary & Merle
Merle has been deeply involved in the city's parade entry for
 the last 12 years and has been the official float driver for the last eight.
The Downey float has the furthest to travel just to get to the parade route.
At no more than five miles per hour, the trek to Pasadena takes about six hours. 

Our tour guide explaining the process of applying
pulverized peas and orchids to metal frames.

Dried, crushed peas are adhered directly to the metal frames.
Orchids are hand-glued to clear, drinking straws and then
 slipped onto the arms of these "palm fronds."

A hall full of Downey residents preparing for the big day.

This picture shows the volcano portion of the float.
Its hydraulic hinges allowed the volcano to be lowered
for clearance under freeway overpasses.

Giant orchids

It was all starting to feel a bit like
Alice in Wonderland.

The smoking tiki god waiting to be dressed in bark and seeds.

Another tiki god in a state of semi-dress.
This figure was animated and played the drum during the parade.

Detail of the thatched-roof structure that shaded some of the riders.

This was but a small fraction of the bowers of flowers that were waiting
to find homes  on Enchanted Paradise.

Just a few specimens of flora waiting to be applied to the float.

I don't know about other Southern California residents, but at our house, we always watch the KTLA coverage of the parade.  There is nothing like the passive-aggressive banter of longtime commentators, Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards.  My favorite quote of the parade was when Bob said to Stephanie "There is no end to your limitations."  But I was actually a bit disappointed in KTLA's coverage.  I was so emotionally invested in the Downey Rose Float and I thought they skimmed over it a little too quickly.  Viewers didn't even get a glimpse of the working water slide!  Here are a few screen grabs of the float.

We were happy that the Downey Rose Float did win The Founders' Award for the Most Beautiful Float designed and decorated by local volunteers.  Was it a little bit wicked of us to gloat in the fact that the biggest, longest, heaviest, and probably most expensive float in the parade featuring surfing dogs went over like a lead balloon in front of the KTLA cameras - wacky tacky roots for floats that are a little less corporate and little more homespun!

Our pre-parade tour guide, Charles Phoenix, Ambassador of Americana, aboard the Downey Rose Float.
(Photo by San Buena Ventura - Conservancy via Charles Phoenix Facebook page)

My official,  Downey Rose Float Association commemorative pin

I have never spent much time in the City of Downey.  I knew that it was home to the oldest standing McDonald's.  I knew that The Carpenters got their start there.  I knew that Porto's Bakery had recently opened a new location there.  What I didn't know was how proud I would be of the people of Downey and their float after our brief interlude.  wacky tacky is predicated on the principle of community and a "do-it-yourself" work ethic.  As Bob Eubanks said, "Downey always comes through, don't they."  They sure do, Bob; they sure do.


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny