Inside the Bunny Museum’s adults-only gallery
They’re cuddly and soft and come spring they pop up everywhere. Cottontails jump across parks, golf courses, along creek beds and turn up in pet shops. Candies and jellies sprout long ears and chocolate rabbits lose their heads regularly.
Bunnies are loved around the world and through antiquity. There are holidays, celebrations and cartoons full of bunnies. I once had a pet bunny. It grew into an armful and one day leaped out of my arms leaving tears and red tracks on my skin. Sometimes bunnies can be scary. Ask anyone who’s seen the cult classic, Donny Darko. That’s a unique bunny encounter if anything is! But around the world, there are collections, festivals, and celebrations of gentle bunny love.
1. The Bunny Museum
I didn’t expect to find the dark side of bunnies at the Bunny Museum in Pasadena, but spooky bunnies lurked in an adult-only gallery. That was one of over 35,000 surprises in the overflowing art gallery turned Bunny Temple. Love launched the collection in 1998 when Steve Lubanski gave his girlfriend a plush bunny for Valentines’ Day. They’ve been trading bunny gifts daily (!) ever since. Candace Frazee is happy to point out her first stuffed bunny. It’s lovingly displayed in one of many glass cases.
Rabbits are everywhere inside the two-story gallery – from the ceiling, arranged along the stairway, in glass cases, shelves, boxes, kitchen, and inside a room of plush bunnies arranged by color, a trio of leaping Lepus twitch their noses at guests.
Step Inside the Bunny Museum:
2. Bugs Bunny World
At Six Flags Magic Mountain the world’s largest fake tree marks the entrance to Bugs Bunny World. Here fantasy rides and fun is tailored for the youngest visitors to the death-defying, roller-coaster-heavy park. Bugs Bunny is just one of the Looney Tune characters in the kids’ area. Find out if you’re too big for the rides inside the unique Bunny World!
3. White House Easter Egg Roll
Each Monday after Easter the President of the US hosts a party for his littlest constituents. Since 1878 children have been rolling hard-boiled eggs on the White House lawn. Yes, this year, President Trump is hosting the party.
4. Visit a Unique Bunny Island in Japan
Hiding far from the mainland is a unique bunny playground with a dark history where more than 100,000 yearly visitors take boats to Bunny Island, Okunoshima. Feral bunnies, who descended from several abandoned on the island, flock to meet the passengers. They’re hungry. In fact, that hunger has decimated the natural flora and fauna of the island. Nevertheless, it has to be one of the most unique bunny experiences in the world. The island was far from cute in the late 1920’s when a poison gas factory churned out deadly war stock. At that time the island was hidden from the public and deleted from maps. Today there is a Poison Gas Museum on the island, one of many peace temples scattered across the country dedicated to remembering, and hopefully never repeating wartime atrocities.
5. Taste a Three Ton Chocolate Bunny in Brazil
The village of Novo Petropolis in Brazil transforms for Chocofest every year. In 2018 the village became the official ‘Capital of the Rabbit’ with a giant chocolate bunny created for the festival. In 2015 over 6,000 chocolate bars were melted into a three-ton bunny. The celebration is so popular that over 150,000 visitors swarmed the rides, booths, contests, and displays. How big will the unique bunny chocolate be this year?
6. Watch a Unique Bunny Competition Down Under
The Sydney Royal Rabbit Show is just one part of the party each Easter season. Over 250 bunnies compete annually. Love all animals? Then watch the contests, view the entries, and choose your favorite as you explore the Animal Walk.
If you enjoy unique bunny encounters I hope you get to visit one of these spots. Let me know if you encounter others and I’ll add them to the list!
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It sound great! Such a awesome post and article. I would like to visit the Bunny Museum, and Bunny Island in Japan as well, it sounds fascinating.
I never knew there were so many bunny lovers out there and all these bunny events/exhibitions for people! They are pretty cute animals – but we have so many in New Zealand in rural areas they are such a pest and drive farmers nuts. I’m not sure I’d like to see the dark side of bunnies though at that museum – poor old Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton Tail!
Love your comment and yes, I’ve heard that bunnies are terrible pests in NZ and Australia. Good thing they can be tasty!
These are all super cute and I love that you can do so many bunny experiences all around the world. I’m from Australia so I would love to check out the Sydney Royal Rabbit Show one day.
I hope you get a chance to see the Sydney Show one day. I’d love to attend myself.
I remember seeing that bunny island in Japan on TV before. Hopefully, I will get to visit there next time I’m in Japan!
It was quite a discovery for me to find. Cool that you saw the show on TV. I’d love to see it for myself.
What a unique topic and post. I never knew there are festivals and so many things around bunnies. The Three-ton chocolate bunny and visiting Bunny Island attracted me the most. Hope to visit them someday. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Suruchi. All that chocolate does sound pretty alluring. I hope you see some of these one day.
This is a hoot! I’ve never thought about having a bunny bucket list. However, I now want to help devour a 3 ton chocolate bunny! What a fun idea!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Paige. I’m with you on that big bunny. Let’s share!
That’s so cute how there’s a bunny competition! Definitely didn’t know that that was a thing hahaa. I feel like there are so many animal cafes now (especially in Japan) that there’s probably a bunny one somewhere in the world as well.
Bet you’re right about the bunny cafes. I once heard about a service bunny that visited old folks homes too!
Now I think I’ve seen everything! There really is a festival, a celebration, a display of everything in the world isn’t there! Bunnies are super cute and I’ve seen them at the Royal Easter Show before in Sydney. My face would have to be the 3 tonne bunny in Brazil and it really doesn’t surprise me that Japan would have something quirky as well.
Thanks, Kerri. One thing about travel is discovering places and things you couldn’t have imagined while staying home!
What a unique post topic! So cool there are lots of bunny themed things to do. Chocofest sounds perfect for us. Also just saw a news story about the White House eggs today. The First Lady always gets to choose the colors and designs which is cool.
Didn’t know that about the First Lady. I imagine that would be something Melania would enjoy.
What a great post. I’m headed to Japan later in the year so Bunny Island is now on my list of things to do.
So lucky to be going to Japan. I’ve been twice and long to return. Report back about Bunny island!
So cute! But I can’t even imagine what would be in an ‘adults only’ bunny-themed art gallery, haha!
That gallery was more for ‘mature audiences!’ It was filled with several sort-of scary objects.
This is the cutest post! I’m all about bunny love (we even used to have one as a pet), so coming across this post is perfect timing. I would totally visit the Bunny Museum, and Bunny Island in Japan as well, it sounds fascinating. And of course, I do like to nibble on the chocolate variety too. 😉
Sounds like you know how to have a hopping good time! Hope you get to explore more Bunny destinations in the future.
Wow this post is really perfect since Easter is approaching. How cute and cuddly those bunnies are? I think I can hug them all day in Bunny Island in Japan. Also, you got with me with tasting a three ton chocolate rabbit in Brazil! Thanks again for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Ghia.
I’m glad the bunny museum has a creepy bunny, adults only section. Something for everybody! But that might not be as creepy as a unmarked island with a poison gas museum covered in bunnies. A 3 ton chocolate bunny is definitely something I have to see before I die. Thanks for the bunny tips!
You are so welcome. Glad this post struck a chord.
OMG so much on just bunny theme! How exciting! Love the creative mind behind these projects. I am keen to do bunny chocolate trail if I am ever there. Great pics.
People never cease to amaze me. I doubt the couple behind the museum had any idea where their love of bunnies was leading.
In my part of the world we know bunny as a cuddly soft toy. This is an eye opening post on Bunny. Bunny island in Japan is the biggest surprise – and it seems it’s quite a popular tourist attraction. Have added all these places to my wish list.
Glad you enjoyed the story, Anu. I hope you get to Bunny Island one day.
Hmmm. Bunny Island intrigues me. On the one hand it could be fun to have a bunch of cuddly bunnies greet you on arrival. Yet, I could just as easily go to a horror movie scene in my head…
There are some videos out there about the bunnies – all cute and kind!
My goddaughter went to the White house easter egg hunt a few years ago and it was so well produced! I didn’t realize there was a museum for bunnies; those bunny dolls are scary!
So cool that your goddaughter went to the White House! Yes, some of the dolls were a bit scary but the entire scene was a blast.
Such a unique article, I love bunny’s but not sure how I’d feel about the spooky bunnies at The Bunny Museum. The three ton chocolate bunny sounds more like my type of experience, yum.
I like the idea of that much chocolate too!
Easter is around the corner and it’s all about the bunnies! Didn’t know that there is a bunny museum and there are so much to see from your video! I would love to visit the Bunny Island in Japan, apparently, Japan has an island for anything in the world ~ 🙂
I’m with you and would love to wander Bunny Island too.
OMG I had no idea there were all these ways to experience bunnies around the world! Bunny Island sounds fascinating, as does the Bunny Museum. And, of course, I would love to get a bite of that giant chocolate bunny!
Wouldn’t it be fun to visit Brazil for a chocolate bunny?!!!
Wow! I never quite imagined there would be so many bunny experiences…
The closest I’ve been to one was at my friend who loved them and quite a few of them when we were kids. I quite like them but from a distance 🙂
Btw I really like Donny Darko – what a movie!
Ahhh, another Donny Darko fan! I loved that strange story. I like the smaller bunnies the best.
Who knew there were so many bunny themed things around the world?!? I actually just saw a bunny wall mural in Portland! I think I’d definitely go for number 5 – I can’t resist chocolate!
Thanks for telling me about the bunny wall mural in Portland!
What an interesting topic! I had a pet rabbit while growing up. He was many, many years with us. So, I feel happy every time I see one (there are a bunch of wild ones on the hiking trails near the house). I have known about the museum in Pasadena for some time but have not visited yet. Not sure if I want to do after reading about the adults only gallery (Really?). #TheWeeklyPostcard
The gallery is more for mature audiences than anything racy! You’d find lots to love in the museum for sure.
I now have a new item on my bucket list, I really want to go to Brazil to see the Three Ton Chocolate Bunny!
I’ve added it to all my other reasons to visit Brazil again.