This recent mini vacation was no exception. When researching what was interesting or quirky about Pasadena, one place kept popping up...
The Bunny Museum.
Yes.
What sealed the deal was when I saw online that The Bunny Museum had earned the distinction of being the Best "Wierd Museum" in L.A. in 2013. You know what, that was it. We were going to GO there.
Better yet, it was OPEN HOUSE on Valentine's Day (as it is on all holidays) from 3 - 6 pm, so our window of time was short. We hauled ass over here after the Mission San Gabriel so we could have ample time to enjoy our visit.
When we parked in front in a cute neighborhood, it didn't dawn on me until Bert pointed it out - the giant topiary in the front yard was...you guessed it, a Bunny!
We found out later from the owner, Ms. Candace Frazee that the topiary frame came from one of the floats in the Rose Parade and that it took five years for the frame to be covered completely in ivy.
Normally, visits are by appointment, but during holidays, the owners' have an Open House.
Admission is a "suggested donation" (which the owner calls "bunny money") is $5 per person and you must sign in and not bring in any bags/large purses. You are however, allowed to take photos and video. The admission isn't really a "donation"; it seems mandatory...hmmm.
What is distinctive about this museum is that it is housed in an actual house. That day, only the wife, Ms. Candace Frazee, was there.
We were greeted warmly by Candace who wished us a "Hoppy Valentine's"...
She told us the story of how she and her husband first gave each other bunny related gifts at the start of their courtship. His pet name for her was "honey bunny", which of course reminded me of the opening scene of 1994's classic "Pulp Fiction":
The best opening lines to a movie, EVER, hands down! I don't think she would appreciate this reference though.
As soon as you walk in, there are literally bunnies and rabbits of all kinds in here. This experience can either be jawdropping amazing or creepily cringe-worthy depending on your point of view. We wanted to roll with it and just enjoy the vast array of bunny memorabilia...
The only private areas of her house are the bathrooms and her master bedroom, otherwise, EVERY room has bunnies in them. See the room in the back? There is no light in there. That's their TV room and it is wall to wall packed with stuffed bunny toys. In the curio cabinets are figures of porcelain and glass...
As you walk past the round table, you will see her kitchen, which also has a smaller room where their pet bunnies live. That room has bunny-realted books, puzzles, and games in there.
Plates, cookie jars, cereal boxes, you name it. It's there.
In the backyard, she has 3-D sidewalk chalk of different colors. Guests are invited to draw their own bunny and view their design with 3-D glasses.
If you use two or more colors, your design will "pop" out at you. Very nifty!
Her backyard had bunny garden statues plus a few old rabbit frames from past Rose Parade floats.
Inside the TV room (I used a flash):
One of her many curios cabinets...
White House eggs:
Crystal bunnies:
Her living room:
Do you see a few of the Bugs Bunny items?
One of her cats - this was "Maybe". The other was "Poppy" , an orange tabby. Both cats were quite friendly, with Maybe approaching TC immediately before we even set foot in the house. Later, TC had fun petting Poppy on her lap in the backyard...
The Bugs Bunny phone is now encased in glass. Boo. I was hoping to have a photo making a pretend phone call.
Just a few of their taxidermied rabbits, their former pets. There were more rabbits being prepared at the stuffers.
Awww yeah...
The chocolate bunny is real. It weighs about 20 lbs, and is shellacked.
Anything with a title like this warrants a visit in my book!
One last look...
A few postcards that I bought...
Was it worth it?
Absolutely! I highly recommend this place if you're into quirky and kitschy things!
The Bunny Museum
1933 Jefferson Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 798-8848
www.thebunnymuseum.com plus their FB page
Here's a cool video from "Offbeat L.A.":
Print reviews and blurbs:
Off Beat L.A.
Time Out Los Angeles
The Wacky Tacky" - they have a lot of great photos in their post!
Plus the Funny or Die video commercials featuring Elijah Wood (yes, Frodo)!
Other pop culture bunny references:
Frank the Bunny from "Donnie Darko":
Yeahhh...I don't think Candace would like Frank!
Stan Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo" , who is pretty violent Samurai bunny...
(image from Mattoon Art)
The sarcastic "Happy Bunny":
(T-shirt from my "Dessert 'n shirts 'n stuff" post from December 2011, as seen in Wal-Mart)
TC has an older brown Happy Bunny shirt with him pointing at you, saying, "Me...just like you only better". It was a gift from Bert's brother. Nice.
Truffle, the cactus bunny from Tokidoki
(image from The Toy Viking)
and my personal favorite, the Easter Bunny getting his @$$ kicked in "Mallrats":
Here's a cool link:
"Top 10 Movie Rabbits"
OMG, this was one of the best museums we ever visited - it had it all! The kitsch factor, an interesting and enthusiastic host, plus her very friendly pet cats, live (and dead) bunnies, and more bunny related items than you could shake a stick at!
If you are ever in Pasadena...consider checking this place out!
I think we spent a little more than an hour over here, well within the 3 - 6 pm time frame for her Open House. We finally went to check in at our hotel on the outer edge of East Colorado to freshen up and relax a tiny bit before going out to dinner...
It was Valentine's night and we were not going to get sucked into a fancy place with inflated prices for a so-called special Valentine's meal. I told Bert that I didn't want any candy, hearts, flowers, and what not. Instead, we (including TC) agreed on our dinner destination was the perfect anti-Valentine's meal...
2 comments:
Wow, that is a lot of bunny stuff! I'd love to roam around in there. I wouldn't want all that bunny stuff in my house, though. Good thing it's in someone else's house haha
Yeah, just a LITTLE! OMG......can you say "Hoarder"? Wow...this couple gives each other a bunny-related gift EVERY SINGLE DAY. No wonder they have more than 30,000 items in their house!
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