Meet the Woman Who Opened ‘The Bunny Museum’ in Her Own Home
The Bunny Museum in Pasadena, California, boasts more than 33,000 bunny-inspired items, all of which have been collected by Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski over years they've been together.
What's even more unusual about this museum is that it's inside of the couple's actual home, making it a "living" museum.
Curious to know more about their collection, we chatted with Candace about the story behind her haven, where she finds the bunny-themed items and the most notable celebrity visitors.
Keep scrolling to read her story!
Sweety High: How did your bunny collection start?
Candace Frazee: My husband, Steve, he gave me a plush bunny 23 years ago on Valentine's Day, because I call him "honey bunny" as a term of endearment. And then I gave him that a porcelain bunny at Easter. Now we have over 33,000. We have a Guinness World Record for Most Bunnies in the World.
SH: How long did it take to collect all of these items?
CF: It was gradual. The first one was Valentine's Day. The second one was Easter. And then we casually just started giving each other gifts every holiday. Eventually, my husband couldn't wait for holidays. He'd have a bag and say, "Open it! Open it! Open it!" And I'd say, "Let's wait till Halloween. Wait till my birthday. Wait till St. Patrick's Day." So it became every day. We still give each other a gift every day.
SH: Where do you get most of your bunny items?
CF: Outside of Easter it's hard. You aren't going to find any stores that have bunny items. We go to antique stores, swap meets and yard sales. After Easter, everything's 50% to 75% off, so we go crazy then. I store things and he does, too. We're not shopping every day. We're just giving each other something every day.
SH: Do you have any multiples of anything?
CF: No. Steve would do that in the first couple of years, but we've gotten better about it. We don't mind if it's the same thing in pink, yellow, blue green. But everything here is an individual.
SH: Are you ever worried you'll run out of bunny items to purchase?
CF: See, the bunny is the only animal that has the holiday, so you're guaranteed new items every Easter. You won't run out!
SH: How many actual bunnies do you have?
CF: We have four right now, but we've had 22 so far. Honey Bunny was our first bunny. She's on all our products. The biggest one we have—she's a Flemish Giant—is 22 pounds. Her name is Jessica Docent. Her baby's name is Darcy. Then there's Bandit, because he has a mask on his face. And Jumper, because he loves to jump.
SH: Where do you get your bunnies from?
CF: We always go to the pound. When we got Jessica Docent, we had to go to a Flemish Giant breeder, because they can't be found at pounds.
SH: Do you have a favorite famous bunny?
CF: All the famous bunnies are boy bunnies, so that's why I like Lola Bunny, but you can hardly ever buy her. She was introduced in Space Jam, and she hasn't really been used since. They're redoing Space Jam with LeBron James, and I hope they use Lola in it. Now the newest one is Judy Hopps from Zootopia.
SH: Have you had some unique or interesting visitors come and see you guys?
CF: All the time! Anywhere from celebrities to people dressed in bunny costumes. I'd say every week someone comes wearing bunny ears or a bunny T-shirt.
SH: What's the most notable celebrity you've had in here that's your favorite?
CF: Well it depends on who you're into for celebrity. Elijah Wood did the Funny or Die videos on our site. That's a big celebrity! Adam Carolla, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Aubrey Plaza have all been here. Flo, the Progressive lady, has been here. She was very nice. Aubrey Peeples from Nashville came in. We get lots of celebrities.
SH: Have visitors started giving you bunny things, too?
CF: Occasionally! Friends and family do all the time!
We were lucky enough to visit The Bunny Museum, and THIS is what we took away from our time there.