bunnies in other forms #1623

(Borrowed from the Aurafil facebook version and so much more appropriate to me...)

Mom used to say that Greek Easter was later because then you get stuff cheaper.   Amy Sedaris

So, this morning I woke up to a message from my Aussie friend who was telling me about the Bilby being their version of the Easter Bunny because rabbits are pretty much hated there.  I was thinking 'awwwww' and went around looking for the Easter Bilby so I could add him to my cuddly animal corral.  Here's the story of the Easter Bilby:

The exact origin of the Easter Bilby concept is unknown, but it dates back to at least the late 1970s.
Queensland children's author Rose-Marie Dusting self-published the book Billy the Aussie Easter Bilby in Adelaide in 1979 and is recognised by many as Australia's Bilby Lady and creator of the Easter Bilby.  Rose-Marie has been a passionate Bilby advocate for over 20 years and a percentage of the sales of her books has been donated to Bilby conservation. 
Ian Faithfull, in his article On the Origin, History and Significance of the Easter Bilby suggests that "the concept of the Easter Bilby was invented between 1976 and 1983 by Malcolm Turner of the Hawthorn Junior Field Naturalists Club as a replacement for the Easter bunny at the Club’s traditional Easter bush camps. Officials of the Club acted as the Easter Bilby and delivered chocolate eggs to camp participants on Easter morning." He also notes that the "concept also appears to have been invented independently by Tony Robinson of the South Australian National Parks Service about 1980".
The Anti Rabbit Research Fund of Australia (now known as the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia) began using the Easter Bilby in 1991 to highlight the damage that the introduced rabbit does to the native environment.  They arranged for the first chocolate Bilbies to be produced in South Australia by Haigh's Chocolates, Melba's Chocolates and Cottage Box Chocolates in 1993.  Now many more chocolate Bilbiesare available each Easter.
The Easter Bilby is an important reminder to Australians of the plight of our native wildlife.


So here is the stuffed animal version, could be cute, doncha think?-

And here is a cartoon Easter Bilby painting his eggs (yup, Bilby's deliver eggs too)

Messy, just like the Easter Bunny.  I have a bit of a problem with the pointy nose being 'cute', but I do like the tail as a contrast to the puffball rabbit tail.

So, what is all this based on?  What does this beloved Bilby really look like?

Let's just say my 'awwwww' turned to 'ewwwww' pretty quickly:

looks like a long-eared rat to me.  

I won't be buying stuffed Bilbys for the grandkids. just sayin'

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Other Easter Species:

The Easter Penguin

The Easter Beaver

Demented Easter Child Snatcher

More Seasonal Special Edition Blogging, my own form of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Don't worry I won't keep this up long.    First off, there are different kinds of bunnies-  here is your basic Caucasian bun-

And his little Hispanic and Black BFFs (sorry they all have blue eyes!)

For those of you with particular tastes, there is also a Zombie rabbit

ick

Travelin' Bunnies-  why bunnies need wheels and other conveyances I don't get.  Maybe 'just becuz' they are boy bunnies and like their toys:

Apparently rabbits especially like motorcycles, though some use sports cars, probably the ones who carry a lot of equipment, like giant eggs or golf clubs, and even basketballs.  And Who Knew rabbits played basketball? 
  

How about ANGEL bunnies, I guess this is what happens when the zombie rabbits strike?

 Rabbit dismemberment

 The other oddity I will share with you is the Sriracha sauce flavor, new this year and sure to be a major hit.  Or you could just add a smear to your regular bunny consumption.

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So, I googled rabbits in art history for a few more serious shots and came up with pages and pages of RABBIS.  So, I did a bit more scrounging around, choosing to ignore my own misspellings, and found that rabbits are considered unclean in the Jewish faith because a ruminant lacking cloven hooves.  Other non-Kosher animals in this class are lions and eagles, both having positive symbolisms. The three rabbit sign appears on several synagogues-  so I feel better about it.  

 So. here goes the last part of my non-chocolate rabbit research this morning:

Mimbres bowl

Albrect Durer

Vincent van Gogh

 Japanese

Henry Raebum

 forgot who...

Hopi Hunters

 Vinyl Wall sticker

Isn't that enough?  I think so.  Happy Easter, all.