The Bunnybear And The Birth Of The Hippo Princess || ZRecommends: Consumer research, consumer advocacy, and unbiased product reviews for parents

As seen in

Subscribe to posts

Get our newsletter

The bunnybear and the birth of the hippo princess

By Jeremiah | December 02, 2008 | 16 comments / Join the conversation!

Two related items of interest from the house of Z.

The bunnybear

Z's grandmother Karen writes:

Z asked Santa for a "bunny bear" this Christmas. It may surprise you that there is no such thing available. So I improvised. Now my problem is that what I have come up with seems, well, lacking. It looks sort of like a dog, or a surprised ram, or a very scared bear.

Any suggestions for improvements? That is, how do I make the damn thing look like a bunny bear? Note, I have already done the following in regards to said bunny bear:

gone to several stores looking for bunny bear,

given up,

visited several stores looking for appropriate bear to modify,

took a trip to the fabric store to buy fabric,

explained to clerk what I was doing,

endured laughter,

cut out fabric and fabric backing,

cleaned up mess that hairy fabric made,

sewn up ears,

tore out stitches that weren't right,

cleaned up more mess,

sewn on ears,

cleaned up more hair,

worried about how bunny bear looked,

took photos of bunny bear,

written you guys.

So, please, make any suggestions easy on me. Thanks for your input.

I think we can all agree that this animal might be mistaken for a very confused bear but not for a bunny. So what is it that makes it lack an essential bunniness? I have my opinions, but I'd rather Karen hear your suggestions. Don't worry about the "easy" part - I'll just tell her I'm planning to design a competing bunny bear, and she'll get her second wind. So tell me, what advice can you offer to our budding Dr. Moreau?

The hippo princess: A brief biography

In other news, another mystery has come to an abrupt end. Behold:

Maybe you can't tell what that is, what with all the scribbling.

That's right, folks: It's a hippo princess. Apparently Z has had this stamp for a while (also at grandma's house) and we had never seen it or made the connection between that and her profoundly odd Halloween costume request.

Naturally, this begs the question: Has Z seen a "bunny bear" somewhere? Some random cartoon watched at daycare or at her other local grandmother's house?

Categories: DIY, humor, toys

16 Comments

1. Tiffany [12/02/08]

I’ve never seen a bunny-bear- but bunnies (stuffed ones) usually have pink noses- I suggest making the nose pink. Paint? Felt? Not sure how… but that would probably help. It also needs a big white fluffy tail to be a bunny. Giant pom-pom sewn on the rear end?

2. Amy [12/02/08]

I sympathize with your bunny bear situation. Any idea how I can make a “wind-up flag that shoots up to the sky”? This is on our Santa list. Sigh.

3. Laurel Rose [12/02/08]

The bunny bear needs a fluffy cotton-tail! And maybe a felt carrot. :)

With its ears up it’s enough to frighten a small child, but it’s very endearing with its ears down!

4. Anjuli [12/02/08]

Reminds me of an old Wuzzle character from the 80s. I can’t recall if there was such a combination though.
I’d add a bunny nose and tail. Perhaps bunny teeth?

5. Meredith [12/02/08]

Well I guess the question is what makes a bunny look like a bunny? I looked at some stuffed bunnies online and it seems that the ears are more on top of the head and gathered at the base than the one in your photo. Then there’s the classic bunny buck teeth...but then it might start looking too much like a bunny!

Good luck!

6. Jeremiah [12/02/08]

You’d know, Meredith - great comic you have there!

Anjuli, I’m sorry to say that while the Wuzzles is an excellent touchstone for this conversation, there is no bunny-bear combination in their lineup. Read more on Punnybop.

7. feather nester [12/02/08]

Buck teeth and a carrot?

8. KGS [12/02/08]

It’s possible we own a “bunny-bear;” we have something called that, at least. Our candidate is a bear wearing a bunny costume, given to my daughter at Easter last year. As far as I can remember the “costume” is just a headband bearing bunny ears that rests in front of/above the bear’s own ears, and a sort of unitard or bodysuit with a bunny tail on it. The bear’s body is brown and the suit is white with a different fur texture, making it clear that it’s clothing rather than the bear’s own fur. If this sounds close to right, a search for “easter bear” in the “toys” category on Amazon brings up a bunch of pictures of similar creatures.

9. Jeremiah [12/02/08]

We have seen these, and at least some of us have decided that just doesn’t do the concept justice. Jenni said “But Z would just take the costume off, and then it would just be a bear.”

Apparently, we have very exacting taste in bunnybears.

10. carrie [12/02/08]

There IS a bunny bear. You can get it on amazon.

My nephew has this toy and it is so sweet and soft - a great snuggle toy.

11. Jeremiah [12/02/08]

Yes, Carrie, I believe this is what KGS was alluding to above… we’re looking for an actual hybrid creature rather than a pajama’d dresser-upper.

12. Robin [12/02/08]

Check out the Beddy Bear Buddies Bunny -
http://www.nomeq.co.uk/ gifts.html

Its kind of bear looking AND bunny looking

13. Robin [12/02/08]

hey, I also found this on ETSY -
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9579917

14. Rachel [12/03/08]

I think the ears need to be skinnier and more on the top of the head. Also, it needs a bunny nose with the puffy cheeks and could use some long whiskers and a cotton tail.

15. Diana [12/03/08]

Some buck teeth, a cotton tail & a few whiskers should do it.

16. Tricia [12/03/08]

I would move the ears closer together, add whiskers and a tail. Also, while the ears are off to move them, possibly add a felt inset for the inside of the ear in a lighter color. You don’t want to change too much and loose the bear of it.

Next Post Previous Post