There’s nothing stronger in this world than the love that two people can have for one another. When this couple first met, they discovered that they truly enjoyed sharing gifts with one another. Eventually, their love for each other, and their love for gift-giving, turned into something a little strange. Keep reading to discover how one gift turned into an entire museum!When Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski met each other, it was love at first sight. From the very beginning of their relationship, they tried to find new ways to show each other how much they loved one each other. Eventually, it was if the couple was doing everything they could to “one-up” each other.
They really enjoyed getting one another gifts, so for Valentine’s Day in 1993, Steve knew that he had to come up with something really special. Sadly, trying to outdo each other throughout the years left Steve without an idea for Valentine’s Day. After a bit of searching, he wandered into a local florist shop, hoping to find some inspiration.
Knowing that he didn’t want to get Candace the typical Valentine’s teddy bear, he completely skipped over that section in the store. Instead, a little rabbit figurine caught Steve’s eye. As soon as he looked closer, Steve realized that it would be the perfect gift for Candace, especially considering that they called each other “honey bunny” as a pet name. So Steve bought the rabbit figurine and brought it home to Candace.
As it turns out, Steve’s intuition was right on point because Candace absolutely adored the rabbit. In fact, just a few days later, Candace gave Steve his very own rabbit! Soon enough, the cute couple was exchanging rabbit-themed gifts on a daily basis. It wasn’t long before their love of everything rabbit leaked into the most special day of their lives: their wedding day. On the day of, Steve showed up in a rabbit costume, with his tuxedo hidden underneath, to show his darling bunny how much he cared for her.
It wasn’t long before five years had passed and the couple’s bunny obsession was almost out of control. Like most people who collect something, Candace and Steve just couldn’t stop. In 1998, the couple began to make some drastic changes to their Pasadena home. Not only did they make changes on the inside of their home, but they also constructed a massive hedge in the shape of a bunny on their front lawn!
At this point, it wasn’t just Candace and Steve who were enjoying their extensive collection of rabbits. Their collection was known as The Bunny Museum and visitors from all over were trickling in to see what it was all about. Today, this unique museum is one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Since they’ve acquired so much rabbit memorabilia, the couple had to move their museum to a much larger location in Altadena. The museum, which takes guests through 16 different galleries, is chocked full of cute and cuddly little bunnies. While many people come for the rabbits, most realize that Candace and Steve are part of the attraction, as well.
The museum, which is open every day of the week, is considered a testament of love by Steve and Candace. In fact, their love is so powerful that Candace doesn’t even mind it when people call her “the crazy bunny lady.” And some people DO consider Candace, Steve, and their museum a little strange.
Considering that most of the bunnies are just put on a shelf, there isn’t too much organization in the museum. Although, there are a few exhibits that have been marked off. For example, Bugs Bunny has a whole section dedicated to him, which includes cups, lunch boxes, and piggy banks. There is also a rather large collection of bunny-themed games and puzzles!
Don’t think for a second that there are only bunny figurines involved in this operation. The Bunny Museum isn’t just a home for inanimate bunnies, in fact, there are three real-life rabbits that live there, as well. While guests are more than welcome to pick up the live rabbits, most tend to stay away from the ones that are sitting taxidermies on the shelves.
While the Bunny Museum is a major tourist attraction, it has caught the eye of several celebrities, as well. Not only has actor John C. Reilly visited the Bunny Museum with his family, but Elijah Wood has starred in several hilarious commercials for the museum.
They still swap gifts every day, and in their spare time hunt through flea markets for more bunny memorabilia. But they’re not stopping there! The couple still gifts each other bunny gifts on a daily basis and they’ll never stop searching for bunnies wherever they go! After 20 years of collecting, Steve and Candace have officially claimed the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of bunny-related items in the world!
