Once called “one of the strangest, wildest places you can visit” SF doorThe Rabbit Museum in Altadena, California, burned down in the 2025 Greater Los Angeles wildfires. Founded by Candace Frazee and her husband Steve Lubanski, this beloved Southern California institution dedicated to all things bunny-related has been open to the public since 1998. During those years, it gained a cult following and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records three times.
Before its destruction, the Rabbit Museum housed at least 45,000 pieces of rabbit memorabilia, including antiquities such as Egyptian amulets, antique toys, ceramic figurines, books, Rose Parade floats, Bugs Bunny collectibles, framed magazine covers of Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, and even live rabbits. (The cats were ultimately rescued from the fire along with the couple’s cat.)
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Not all exhibits in the museum are for the faint of heart. In addition to themed rooms that explain the role of rabbits in pop culture, science and superstition, it has a restricted area dedicated to historical rabbit exploitation. In describing the 2018 series, Los Angeles Times wrote: “The rabbit array may look a bit kitschy, but the vast inventory holds insight and lends it a strange sense of gravitas.”
Now, since the fire, fans have donated approximately 60,000 rabbit-related items to Frazee and Lubanski, including a 14-foot-tall, 1,100-pound stainless steel bunny sculpture. The sculpture, titled “Scanner,” was created by Jesse Zhao of Shijiazhuang, China, and donated to the museum by Monrovia, California, resident Wesley Zuko. A public unveiling ceremony was held on February 20.
“We hope the scanner will lift the spirits of the community after this devastating fire,” Frazier told the Pasadena Weekly. “It will let neighbors know that the Rabbit Museum will rise from the ashes.”
The Rabbit Museum plans to reopen in a brand new building in 2028, according to the institution’s GoFundMe page.
