Devil Bunny Gets A Dye-job

The difference between a terrifying shade of pink and just plain evil pink.


Well, it all started when I took him to Burning Man 2000. It was obvious the sun was doing some damage, but it's not like he was going to get skin cancer or anything, so I figured it wasn't all that bad. It's not like anyone could tell he had roots under all the dim and spooky club lights, and in the daytime he just kicked it on the dashboard (yeah, in the sun - Hey, he may be neon pink, but that doesn't mean he's all too bright in the head). And then one day it happened; someone else noticed. Something had to be done.

<<< The 'before' shot (1)

Well, it's not entirely obvious here (he's just too bright!), but you can kind of see the difference between the top of his head and the underside of his belly. VW Beetles have this handle on the passenger side of the dash, and DB was tucked into it. The underside of his belly was pretty much sheilded, while the top of his ears got the worst of the sun-bleaching.

The 'before' shot (2) >>>

The back-shot made the bleaching stand out a bit more, especially on his shoulders and upper back. Poor bunny! He was going blonde (er, can you call it blonde when it's really pink?) in the California sun - If he didn't do something soon, they might mistake him for some guy from L.A.

<<< The 'before' shot (3)

The 'ears' have it. If it wasn't obvious before, it's clear here. Nope, that's not a trick of light and shadow, folks. That's the difference a little too much sunlight can make.

How embarrasing!

In the bath >>>

And now it's bathtime for evil bunnies. Off came the bow-tie and the horns (ouch!), but as the pitchfork wouldn't be harmed by hot pink water he just had to hang onto that...

<<< Unpaid advertising

On the off chance people are curious, Devil Bunny prefers Rit dye (fuschia) over all other brands. It makes for simple, no-nonsense dyeing when it's necessary (and it was the only dye we could find in such a toxic shade).

Fun in the water >>>

The dyeing process takes something like half an hour in near boiling water (DB really doesn't mind the temperature at all - I mean, he's from some sort of Hell-dimension; it's not like it bothers him to be a little toasty). Half an hour can be very boring, so we got to playing around a bit. He floats quite well on his own. I rather like that he just fit inside my stew-pot while he was splayed out on his back.

<<< Quick rinse and a few bubbles

In addition to a good rinse, it's sometimes necessary for soap to enter the picture to really get out the last of the excess dye. Woolite works wonders as bath suds for bunny.

Watching paint dry. >>>

And now comes the VERY tedious process of drying the fur, the fluff, and every ounce of evil inside. After wringing him out a little, it still took nearly 6 hours for him to stop dripping, then another day and a half to make certain he was all dry inside and out.

(photos forthcoming... sorry for the delay)

<<< Side by side comparison.

You may not see much of a difference, but I can. DB can certainly tell. He's now an even slightly *brighter* shade of pink than he was when I got him. I didn't think that was possible, but there you have it.

Send me back to the Devil Bunny Index.