Bum Bunny and the Birthday Surprise

My nephew with Bum Bunny the Gray Hare

When my oldest nephew celebrated his first birthday, my Mom wanted to give him a special gift. So she found an old gray velour shirt that belonged to my Dad. She took it apart seam by seam, stitch by stitch. Using a pattern from a local craft store, Mom carefully cut and pinned each piece. Then, with tears in her eyes, she lovingly sewed the soft pieces of her late husband’s shirt back together.

Little by little, the flat shapes of fabric began to take form. Cotton stuffing filled one piece and then another, until soft and cushy, a little rabbit was “born”. The bunny’s body was round and plump, it’s arms and legs were long and lanky. His floppy ears hung whimsically from either side of his head. 

Mom had sewn a personalized tag in the back seam, which read, “Handmade with Love by Grammy.” My nephew referred to the tag as Bum’s “tail”. He would slip his little finger into the loop of the tag  when he would nap and he also used it as a sort of “handle” to carry Bum around sometimes.

Mom put the rabbit in a lidless box, and wrapped it in colorful paper in a way that would be easy for a 1-year-old to tear open himself. 

The day of my nephew’s birthday party was a hot one. I remember he was in nothing but a diaper most of the time. I can still see in my mind’s eye how he sat in the grass with the present his “Grammy” gave him. My nephew gingerly tore the paper until it revealed the rabbit’s gray “fur”. Suddenly, he tore the wrapping with great purpose, stuck his hand into the box and pulled out the hand-made stuffed animal. My nephew put the rabbit on the grass next to him, and immediately laid his cheek against the rabbit’s soft body. Every adult in the yard responded with an involuntary “awwwww....”, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The family referred to the rabbit as “Bunny” which came out of my nephew’s mouth more like “Bumpa”.  Perhaps it was a cross between “Bunny” and “Grampa” since it was made from his grandfather’s shirt. Certainly my nephew could not have known or understood that at that age, but who knows? Some people believe that children are born with a sort of “sixth sense” about spiritual things we as adults have lost or learned to ignore as we grew up.

Whatever the reason for the pronunciation of the name, eventually my nephew shortened it to “Bum” and the name “Bum Bunny” stuck.

Inseparable Pals

Aunti, Nephew and Bum on July 4th...

My nephew happily shared his bed with his new best friend. The rabbit went every where with him: riding in the car, shopping at the store, and on vacations. Bum had many adventures. My brother and sister-in-law worked full time, and Mom cared for my nephew everyday and Bum accompanied him.

Around bedtime one night, a phone call came from my sister-in-law, asking if Bum was still at our house. No, Mom was certain that he had gone home with my nephew when he was picked up after work. A frantic search began.

My sister-in-law had stopped at a department store on her way home and realized that was the last place she saw Bum. She called the store to see if anyone had turned a stuffed bunny in to the Lost and Found, but the store was already closed for the night. Still, she was sure Bum was there somewhere. Early the next morning, my sister-in-law drove to the store and retraced her every step. There was Bum, perched on one of the shelves among the merchandise in the Baby Department. Someone had found him and simply placed him there. That was a tough night for everyone without Bum, because we had become attached to that little bunny, too.

Read the Story: Click the book title highlighted in the text!

Day in and day out, my nephew would be dropped off at Grammy’s house. Each day, he had a little routine that included breakfast, napping, reading books, exploring the back yard, taking walks to the park, watching cars, and other activities, weather permitting. And all the while, Bum was at his side.

For my nephew’s 3rd birthday, I wrote and illustrated a short story about the rabbit titled, “Bum Bunny and the Busy Day.” In it, Bum does everything my nephew did each day. The visual associations were a great aid in helping him learn to read.

At Christmas time, the animated cartoon “The Bestest Present” (1985) aired on television. It was based on the characters of the popular syndicated comic strip series “For Better of For Worse” created by Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston. The storyline was very similar to what had happened when Bum Bunny was lost, and it deeply touched my nephew. Mom recalls how he sat silently watching the program, and had tears in his eyes at the end.

Covering the Gray "Hare" 

The extensive hugging and washings Bum Bunny received over the years began to take its toll. His  gray velour fur began wearing away. My nephew would insist on sticking adhesive band-aids on the worn spots.

Mom did not have enough of the original fabric left over to adequately patch Bum. But she came up with an alternative solution: She would make up a new “skin” for Bum from another of my Dad's velour shirts, and slip it over the old “fur”.  She could do it quickly enough without my nephew missing Bum too much.

The bigger concern was that the second velour shirt was not gray, it was burgundy. Would my nephew understand Bum was still Bum even though he was a different color? Would he still love him?

Brown Bunny with Nephew No. 2...dig the shirt!

I think the project was discussed with my nephew, much like a procedure is explained before going into major surgery. He was shown the burgundy fabric and when my nephew gave his consent, Mom went ahead with the project. She added a bit more stuffing and a fresh “tail”.

When the “refreshed” Bum was presented, we collectively held our breath. Adults tend to worry themselves about silly things that children don’t really give a second thought to. Gray or burgundy, Bum was still Bum. My nephew loved him just the same and was happy to have him back.

Bum Gets a Brother

Exactly one year after my second nephew was born, Mom made a bunny for him, too. His bunny is named “Brown Bunny.” And just like Bum, he became like family. When I made matching fleece sleepers for the boys for Christmas one year, both Bum and Brown Bunny got matching fleece sleepers too. They wore little Green Bay Packers t-shirts during football season. And on Halloween, the bunnies were dressed in “SweeTarts” and “3 Musketeer” bags.

The Bunny Poem

Part of the “Bum Bunny” legacy included chambray shirts with Bum and Brown Bunny embroidered on them. I hand embroidered both gray and burgundy Bum Bunnies on my older nephew’s shirt.

Several years back, I read a small poem about a little stuffed bunny that was well loved. It reminded me of Bum, so I decided to embroider and frame it for Mom. By this time the nephews were in the double-digit age range.  Still, when they saw the craft, they both said, “Aww! I want one like that!”

All Growed Up

Bum doesn’t get out much these days now that my older nephew is in college. But he still sits in his place of honor in my nephew’s bedroom. Bum’s fur is all gone, but the burgundy fabric is still well in tact. The little “tail” label is still there too.

Recently, Mom was going through some boxes in the basement and she came across the scraps of material left over from the Bum Bunny projects. Instead of throwing it away, I got the idea to make a miniature Bum Bunny as a surprise for my nephew’s birthday.

Mini Bum's "bum" and tiny tail...

I carefully examined a bunny Mom had made for me one Christmas. It is a brown bunny made from an old velour shirt that belonged to my brother. I call my bunny ­—what else?—“Velveteen.” I sketched the pieces of a pattern and carefully cut them out. I sewed each piece by hand. I even made a small “tail” out of ribbon and in tiny letters, embroidered “LUV YA” on it. I giggled as the mini Bum Bunny began to take shape, and I hoped my nephew would like it.

I hoped he would not think it was silly or stupid, or worse yet, embarrassing in front of his friends. On the contrary, when my nephew opened his gifts at this 19th Birthday party, his reaction was more than I could have imagined. Even with gifts of the sporting and monetary kind, he was truly surprised and enjoyed the mini Bum Bunny. He even presented big Bum Bunny for all his party guests to see.

My younger nephew, whose birthday is in December, held mini Bum and asked my Mom, “Do you have a little Brown Bunny for me? I don’t want to wait.” Once again, proving that silly adults sometimes worrying about nothing.

A big surprise in a very little package!

I have ideas for additional Bum Bunny “merchandise” as future birthday and Christmas gifts for the nephews. But I will always smile when I think of “Bum Bunny and the Birthday Surprise.”



Inspired by my nephew’s wonderfully childlike heart...on his 19th birthday.