My Blushing Bunnies by Priscilla Hillman-An Obsession in Resin...

Back in 1995, I discovered an Enesco Line called Calico Kittens, which was designed by Priscilla Hillman.

I loved them-they weren't quite like anything else that was out there.


They were well formed and painted, minutely detailed...I thought they were precious. It wasn't long before I'd amassed a small collection of the little cats, around 50 or so.

Now my mother, Ruth, had a collection too. She collected rabbits. In fact, she had a LOT of rabbits; they seemed to multiply like...well, rabbits. Big ones and small ones, made of everything from cotton to glass and resin. They only had one thing in common-they were UGLY.

You see, aesthetic beauty didn't matter to Mom- as long as the bunnies had two ears and were relatively rabbit-shaped, she would bring them home. She would hit the after- Easter sales, the Dollar Store, and fleamarkets, coming home with the most God-awful examples of lepus americanus the Third World has ever produced.

Here's an example of the type of thing she would bring home...

Scary, ain't it? I pointed out time and time again how hideous they were, only to be told that, "That's my collection, and I like them. Butt out."

Now, one day I had some extra money, and thought I would indulge my Calico Kitten obsession. I was looking over the selection at my local JC Penney's, when I saw a smaller display of bunny figurines that were very similar in style to my CK's.

I examined them closely. Soft, pretty colors, well proportioned, cute little outfits and poses...hmmm...could this possibly be the solution? Could this rid my home of the hundreds of cheap Taiwanese demon bunnies that were crammed onto every available shelf and table in our small brick ranch?

So, I took a shot and purchased My Blushing Bunnies "You're a Blessing From Above". It was a little girl rabbit in a peachy colored dress, holding a little white bunny in her arms.

When I took it home and gave it to Mom, she really didn't say all that much about it. I was persistant, though...everytime I got my paycheck, I would pick up another bunny in the series.

Soon, she cleared out her main display shelf, so that she could use it just to display her Blushing Bunnies. That was the beginning of the end...after a time, we had a big bunny sale, and those little ugly rabbits she'd hoarded for so long found new homes...or found themselves in the trashcan, where they truly belonged. Either way was fine with me.

So we started collecting the My Blushing Bunny line in earnest. I continued to shop at local stores, but we also found online resources, including ebay, Etc Shop, The Spinning Wheel, and others.

We were very disappointed when the line was discontinued after only five years, but comforted ourselves with the thought that there were still plenty of rabbits we didn't have, and we could continue to collect them.

The stores stopped stocking them. Online retailers reduced their prices and cleared their shelves. Our main resource became ebay, and we soon became deadly snipers, going all the way to get the bunnies to finish our collection.

At this point, I believe we have them all, with the exception of a couple of display shelves. We have the cold cast resin figures, rare prototypes, the ceramics, the stuffed...we have the advertising button, the packet of seeds, the ornaments, the pin and earring set.

We've got the puzzle, the cross stitch book...Christmas, Halloween, Easter, general figurines, color variations. Music boxes-check. Spice jars...yep. The large paper mache-every single one.

Now that our quest has come to an end, we miss the thrill a lot. We're hoping by starting this blog, we can reach out to other collectors of this wonderful line. If there is enough interest in the blog, I may consider sponsering an online bulletin board, so that we could talk about our collections.

Anyone have a story to tell about their own collecting? Or have a rare find to gloat about, or maybe some pictures to share? E-mail them to me at domino102@hotmail.com and I will share them on my blog.

I will also be posting in the future about different BB related topics, such as color variations, hard to find bunnies, auction advice...basically, whatever pops into my head. I will also give a heads up via email if I come across a bunny that someone is looking for.

I'm making no profit from this blog, and all copyrights belong to Enesco and that brilliant artist, Priscilla Hillman. All pictures I post are my own or belong to someone who has emailed them to me, giving permission to share them.

I won't be advertising or posting for sale lists-if some one does want to contact me with bunnies to sell, I must encourage them to sell through a reputable online auction like ebay, which will provide at least some protection to both buyer and seller.

Please feel free to comment on any topic in the guestbook, or email me at anytime!

Happy hunting!

Ruth and Melissa