Like so many kids growing up in the 20th century, I had a Bunnykins dish set. Unpacking after my last move, I felt compelled to assign the plate the role of spoon drip. I put it on my stove top and it’s been there for almost three years.
The other night, I was at the sink with my back to the stove when I heard an unusual sound. Turning around, I noticed the plate was broken. I was cooking rice, certainly the stove has been hotter, but for whatever reason… snap.
I felt a little sad. But also this is one of those items that doesn’t give me a lot of Marie Kondo joy so, I also feel relief. One of the reasons I don’t like Bunnykins are the weird dash marks the artist used for eyes. In my experience, rabbits have big beautiful eyes and that is one of my favourite things about them.
Another reason I didn’t like this plate is the boy bunnies with no pants. Like Porky Pig, who I also dislike, this rabbit is naked from the waste down. I don’t like animals in clothing but even more disturbing to me are animals in shirts without pants. Either shirts and pants, or no clothes, please!
Turns out vintage Bunnykins plates are toxic. Lead Safe Mama measured a bowl similar to mine and found 61,800 ppm lead on the food surface. Although, according to Snopes, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve been poisoning my own food for the last three years. Whew!