Unauthorized Fun – Easter Bunny Hunt Tour

I sure do love Disneyland...but I definitely don't always love the way Management tries to gouge the guests. I'm not talking about above-standard prices for food or prominently placed souvenir shops. That's par for the course for any theme park, and at least at Disneyland, the food is decent and the souvenirs don't fall apart during the drive home.

I'm talking about the way they charge you upwards of a hundred bucks a head just to walk through the front gate...and then spend the day trying to upsell you all these little “magical” add-ons. Character Dining. VIP viewing for parades and shows. Disney Vacation Club memberships, for Pete's sake. And the advertising all heavily insinuates that if you don't buy these things, if you just go to freaking Disneyland and ride some freaking rides and meet some freaking characters after waiting in line like normal humans, then you and/or your kids are missing out and your visit isn't truly magical and I'd better stop before I vomit. Seriously, can you believe these people?

I've got news for them...and for any potential guests who might be suckered in by the marketing copy: It is Disneyland. It's magical just as it is, without expensive add-ons. Is it fun to have Goofy come pal around with you during dinner? Sure. But it's not necessary in order to have a top-notch visit to the park.

I think there are two groups of people who fall for the...let's call it the Extended Warranty model of Disneyland visiting. There are those who are vacationing from out of state, who have never been before (or not for many years) and may never get to visit again, and who not only want to absolutely maximize their trip, but have little to no idea what do to without help, and turn to the readiest source of help available: Disneyland's own website.

I'm not really talking to them. (They're probably not going to read this blog anyway.) This is for the second group. These are the people who visit Disneyland often and know damn well what they're doing...but maybe visit so often that a normal, ride-some-rides-and-meet-some-characters kind of day doesn't always quite do it. So they maybe consider buying some extra goodies in order to jazz things up. If that's really what you want to do and you will accept no substitutes...I guess I can't help you. But if you're conflicted—if you need ideas for ways to spice up your otherwise routine visits to the park without further enriching those money-grubbing jerks—then I am pleased to introduce Unauthorized Fun, a post category for doing just that. In posts with this label, you'll find ideas for Disneyland-based games, activities, and “quests” that won't cost you a dime extra...or if they do, it won't be many dimes, and they won't be funneled directly into Bob Iger's pockets.

And now, without further ado...

Easter sure is early this year, isn't it? It's actually not astronomically possible for it to be much earlier than March 27. Here's hoping that if this post inspires you, there's still time to make plans accordingly!

Disneyland has its Easter traditions just like it has traditions for every other major holiday. In the past, the park has experimented with Easter parades, Easter dances, and a perhaps needlessly elaborate Easter egg “hunt” that forms the basis for one of my fondest early childhood memories of the place:

In recent years, the hunt has been a) less complicated, b) more of an actual hunt (but not a remotely difficult one), and c) about as classy as we've come to expect from the current, Marketing-driven Mouse House:

Such eggs. So character. Much Easter. Wow.

How about something else instead? Eggs are so cliché. Why not try...a Bunny Hunt? Yeah! We can say it's in honor of the release of Zootopia—which, by the way, is excellent, and you should see it as soon as it is feasible. Really good stuff.

The Easter Bunny himself—along with various rabbits in the Disney character family—used to make regular appearances at the Springtime Roundup in Big Thunder Ranch, but with the Ranch having done a final ride into the sunset,* there is no word as to whether he will be gracing us with his physical presence this year, or ever again.

Wow, that sounded gloomy. We can probably safely assume the Easter Bunny will show up somewhere in the park, or maybe over in the Other Park**...if not this year, then probably starting next year when construction schedules are more settled. And in the meantime, I can think of at least three other rabbits that come out for photos year-round, no less at Easter than any other time. Failing even that...there are always rides. It's actually kind of surprising how many Disney bunnies have rides to their name in the Happiest Place on Earth, even if they aren't the main star. So if the Easter Bunny is truly MIA and you prefer not to deal with the chanciness of meet-and-greet schedules, the Disneyland Dilettante's Easter Bunny Hunt Tour has your back!

No event of this type is complete without a special Disneyland map! Here's yours—click on it to get the big version.

You'll probably notice the extremely tasteful mint green, fuchsia-outlined bunny heads scattered around. These show your locations for Important Bunny Sightings, on rides and occasionally in the wild nearby. This tour is designed for maximum efficiency...which in this case means, somewhat counter-intuitively, that we'll be starting with a long walk.

Ride: Splash Mountain

Bunny: Brer Rabbit

As soon as the weather starts warming up, the queue for Splash Mountain fills up fast, so make this your first stop of the morning. Grab a Fastpass if you like, but why not go ahead and ride? You'll have all day for your clothes to dry. Follow Brer Rabbit from his first stirrings of wanderlust to his exuberant relief to have returned home safely, sing along with the catchy songs, and wonder whether he ever got together with Dorothy Gale and compared notes.

This is one of Disneyland's most stringent thrill rides in terms of height requirements and medical cautions, so if riding isn't a possibility for you, you can seek out Brer Rabbit in statue form outside:

Photo credit: My sister

Either way, you'll be excellently placed to visit the next bunny on the map...

Ride: The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

Bunny: Rabbit

A defining feature of Critter Country seems to be that most of its inhabitants are named after their species, with or without a semi-familial honorific. (It must be hard on the postal deliverers.) This may not be the most exciting ride to come out of Imagineering in the last 15 years, and Pooh Bear's long-suffering friend may not have the most dazzling role in it, but he is one of the more spring-aligned bunnies on our list, with his pastel-colored coat and focus on growing plants. He's also one of the most likely to be available for photos and autographs outside the ride, if you prefer that route.

Ordinarily, at this point you'd backtrack to New Orleans Square and hop aboard*** the Disneyland Railroad to get to the next bunny-seeking point, but that's a no-go for the time being. So be prepared for more walking!

Ride: Alice in Wonderland

Bunnies: White Rabbit; March Hare

This one's a real treat—a bunny twofer! Hares and rabbits are not the same animal, but they can both be considered bunnies. (It's too bad Wonderland doesn't have some sort of, I don't know, Vacillating Pika, or it would accomplish the lagomorph hat trick.) The White Rabbit is the clear winner here, making several appearances on the ride, while the March Hare only makes one quick one at the very end (so quick that the photo above is literally the clearest image I could find of him)...and even then the White Rabbit ultimately steals the show.

The White Rabbit is also immensely more likely to be seen in live form, cavorting with Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts out on the nearby walkways. The March Hare costume isn't even used in Disneyland anymore to the best of my knowledge.

But don't feel too bad for the Hare...he arguably has a ride of his own right next door. Sure, the Mad Hatter gets all the press, but that's still the Hare's own house, with the bent-ear chimneys, overlooking the Tea Cups' turntable:

For your next stop, keep heading north, all the way to Mickey's Toontown.

Ride: Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

Bunny: Roger Rabbit

The portable hole is one of the best practical effects in the park. For real.

Poor Roger doesn't get much attention from the mainstream public these days, and neither does his ride...which is a pity, because it's one of the last great dark rides to place the guests at the center of the action instead of just having them watch a three-minute summary of the movie. Even if you're not taking the Bunny Hunt Tour...go on this ride anyway.

I am open to the suggestion that this ride, like the last one, features two bunnies, since Jessica is a Rabbit by marriage, and she would fit right in as a particular kind of Bunny. (Link is SFW unless you have a more-prudish-than-average boss.)

Now would be a good time to take a break, don't you think? Depending on the crowd level and when you started, it might even be time for lunch. Try to mosey in a Main Streetwise direction, because Part 2 of your tour will take place outside Disneyland altogether! See that last bunny head all the way down at the bottom of the map? Next to the arrow pointing toward California Adventure...?

Location: Buena Vista Street

Bunny: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Okay, so I lied—this tour is not, after all, strictly about rides, with character appearances only coming in as a last resort. There are actually no rides in California Adventure that feature rabbits. But Disney's first bunny ever makes remarkably regular appearances in the area across from the “gas station” bearing his name. It didn't seem right to ignore him on this tour, even if it did mean putting California Adventure in the spotlight.

Take a photo with this silent cartoon star if you like, and then...take Buena Vista Street all the way to the end and turn left! There's still one more stop on the tour!

Location: Hollywood Land

Bunny: Officer Judy Hopps

From the oldest Disney rabbit to the newest! And you thought my nod to Zootopia near the beginning of this post was just a cute throwaway reference. (I'm not kidding, by the way...hie thyself to the cineplex!)

Judy and her partner-in-crimesolving Nick Wilde are currently making appearances in Hollywood Land. I'm not sure exactly where their station is located—probably just outside the Disney Animation building (but when in doubt, ask a Cast Member).

Location: ???

Bunny: The Easter Bunny

Such a dapper fellow...

For all I know, the Easter Bunny is out and about this year, and I just haven't heard where he's set up now that the Ranch is kaput. If you do happen to spot him during your trek, by all means, stop by for a photo, autograph, hug, or whatever it is you like to get from characters.

And there you have it! The complete list of prominent rabbits in the Disneyland Resort! In case the Easter Bunny is truly taking a Spring Break of his own this year, perhaps one of them will have to stand in. Which one do you think would do the best job?

* 30 years of dedicated service, and this is how Management repays it? No, I'm not bitter, why do you ask?

** New Year's Resolution?

*** Get it? Hop? I crack myself up sometimes.