Toys teach children many things, like how to share with others, how to care for something that is your own, and if you’re lucky, how to clean up after themselves. But most people do not take into consideration what children learn from interacting with toy animals, and assume it is a harmless, playful thing that is simply a part of childhood. In fact, these toys also teach children how they should treat and care for live animals, but the issue here is that these toys are not representative of a ‘real’ animal with the exception that they may, in some way, look alike. Rabbits specifically are a problem here, because they are high maintenance, extremely fragile animals, and are often marketed towards children although they are arguable the worst type of pet for a child to take care of. Rabbits are prey animals, and are often terrified and even traumatized when they are held. Yet the toy I chose to modify for this project encourages this. When you pet this “Fur Real” rabbits back it is supposed to makes sniffing noises – in reality, hearing a sniffing noise from a live rabbit often mean there is a serious health issue, and because rabbits can only breathe through their noses, these innocent sniffing noises will most certainly lead to death from suffocation. For this project, I chose to take this toy rabbit, and cover it with real rabbit fur that one of my own rabbits was nice enough to donate to the cause. I did this as a way to remind parents and children that these toys are not real animals, and the differences between them must be recognized in order for children to grow up with a healthy and respectful attitude towards live animals they may encounter throughout their lives.
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