Ron English's Rabbbit from Dark Horse Deluxe
by Jager

Ron English is best known for his graffiti work where turns billboards into political messages by killing pop culture icons and resurrecting them as the beasts they truly are. Like an obese Ronald McDonald. These particular images made the circle of English fans even larger through their use in the movie Super Size Me. English also paints formally, showing in galleries across the nation. One of his most popular (and lovable) characters from these paintings is the Rabbbit. His cute smile, his light blue hue, his three eyes... This isn't your typical bunny, and Dark Horse has broadened their Designer Toy line with a soft vinyl figure based on the blue mutant.

Based on the many paintings featuring the Bunnny, this toy is a pretty spot on 3-D representation of its 2-D counterpart. More and more toys based on an artists' already established work are popping up like this one and I couldn't be happier. It's fantastic to own a toy (could we even say a sculpture?) by an artist we have followed and admire. That's what this Rabbbit is: An original Ron English piece to add to your art or toy collection. The sculpt on the bunnny appears to be very true to the original painting. The proportions are spot on from the big feet to the little ears. His face is quite endearing and disturbing all at the same time. This really makes me feel a bit strange when gazing into his eyes. All three of them. This is a very surreal sculpt for sure! The middle eye is shared by the two faces, as is the middle ear. If you look at the piece from just the right side angle, it looks like a normal cartoon-y rabbit. But it's not! This guy is mutated or inbred or something else equally as twisted. This causes an almost hypnotizing gaze that can hold your stare for some time. The paint apps are very clean. He's cast in light blue vinyl and the eyes, noses, belly, and tail are all applied very cleanly. The paint has a nice glossy shine to it too. The vinyl seems to be pretty quality material. It's not thin in any spots, but the seams are a little rough where the different casts were connected. That's the only problem I have with the toy and it's not a very big problem. They are solidly connected seams, just not hidden very well. He stands 8½ inches in height so he can look over a good many of your other toys.

Dark Horse also commissioned English to design the box. It's a pretty simple design, with pink circles laid on a blue background. It has a pretty nice sized window display so you can see what you're getting. I suppose it's nice enough to leave in the box, but it really pains me to see toys in boxes, so let this guy breathe! Besides, you have to get almost nose to noses with the guy and stare into his eyes. Rabbbit has an open run and should be pretty easy to find for a while. But unless Dark Horse pulls more, I'm guessing it'll sell out eventually. And with good reason.

This is a nice toy to add to your collection. It's English's first vinyl and it's sure to make a splash. I love the surreal aspect of the design, and it's always great to support artists who you admire.

Dark Horse has a very in depth site covering all the comics and toys they produce. There's also a store where you can pick the Rabbbit up.

Ron English's site has some info on the artist, some of his paintings, and a quite a few images of his graffiti art.

If you dug this, you should check out the rest of out Designer Toy coverage.

Article ©2006 MillionairePlayboy.com unless otherwise noted. All characters are property their original owners.