THIS IS NOT A TOY

Pipkin shows the world what he thinks of "labels". Not a toy? Of course not. He's more than a toy. Like the rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit, Pipkin knows he's a REAL labbit, because he is loved. He's happy to have dirty spots from all his labbity adventures. His labbit ears have heard comments like, "But...it's a collectible! What about resale value? It's all dirty, it's not worth anything now. It's worth less out of the box."

Where's the joy in sitting on a shelf? In a box? Collectible item? Pfffffff. He'll endure kitchen sink baths and zero resale value for all the fun he can have frolicking in the grass (eventually, spring will come!) and going out to eat with his best friend Domo. From the photo above you can see his face is dirtied with flecks of flour from baking cookies. So what? Sift happens.

His new mau5 friend Zim suffers the same:

THIS IS MY BUTT. MY COLLECTIBLE MAU5 BUTT.

He's been told he's "fragile and meant for display purposes only." What kind of life is that? No wonder Zim likes to chew apart boxes. Labbits and Mau5e5 just arn't meant for boxed life.

Pipkin would like to share the following with you, from Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit. In this excerpt, the old Skin Horse in the children's nursery explains to the rabbit what it's like to not be a toy, not be a collectible, but to be Real:

"You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

So you can say what you will about collectible items - these guys will be out playing and too busy to listen. Below are some photos of Pipkin's own adventures with his best friend Domo. Domo himself rescued Pipkin from boxed life in Port Townsend, WA. They can't wait to be out traveling again!

Pipkin stretches his legs after all that box life. Olympic National Park, WA.

Domo and Pipkin see America. Astoria, OR.

Pipkin tastes food outside box life. Bridgewater Bistro, Astoria, OR.

Domo & Pipkin out for Pho. Silk, Portland, OR.

NO! It are my birthday!! Voodoo Donut, Portland OR

The Kennedy School, Portland, OR.

Getting cultured. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR.