KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
From an idea to boost sales to a springtime tradition, the Country Club Plaza bunnies are coming.
Friday, crews will be placing the bunnies around the Plaza where people can see them on display through Easter.
Kara Lowe, the promotions manager for the Plaza, said the bunnies weren't originally planned to last this long.
"They started as a Depression-era sales boost idea," she said. "They were originally cast in plaster of Paris which can weather pretty easily, so that's why we kind of recoated them with a fiber glass which will preserve them for many more years to come."
As soon as the bunnies and their friends hop back into storage, the maintenance team leaps to the task of repairing and cleaning them.
"There are certain parts replaced and obviously many, many coats of paint and some coats of fiberglass to keep them looking fresh," Lowe said.
After nearly 90 years, the crews have it down to a science, including the touch-up paint job.
"They have very specific paint colors. We have to re-color-match them every year because we really want to keep true to the original colors that these bunnies had," Lowe said.
Lowe and the crew consider themselves caretakers of the Plaza bunny tradition.
"We think they are awesome. We think that they are such an amazing and unique tradition that is so unique to the Plaza," she said.
While each bunny and other creature is unique, Lowe said she views them as only a parent can.
"They are like our children. You can't really have a favorite can you?" she asked with a laugh.
Click here for a printable Plaza Bunny map.
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