When I was a kid, there was a little nook I used to hide in outside our downstairs bathroom while my mom was using it. I’d wait patiently, then leap out and scare her when she emerged. That’s the closest I ever came to pulling a prank, so April Fools’ Day is not a big event for me. The “fools” I’m referring to here are my mischievous little rabbits.

The First Fool – Angel Derangel 

When we adopted our girl, Angel (later “Angel Derangel,” shortened to “Angel D”), we knew very little about rabbits’ capabilities, preferences, or habits. Angel took up residence in our kitchen and mostly sat around like a lump. A very sweet lump. But a lump. After a few days of cute lumpiness, we figured out that she didn’t like hopping on the slippery linoleum floor. We put a large pillow down for her, and she started running around in tight circles on the pillow. We made a “bridge” of pillows across the kitchen into the dining room, and she started dashing around the area rug, looping around and through the legs of the table and chairs. Let loose on the living room’s larger rug, she zoomed in and out of the room, leaping while waggling her head and butt. She went from a delicate princess to an out-of-control speed demon in a matter of days. We relished her rabbity acrobatics for over a decade. 

The True Fool – Zigzag

A few months after we lost our beloved Angel D, Zigzag hopped into our home on April Fools’ Day. He didn’t have the same need for speed as Angel. His fondest desire was to explore. No slippery surface, whether it be linoleum, tile, or hardwood floor, ever slowed him down. He enjoyed travelling by car, even if most trips ended disappointingly at the vets. When he visited my mother-in-law, he’d run as far as he was allowed, down her longest hall, making his way to the farthest door. And though he loved to climb on everything everywhere, Zigzag refused to hop up on the couch if we were sitting on it. Just like Angel before him, he insisted that we join him on the floor. Unlike Angel, who always favored my wife, Zigzag would snuggle up next to me for hugs while we watched TV.

The New Fool – Digby Flopwell

Too soon, Zigzag left us to explore new worlds and we brought another bunny boy into our home. By this time, we felt like we were rabbit experts and knew what to expect, but Digby Flopwell has come up with a few new tricks to keep us on our toes. A closed door always stopped Zigzag, but Digby digs on the floor in front of the door and on the door itself in an effort to break through. I would write, “in a fruitless effort,” but sometimes the door isn’t properly latched and he actually manages to open it and let himself into the next room to engage in even more shenanigans. In our household, we refer to this as a “breach.” 

All of our rabbits have been kissy buns who gave us rabbity kisses, but Digby’s the only one who has taken this to the extreme and developed a foot fetish. Pause while crossing a room, and before long you will feel DF’s smooth, soft tongue on your bare toes. I grew up with cats, and my wife grew up with dogs, and we both concur: rabbit kisses are the softest, sweetest kisses. 

You might’ve have guessed that these fools didn’t literally save my life. But they have helped me get through some very trying circumstances. We adopted Angel D as production on Teenage Robot started. Creating my own TV show was a wonderful, yet stressful experience. Petting that sweet, affectionate rabbit soothed me like nothing else could. Zigzag and now Digby Flopwell have kept me sane during the pandemic. Loving and being loved by these little creatures has enriched my life in a way I never could’ve imagined.

Thanks for reading my very first newsletter! Next one will have fewer rabbits and more Rob. See you soon!