Carousel of Dreams unveils new Easter Bunny carving ahead of first egg hunt in years
He has big ears, and he cannot lie.
Sir Hops-a-Lot, the new Easter Bunny addition to the Gesa Carousel of Dreams, was unveiled Thursday to a crowd of eager riders.
The Bunny’s hip hop-inspired name was one of 25 voted on by the staff at Toyota of Tri-Cities, who sponsored the bunny.
He is the first new addition to the carousel in about five years, and comes just in time for Easter and Gesa Carousel’s first in-person Easter egg hunt in three years on April 16.
Children and adults can hop on Hops-a-Lot through April 24, then he will be taken down until next year.
“I just can’t wait to see these little kids get on there, with their big smiles, and pet him and love him like we do,” said carver Mike Thornton, 75.
The Richland-based carver has constructed four of the 48 animals currently on display — including the Washington State University Cougar, the Christmas reindeer and the salmon on the ring arm.
With COVID, it took two years for Hops-a-Lot to come to life, though it only took Thornton six months and nearly 250 hours to carve.
“It is hand carved from basswood, a wood soft enough to carve easily, but durable enough to last through years of riders,” read a news release from Gesa Carousel. “It was painted by Sue Baldwin of Republic, Washington, and the paint team at the Carousel of Smiles in Sandpoint, Idaho.”
Thornton, who got his start carving reproduction Queen Anne style furniture, hopes carousel riders both big and small notice the detail in the fur and the lamb in the saddle.
He labored over the piece, and had to carve Hops-a-Lot’s head twice after the first one came out wonky.
“It works pretty good,” said 8-year-old Ryan Seffens, who got the first ride after its unveiling and is a regular carousel rider. “I’ve never seen an animal carved as good.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 12:42 PM.
