Sacramento airport’s red rabbit has a brother in Napa wine country. Meet ‘Bunny Foo Foo’
Leaping over leafy grape vines, a shiny steel rabbit glints in the Napa Valley sunshine.
“Bunny Foo Foo” has greeted visitors to Hall Wines in St. Helena for about a decade. And it has a special connection to Sacramento.
“I love the way he reflects the blue sky on a gorgeous (day) in the valley,” Hall Wines vintner Kathryn Walt Hall told The Sacramento Bee via email, describing the 35-foot-long sculpture as “beautiful and huge.”
She and her husband, Craig Hall, own two winery properties in the Napa Valley — Hall Wines in St. Helena and Hall Rutherford in Rutherford — in addition to Northern California tasting rooms for their other brands, Walt Wines and Baca Wines.
They’re set to open a Hall Wines tasting room at the new Thompson Palm Springs hotel in downtown Palm Springs in the fall.
Over the years, “Bunny Foo Foo” has become emblematic of the Halls’ St. Helena property as well as a popular tourist attraction, according to Lisa Covey, public relations director for Hall Family Wines.
“People come in and take pictures in front of the bunny daily,” Covey told The Bee via email. “It’s one of the most Instagrammable (art) pieces in Napa Valley!”
How did “Bunny Foo” wind up in wine country — and what is its link to one of Sacramento’s most iconic art pieces?
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What is rabbit sculpture’s connection to Sacramento airport?
Like “Leap,” the massive red rabbit that greets travelers to Sacramento International Airport, “Bunny Foo Foo” was designed by Denver artist Lawrence Argent.
Both sculptures depict bouncing bunnies, although they differ in size and materials.
Visible from the mezzanine level of the airport’s Terminal B, “Leap” features a 56-foot-long aluminum rabbit suspended by steel cables from the ceiling over the escalator.
Caught in mid-jump, the big bunny appears to be bounding toward a granite suitcase the size of a queen bed in the baggage claim area.
Kathryn Hall remembers the first time she saw “Leap,” which was unveiled in 2011.
“I thought the rabbit, like all the art at the Sacramento airport, was fabulous,” said Hall, an attorney, businesswoman and former U.S. ambassador to Austria. “It is such a wonderful addition to this beautiful architecture of the building.”
“I am not sure that this was connected to our desire to do ‘Bunny Foo Foo’ at Hall,” she added, “but I am delighted that Lawrence Argent has two sculptures in Northern California.”
Why is there a giant rabbit in Napa Valley wine country?
Completed in 2014, “Bunny Foo Foo” began with a directive from Craig and Kathryn Hall to create a sculpture inspired by a classic children’s song, Argent wrote on his website.
Sung to the tune of “Alouette,” “Little Bunny Foo Foo” describes a mischievous rabbit harassing field mice.
“When my children were very young, I would bring them along with me on my daily vineyard walks” in Mendocino, Hall said. “To keep them amused, we would look for Bunny Foo Foo. ... Every vineyard has lots of rabbits, including ours.”
“Whilst I am not normally an artist that heads to such directive, I thought it an exciting challenge” to work within those parameters, wrote Argent, who died in 2017. “The site and majestic surroundings reinforced a desire to try to successfully integrate and subversively interrupt a connection to place.”
The result was a playfully posed rabbit with a liquid, lacy look and polished finish.
“I knew the resonance of what I was creating would have a significant impact on the vista surrounding the property,” the artist said.
Where can I find the big bunny in St. Helena?
“Bunny Foo Foo” sits at the entrance of Hall Wines, 401 St. Helena Highway in St. Helena, welcoming guests to the 33-acre property off Highway 29.
“He is oriented toward the winery as his business is all about enjoying being in the vineyard,” Hall said.
Argent described the steel bunny sculpture as “leaping from across the highway into the Hall winery property.”
How big is ‘Bunny Foo Foo’?
“Bunny Foo Foo” measures 35 feet long, 15 feet high and 7 feet wide, according to Argent and Covey.
It’s crafted from 316-grade stainless steel and weighs approximately 7,260 pounds, Covey said.
Hall Wines declined to say how much the sculpture cost.
Why does steel sculpture get costume changes?
Hall Wines president Mike Reynolds came up with the playful idea of dressing up “Bunny Foo Foo” for holidays and special occasions, according to Covey.
“He is a big ‘Star Wars’ fan so one of the first costumes was a lightsaber” to coincide with the release of a “Star Wars” movie, Covey said.
So far, the rabbit sculpture has sported an American flag to celebrate Independence Day, a basket for Easter, a pointed orange-and-black hat for Halloween and reindeer antlers and a red nose for Christmas.
“Bunny Foo Foo” will hold up a wooden auction paddle for the sold-out Napa Valley Barrel Auction at Hall Wines on May 31, Covey said.
What role does art play at Hall Wines?
“Modern art is woven through every Hall, Walt and Baca property,” Covey said. “The Halls love modern art and (‘Bunny Foo Foo’) is an example of art leaping out of the vineyard.”
“It’s very reminiscent of the art of winemaking,” she added, describing the sculpture as “powerful” and “bold.”
The extensive art collection at Hall Wines’ St. Helena property, which is curated by Virginia Shore, includes a life-sized camel sculpture by John Baldessari, willow sapling structures by Patrick Dougherty and a colorful wall hanging by Nick Cave crafted from beaded and sequined garments.
“Any piece of art that my husband and I acquire has two requirements: We both have to love the work and it needs to make us smile,” Hall said.
“I must say that ‘Bunny Foo Foo’ does this in spades,” she said. “It makes me smile every day I come to work.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2024 at 2:00 AM.
