In 2005, an Austrian art group called Gelitin dragged a 200-foot pink stuffed rabbit onto a hillside in northern Italy and stitched it together by hand. They named it Hase.
It wasn’t fenced off or protected — the idea was to simply leave it there. No guards. No maintenance. Just a giant plush bunny slowly giving in to rain, wind, gravity, and time.
At first, it felt surreal — like a cartoon dropped into the countryside. Hikers climbed over it, relaxed on it, and snapped photos. From above, it looked soft and playful against the rugged landscape.
But decay was part of the design.
By 2007, the seams began to split. By 2018, much of the pink fabric had faded or torn away, revealing stuffing and structure underneath. The cheerful toy slowly transformed into something skeletal — more relic than rabbit.
Today, it’s mostly an outline pressed into grass and stone. What was once plush and bright has nearly vanished.
It was meant to last about two decades — a giant childhood symbol aging in real time. No repairs. Just erosion.
What began as whimsical became haunting.
No explosion. No demolition.
Just time doing what it always does.
Soft things don’t last forever.
It wasn’t fenced off or protected — the idea was to simply leave it there. No guards. No maintenance. Just a giant plush bunny slowly giving in to rain, wind, gravity, and time.
At first, it felt surreal — like a cartoon dropped into the countryside. Hikers climbed over it, relaxed on it, and snapped photos. From above, it looked soft and playful against the rugged landscape.
But decay was part of the design.
By 2007, the seams began to split. By 2018, much of the pink fabric had faded or torn away, revealing stuffing and structure underneath. The cheerful toy slowly transformed into something skeletal — more relic than rabbit.
Today, it’s mostly an outline pressed into grass and stone. What was once plush and bright has nearly vanished.
It was meant to last about two decades — a giant childhood symbol aging in real time. No repairs. Just erosion.
What began as whimsical became haunting.
No explosion. No demolition.
Just time doing what it always does.
Soft things don’t last forever.
In 2005, an Austrian art group called Gelitin dragged a 200-foot pink stuffed rabbit onto a hillside in northern Italy and stitched it together by hand. They named it Hase.
It wasn’t fenced off or protected — the idea was to simply leave it there. No guards. No maintenance. Just a giant plush bunny slowly giving in to rain, wind, gravity, and time.
At first, it felt surreal — like a cartoon dropped into the countryside. Hikers climbed over it, relaxed on it, and snapped photos. From above, it looked soft and playful against the rugged landscape.
But decay was part of the design.
By 2007, the seams began to split. By 2018, much of the pink fabric had faded or torn away, revealing stuffing and structure underneath. The cheerful toy slowly transformed into something skeletal — more relic than rabbit.
Today, it’s mostly an outline pressed into grass and stone. What was once plush and bright has nearly vanished.
It was meant to last about two decades — a giant childhood symbol aging in real time. No repairs. Just erosion.
What began as whimsical became haunting.
No explosion. No demolition.
Just time doing what it always does.
Soft things don’t last forever.
