Chocolate Easter Bunnies

Have you ever wondered which of the many available chocolate Easter Bunnies out there is worth your money?

For some people, they have one classic favorite. Maybe because it is the bunny they always received in their Easter Basket, like the basic chocolate bunnies made by brands like Hershey or Palmer. Some are not so loyal to one bunny, and are seeking the best for their tastes and price range. I found a few sites offering reviews of a good sampling of bunnies, and want to share the results with you. Many of them were chosen in blind taste tests for flavor, while others were chosen for cost effectiveness.

1. Lindt Milk Chocolate Bunny

Price: $4.50 for 3.5 oz

This little guy won at epicurious.com for its wonderful smell, creamy texture and taste, and elegant packaging. It is a hollow bunny. There are some varying opinions about the flavor of Lindt chocolate, but that like anything else depends on your tastes. I have had this bunny and agree that it is my favorite of the more “well known” brands available at my local super market. I have purchased a couple of these little guys just to keep around for me to eat. The only down side to this guy maybe that it is not the cutesy bunny form you are seeking for your kids.

Can’t find it at your local market? Purchase it at Lindt’s website for $4.50.

2. Hershey’s Bliss Milk Chocolate Hollow Bunny

Price : $4.99 for 4 oz

At epicurious taste testers enjoyed the colorful and detailed foil packaging, and the dark chocolate like taste of the bunny itself. The downside is that some find that it has a chewy texture. And of course, if you do not like the taste of dark chocolate then this bunny is not for you. This bunny should be easy to find at your local super market.

3. Godiva Bertie the Milk Chocolate Bunny

Price: $25 for 9 oz

The testers at epicurious loved this rabbits packaging, saying it was cute and classic. The taste of the bunny is rich and creamy, with maybe a too sweet aftertaste. The downside to this treat is its cost. I am also not sure if you will be able to find this little guy locally if you do not have a Godiva store.

You can order this bunny at godiva.com.

4. Reester Bunny

If you love Reeses or know someone who does than this is the best cholcolate bunny choice! It is surprisingly good, and has all the flavor that you love in Reeses peanut butter filling.

These bunnies are also avialble in a smaller size:

For those who are not a fan of the cartoon bunny packaging, there is also another large chocolate bunny option, the Milk Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bunny.

All three of these options I have found at my local super market. I am afraid though that I do not have exact prices on these items, but they should be comparably priced to the Hershey’s bunny above.

5. See’s Candy Bunny –

Price: $9.10 for 10 ounces

This bunny was suggested by sweets.seriouseats.com, as being a good amount of chocolate for the price, having a nice presentation, and as having a taste not overly sweet, nor fake. I have never had Sees candy, but I know quite a few people who love it and claim it as their favorite brand.

Can’t find it a local store or mall kiosk? Find it at Sees website here.

6. Fran’z Chocolate Bunny

Price: $8.00 for 4 oz

Another choice at sweets.seriouseats, this bunny has no frills in packaging complete in just its golden foil wrapper. This is single origin Venezuelan chocolate which has a wonderful cremey texture, that is not too sweet. This is probably another bunny better for the chocolate lover rather than for a child’s easter basket.

Want to order one? Please visit franschocolates.com.

7. Hershey’s Snapsy Bunny

Nothing truly special here in taste or quality, but it is easy to find at the local supermarket and if you love the taste of Hershey’s chocolate this bunny is for you. It also features a unique design so that it is easy to break apart – for easy consumption or to share. This is especially nice for kids who cannot consume a whole bunny on their own. While I do not have the exact cost, it will be comparable with the above Hershey’s bunny.

8. Dove Milk Chocolate Bunny

This can be considered one of the “upper end” super market chocolate bunnies. The packaging is just like many of the other available bunnies, but this bunny has an advantage in taste. Dove has a rich chocolate flavor without any strange after tastes or textures. If you love Dove chocolate, or want to get a little bit more for your money in flavor this year, then this guy is for you. Comparably priced to the Hershey’s bunny above.

Palmer – honorable mention. The picture at the top of the article is of a larger offering of the company’s products. They have them in all shapes and sizes. I will eat their chocolate, but it is not my favorite and I have found some of their offerings to have bad after tastes. But if you are looking for a well priced bunny with lots of choices, Palmer is your brand.

 

I really wanted to do this myself this year! But lets face it – I cannot purchase and taste test all of that chocolate myself! Maybe in the future, but I hope that you enjoyed these reviews.

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Champis – The Herding Rabbit

Have you ever seen a rabbit heard sheep?  I had not until I discovered the video of Champis – a little bunny from where I believe is Gardsbacken, Finland.

This little bunny is truly awesome and a great display of rabbit intelligence.

Champis  with his favorite chicken:

Champis outside the sheep pen

Champis watching the sheep outside

You can read more about this little bunny on the Gardsbacken blog. If you search “Champis” in the upper right you will find all the article about him, a couple are in English but the rest can be read through the use of Google translate.

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Lion Photos

Sorry for the lack of recent posts, I just got back from vacation.

Animal Planet has a great article about special cameras that can be used remotely to take pictures of wildlife.  The Beetlecam is a remote controlled buggy that has a DSLR camera attached to it created by two brothers, Will and Matt.

Here are two of the cameras:

(William Burrard-Lucas)

The creators of the camera wanted to take amazing pictures of African wildlife, specifically lions. Here are some of the pictures that they were able to capture with their modified cameras:

Up close and personal:

(William Burrard-Lucas)

Male Lion

(William Burrard-Lucas)

Cubs

(William Burrard-Lucas)

Lion chewing on the reinforced BeetleCam

(William Burrard-Lucas)

You can read the full article from Animal Planet here, and can see the full galleries of pictures from the BeetleCam Project here.

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Iditarod

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 40th Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska. Sixty-six mushers and their teams of dogs will race for 8 days, beginning in the town of Willow, to reach the town of Nome. The race covers around 1000 miles, with the actual mileage different as start points are changed around. Mushers have teams of 12 – 16 dogs, and must have 6 on the tow line in front of the sled when they reach Nome. The first 30 to finish split $550,000 – with the first team to cross the line receiving $50,400 and a new truck.

The race is loosely based off the 1925 serum run in which a diphtheria epidemic threatened the town of Nome. The closest available serum to treat the disease was in Anchorage. No safe planes were available to transport it, so it made the trip first by train and then my a relay team of 20 mushers and over 100 dogs. No dog ran over 100 miles. The famous Balto was lead dog of the team which arrived in town with the serum – just five and a half days after it left Anchorage.

Teams of dogs starting the race:

(REUTERS/Wayde Carroll)

The dogs wear booties to protect their paws:

(AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen)

I think sled dogs are amazing, a wonderful example of a dog doing what it was bred to do in some of the harshest conditions possible. These dogs spend much of their lives outdoors, having thick fur which allows them to withstand freezing temperatures.

National Geographic also has a great set of pictures featuring military sled dogs. This is currently the only military dog sled team in the world which operates in Greenland, paroling the frozen coastline. There are 12 men who make up the team, and they complete a full investigation of the coast at least once every 5 years.

Here is a close up of two of the dogs:

Ariel shot out on the ice:

Dogs being transported by plane to the northern coast of Greenland:

Dogs kenneled outside, far apart so that they do not fight with each other:

(All photos taken by Fritz Hoffman)

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Hamster Conan

Conan O’Brien has been doing a segment called Puppy Conan on his show. On the last night that he featured the segment he also featured Hamster Conan for the first time. Just like with Puppy Conan, the hamsters had their own logo and an even smaller version of the show’s set. They were even wearing tiny wigs.

Logo

Conan hamster:

Here is the Clip of the show first showing the Puppy Conan segment, followed by Hamster Conan.

And merchandise is now available for Puppy Conan in the Team Coco store at cafepress!

The merchandise has many shirts to choose from in different cuts and colors for men and women. Here is an example:

You can also get baby items, bags, hats, and even a shirt for a dog:

Or if you were more a fan of when Conan used an owl for marketing this women’s shirt is available for $25 at the shop on Teamcoco.com:

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Sleeping Hummingbird

Here is a video of a sleeping hummingbird:

The bird is in a special container to measure its oxygen consumption, and it was safely released after the experiment.

The students who performed these experiments also took pictures while they were gathering birds to observe.

Baby Sunangel

Violet-throated Starfrontlet

Chestnut-breasted Coronet

(all images from photobucket)

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DOGTV

Does your dog have to spend a lot of time at home alone? What I never thought could exist  now does, a tv channel dedicated to your dog – for your dog called DOGTV. The channel is not for people, it is literally designed for your dog to watch.

Currently DOGTV is only available in San Diego, but a nation wide release is in the works. It is a pay channel, and it will cost about $4.99 a month.

The cable channel is on air 24/7, and is designed to “stimulate, entertain, relax and habituate dogs with shows that expose them to various movements, sounds, objects, experiences and behavior patterns, all from a dog’s point of view.” The company’s website says dogs left alone can develop separation anxiety, boredom, or depression and this is a tool that can help prevent these problems.

Here is a commercial for the product:

The channel’s programming was scientifically developed to capture a dogs attention by a team of people including media professionals, pet experts, and trainers. The content has different segments which can be relaxing or stimulating.  Sounds are designed to be relaxing and at a range safe for dog ears. The channel is meant for all breeds. It is recommended that you watch the channel with your dog the first time just to get them used to it. DOGTV is recognized by the Humane Society of the United States.

Here is a video of the coloration process that programing goes through:

Here is a sample of a stimulation segment from DOGTV:

If you would like to learn more about the channel, how it works, and watch more segments please visit dogtv.com.

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