What is the Bean Bunny?

It is a 13-story-high neon Bean Bunny sign visible for miles from atop an historic bean elevator along the river in downtown Saginaw.
It was the corporate symbol of Michigan Bean Companys "Jack Rabbit Beans" and it is also one of the largest figural neon signs in the United States.

Why the Bean Bunny project?

Since it is an important local landmark since its first lightening in 1947, the Bean Bunny was lit up again on July 4th, 1997 under the sponsorship of the Saginaw Hall of Fame preservationist Thomas B. Mudd. He led the restoration with strong support from Altrusa International, which is a professional women's community service organization.

Why a rabbit for a corporate symbol?

It all started with Houdini's magic show at Jeffers-Strand Theater in Saginaw during the 1920s, where Houdini asked for a volunteer for a bunny magic trick and he promised the rabbit to whomever helped him with it. It turned out that Phyllis Riedel became the volunteer who happened to be the daughter of the founder of Michigan Bean Company. In 1937 Michigan Bean Company was searching for a corporate symbol to replace their old one and they were reminded of Houdini's Bunny magic show and decided a dynamic jumping jack rabbit would be the logo for their company.

Photo Source By : The Saginaw News

©(1996-2006) The Saginaw News. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Saginaw News.