Child's Lost Stuffed Bunny At LI Farm Touches Hearts

MANORVILLE, NY — A lost stuffed bunny has hopped its way home on Long Island, thanks to caring hearts, kindness — and the power of social media.

On Monday, a post on the Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden's Instagram and Facebook pages showed a bunny so well-worn and loved he conjured images of the veritable Velveteen Rabbit.

"Attention! We are posting this because we know that somewhere, someone is looking for their special bunny," the post said. "If you know whose bunny this is, please let us know. We are taking care of this bunny."

According to Marc Weiss, it was his aunt Audrey Weiss, Waterdrinker team manager and wife of owner Wayne Weiss, who found the bunny and immediately knew that it needed to be returned to its owner.

"We posted a picture of the bunny in the tulip field on our social media in hopes that other people would share the picture," Weiss said. "Within a few hours, the bunny was returned."

The worried mom of the little girl, 4, said she'd lost the bunny on Friday; Audrey Weiss found the fuzzy little friend Saturday.

The lost bunny touched Audrey's heart; as a mother, she knew how precious a blanket or stuffed toy, no matter how tattered or torn, is to a small child. Weiss said his own daughter has a rainbow blankie that she can't be without. "If we lose it, we're screwed," he laughed.

He even has his own childhood blanket at his mother's house, where she's kept it safe for years.

Audrey was resolute that the bunny would be reunited with the child who'd lost it. "She said, 'We need to find the owner of that bunny!'" Weiss said. "It became her mission for the weekend."

Audrey not only set out to find the bunny's owner, but also took photos of the stuffed toy around the farm, in the tulip fields — the Tulip Festival is now taking place at the farm —with the tortoises, and even with a real-life bunny who lives there.

"She was taking the bunny on an adventure," Weiss said.

Once the photo of the bunny in the tulip field was posted on Instagram, there were scores of shares and within six hours, it was a sweet reunion between the tattered toy and the little girl for whom it represents a priceless treasure.

"The mom was super relieved," Weiss said. "She said she'd had to make up stories about the bunny out with friends, the bunny out visiting. She told her daughter, 'Don't worry, the bunny will be back.' She said she was so glad it was actually true."

Audrey plans to compile all the photos she took of the bunny to document his grand adventure.

"It's kind of like Flat Stanley," Weiss said; a series of popular children's books.

"Audrey was a genius to think of posting the bunny on Instagram," Weiss said. "She's the sweetest lady."

The Waterdrinker Family Farm is, indeed, a family affair, with many relatives involved; manager Marc Weiss said. His brothers Joe and Kirk run the Long Island Farm Brewery in the potato barn next door along with his childhood friend Nick Giuffre, he said.

The Tulip Festival is back this year with more than 2 million colorful tulips, a bevy of photo ops — plus, new this year, the chance to pick tulip bouquets and learn about the history of the Netherlands in a tulip tunnel.

Upcoming plans for the farm also include planting with the children at the South Street School in Manorville, as well as at Camp Pa-qua-tuck in Center Moriches, where Weiss' mother Marcella Weiss started the popular Spooky Walk years ago that has since become a family tradition on Long Island.

For additional information on the Tulip Festival or other activities at the Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden, click here.