Man who dresses as white rabbit in Barnes: 'I surprise commuters to take their minds off bad news'

Mark Chandler5 November 2016

A mysterious man who dresses up as a giant white rabbit to wave at commuters in west London once a month says he does it to take people's minds off bad news.

The white rabbit of Barnes has been appearing at the same spot on the first morning of each month for the past year in a variety of costumes including a multi-coloured waistcoat and a burkini.

This week, his appearance on a foggy November morning just after Halloween was widely shared on social media and described by some alarmed people as “terrifying”.

But Spike Mclarrity, a performance artist who is behind the furry costume, said those who find him sinister are in the minority and his fan base is growing.

He told the Standard: “I’m just a bloke wearing a costume, that’s the reality of it, but it’s what it does to people.

"Something shifts, something happens, their perspectives change.

Shifting your consciousness: The white rabbit man 
Sarah Travers

“Sitting on the wall, if somebody’s on a bus or in a car you can see them and they’re obviously thinking about what’s happening in their day.

“But suddenly they see me and their consciousness shifts. Is that a rabbit I just saw on the wall?

Unmasked: Spike Mclarrity
Spike Mclarrity

“Then that becomes a story for the day. They’ll say ‘you’ll never believe what I saw today’. That’s one of the things I enjoy.”

Mr Mclarrity bought the outfit six years ago at a Charing Cross store after being invited to a mad hatters’ tea party event in Paris. After seeing the delighted reactions of the French capital’s residents as he made his way through the city, his alter ego was born.

Celebrity chums: The white rabbit with Boris Johnson
Spike Mclarrity

He explained: “A friend of mine asked me to do it here and said I should do it on the first day of the month.

“Last November I thought, alright, I’ll do it, and here I am a year later.

“My friend takes photos. The idea was a collection of photos to be like a calendar showing a year in the life of a rabbit by the river.”

Alongside his west London appearances, he’s been all over the world in the costume, with visits to Japan, Barcelona, Malta and a host of other places.

As the rabbit, he has also met Boris Johnson, been to a Royal wedding and campaigned against the imprisonment of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

He said: “At first people are a bit daunted by the costume but they then just demand photos. Generally, people do really like it.

“If I see somebody doesn’t, I might walk across the road. But the response has been amazing.”

On his Facebook page he also likes to share some “rabbit wisdom” to see people through dark times.

The former care worker, now on his second costume after someone spilled paint on the original outfit, said: “We’ve been living in such a difficult year with Brexit and racism and terrorism so it’s just to have someone say ‘it’s alright’.”

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