Marlon Bundo facts for kids
Bundo in 2017
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| Species | Domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 2012 or 2013:6:19 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | c. January 15, 2022 (aged 8–10) |
| Known for | Pet of the Pence family |
| Owner | Charlotte, Mike, and Karen Pence |
| Appearance | Black and white |
| Named after | Marlon Brando |
Marlon Bundo (born around 2012/2013 – died January 15, 2022) was a famous rabbit. He was also known as the Bunny of the United States (BOTUS). Bundo belonged to the family of Mike Pence, who was the Vice President from 2017 to 2021.
Charlotte Pence, Mike Pence's daughter, adopted Bundo for a school film project. His name is a fun play on words, inspired by the actor Marlon Brando. Bundo was special because he was the first rabbit to fly on Air Force Two. He also had a very popular Instagram page and was featured in four children's books.
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Marlon Bundo's Life Story
Marlon Bundo, a black and white rabbit, lived with the Pence family. They lived at the United States Naval Observatory from 2017 to 2021. The Pence family also had other pets. These included an Australian Shepherd dog named Harley and two cats named Hazel and Pickle.
How Bundo Joined the Family
Charlotte Pence found Marlon Bundo in 2013. She was a freshman at DePaul University in Chicago. Charlotte needed a rabbit for a short film project for school. In her film, Bundo played a rabbit who kept escaping his cage. He was a "symbol of rebellion."
Charlotte texted Bundo's owner to ask about the price. The owner replied, "Make me an offer." This reminded Charlotte's friend of a famous line from the movie The Godfather. In that movie, the character Don Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) says, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Because of this, Charlotte decided to name her new rabbit Marlon Bundo.
Charlotte told the Chicago Tribune about getting Bundo:
- "We drove out to the suburbs, my friends and I, and we picked him up."
- "I think he was like $20. He was in the short film, and I just kept him after that."
Bundo lived with Charlotte for four years while she was in college. He even became part of her group of friends.
Bundo's Travels and White House Visits
In January 2017, Bundo traveled from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Washington, D.C.. He flew on Air Force Two, making him the first rabbit to ever travel on that plane!
Bundo made his first official public appearance in May 2017. He attended an event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. This event honored Military Appreciation Month. Everyone there thought he was "admired."
Bundo was even featured on the White House's Flickr page on May 11, 2017. This showed his first trip to the White House. He also met President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at a dinner.
The Pence family cared for Bundo very well. At one point, some people noticed his nails seemed long. But The Washington Post later reported that Bundo "promptly got a pedicure."
Bundo on Social Media
Marlon Bundo had his very own Instagram account. By May 2019, he had over 33,000 followers! Charlotte started the account after her father became Vice President. She wasn't sure if anyone would follow it. While four former U.S. presidents have had rabbits, Bundo was the first with a social media account.
Bundo's Instagram usually avoided politics. Instead, he shared pictures of his daily bunny life. These included photos of him:
- Being hugged by Charlotte Pence.
- Hopping around the house.
- Playing hide-and-seek with Pickle, the family cat.
- "Reading" the Constitution.
- "Taking" phone calls.
- "Signing" documents.
- "Working out" on a treadmill.
Because Bundo was so popular online, Charlotte and Karen Pence decided to write children's books about him.
Charlotte announced Bundo's passing on social media on January 15, 2022.
Marlon Bundo's Books
Marlon Bundo was the star of four children's books.
The first book was Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President. It showed Bundo going with Vice President Pence through his daily activities. The story was told from Bundo's point of view. Charlotte Pence wrote the book, and Karen Pence drew the pictures. Bundo himself posed for all the illustrations!
Money from the book sales went to good causes. These included Tracy's Kids, an art therapy program, and The A21 Campaign. By March 2018, the book had sold about 100,000 copies. It became a top-ten book on Amazon. It was also No. 7 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Picture Books.
Charlotte and Karen later wrote two more books about Bundo. These completed a "bunny trilogy." The other books were Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Nation's Capital and Marlon Bundo's Best Christmas Ever.
Images for kids
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Bundo in 2017
