Faculty of Design

Material Art & Design

Melody Juthamongkol

The Rabbit Lantern - The Jade Rabbit

The Rabbit Lantern, a toy cart that illuminates the Mid-Autumn streets, commemorates the sacrifice of The Jade Rabbit. The set consists of a ring and a pinky distal accessory with a mini candle insert. To assemble the toywellery, the mini (rabbit tail) candle is inserted into the wire rabbit structure. The wire rabbit is then securely placed into the ring (fire cart). The end of the rabbit wire is a pinky distal accessory where the player would wear it like a ring. Once assembled, the cart toy can be dragged along a flat surface, following the player's hand.Please refer to the video for the assembly and play demonstration.

“On the quest to find a reliable maker for the elixir of life, the Jade Emperor enters a forest, disguised himself as a starving and frail man calling out for help. Three animals responded to the call. A fox, a monkey and a rabbit. To assist the disguised emperor, the fox bought fish from the nearby stream while the monkey gathered fruits from the tree. Despite searching all throughout the forest, the rabbit was only able to source grass, inedible for the man. Upon seeing the man enjoying the nourishment provided by the fox and monkey near the campfire, the rabbit decided to jump into the flames, offering itself as meat for the man. Impressed by this ultimate act of selflessness, the Jade Emperor saved the rabbit from being burnt and instead sent it up to the moon where it is tasked with the making of the life elixir. As this legend of the rabbit on the moon is commonly told during the mid-autumn festival, the rabbit lantern toy is also most prevalent during this period. The toy lantern takes the form of a small lit rabbit-shaped wheeled cart that can be dragged along the floor.The design of this toywellery focuses on the scene of the rabbit’s sacrifice and it’s journey to the moon. Motifs of fire, the moon, and the colour green are emphasized. The flame design is featured on the ring as well as the sides of the wire rabbit structure. Elements that referenced the moon such as the wheels and the finger distal accessory are cut from a reticulated sterling sheet to emulate its extraterrestrial surface. Green-coloured gems, jade and emerald cubic zirconia, are chosen to reference the Jade emperor and the title of the narrative: The Jade Rabbit.”