Make millions by ransoming a rabbit

In February, we brought you the plight of a floppy-eared bunny named Toby, whose owners rescued him after a brawl with an alley cat and nursed him back to health. His rescuers then populated a Web site with adorable pics of their fluffy friend, along with a note that demanded visitors contribute money via PayPal to fulfill a $50,000 ransom by June 30, or Toby would be prepared as part of “a mid-summer feast.” While AdFreak didn’t care to donate—rabbits are delicious—we checked back in. Animal lovers exhale—Toby lives. According to SaveToby.com, PayPal discontinued SaveToby’s account after angry bunny enthusiasts complained. Together, the PayPal and PETA sympathizers granted the bunny a stay of execution, albeit a temporary one. The “rescuers” have now parlayed their scheme into a book, Save Toby: Only You Have the Power to Save Toby, published by Citadel Press and scheduled for an Aug. 1 release. Their new demand is that readers buy 100,000 copies of the book (which retails for $9.95) by Nov. 6, which would result in a total of $1 million in sales. That’s quite a hike from $50,000. According to their site, authors James and Brian had already sold 3,467 books as of June 30, the day of Toby’s supposed execution, even though it isn't yet available. Amazon.com ranks it as 517,118 in book sales. This is one rabbit that’s a real cash cow.

—Posted by Deanna Zammit

July 19, 2005 | Permalink