Dinky & Delightful Divination With The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot & Rune Deck

I’ve had the pleasure of working and reading with Deckstiny’s Chubby Bun Tarot and Chubby Bun Runes for almost a year now. It’s one of my favoured sets of decks, possibly due to the fact that my nine-year-old daughter raves about rabbits and is bunny bonkers!

Deckstiny has recently rereleased these decks as adorable pocket-sized editions and I for one am in awe – the new editions are even sweeter (if that were even possible ?!) than their predecessors.

Who Is DeckStiny?

Based in Thailand, Deckstiny  (formerly known as Shuffle Tarot) first came about when they launched their first indy Tarot deck –  The Shuffle Tarot A & B. Deckstiny is a team collaboration of Mate Horonumber, Oomsin Phumphat, and a number of other artists and contributors including Jujiir.

Over the past few years Deckstiny, alongside their contributing artists, has designed, developed, and produced a range of modern, cutesy, divination decks, all of which are available to purchase Worldwide via their Etsy shop.

The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot

Based on the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot was released in April 2022 and is the fourth edition of this particular franchise including eighty-two cards (rather than the traditional seventy-eight card Tarot deck)

Packaging & Presentation Information

The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot arrives packaged in a turquoise blue and yellow sturdy cardboard box featuring beautiful bunny-based decor on the front, back, inside, and outside of the packaging.

Deckstiny seems to have significantly improved its packaging as unlike the previous edition of the Chubby Bun Tarot, which arrived in a thin, flimsy, tuck box that was easily damaged, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot has sturdy storage ideal for tarot readers wishing to store and display their decks.

The Cards

Printed on matt-linen coated 310 GSM Japanese high-quality card stock, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot measures a dinky 98 x 57mm. With twee, turquoise, symmetrical-style card backs featuring cute bunnies, carrots, and decorative detail beautifully bordered in white, the Chubby Bun Tarot is ideal for upright and reversed readings.

Unlike the previous editions of this deck that were borderless, the latest Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot has simple white borders both around the card backs and fronts alongside matching plain white card edging.

Due to the linen-coated cardstock, the cards feel slightly textured which makes for a rather satisfying ‘swish’ sound whilst shuffling.

Getting By Without A Guidebook

Like the majority of Deckstiny’s divination decks, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot comes without any form of instructions or guidebook . This be something that those looking to consider purchasing this deck may wish to consider.

The Major Arcana

The imagery within the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot is identical to that from previous editions, only with the added bordering.

The major arcana follows the traditional setup of the RWS Tarot. However, titling has been altered for some cards such as the Moon which has been renamed as ‘Luna’, the Sun which has been renamed as ‘Sol’, and the Hanged Man which has been renamed as ‘Hanged Bunny’.

The Minor Arcana

The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot uses the traditional suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles alongside the court card figures of Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

The Suit of Wands

The Suit of Cups

The Suit of Swords

The Suit of Pentacles

Certification & Additional Cards

Alongside the standard cards, Deckstiny has included a number of additional/ bonus cards within the Chubby Bun Tarot. These include four protective art cards, and a certification card (as Deckstiny only print limited numbers of each deck and thus supplies certification cards with each and every one of their decks to prove authenticity alongside the exact number of the edition customers purchase).

Deckstiny has also added twelve zodiac cards for those who may wish to include astrology within their Tarot readings.

Finally, Deckstiny has included three seasonal Happy Squirrel cards and the Bunny Lalibun card which, once again, readers may wish to include or put to one side during their readings.

Comparing the Chubby Bun Pocket Edition Tarot with the original Chubby Bun Tarot (V2)

In order to further illustrate some of the differences between the previous and newer editions of the Chubby Bun Tarot, I have included pictures of the packaging, card fronts, and card backs.

I personally far prefer the newer packaging as it is super sturdy and given that the newer deck is a pocket edition, I will be a lot happier putting a thicker cardboard box that can withstand a few bumps and scrapes rather than a flimsy tuck box, which would damage easily into my bag for travel purposes.

The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot feels far more pastel in theming than its predecessor. Whilst I rather liked the colourful card backs featured in the standard deck, I feel the newer Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot card backs are a bit more adult.

As you can see the only difference other than size between the standard and pocket edition of these decks is the added bordering.

Reading & Working With The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot

I’ve been working and reading with the standard edition of the Chubby Bun Tarot for quite some time – it’s one of those cutesy decks that I’ll often pull out during the spring months simply due to its seasonal appeal and as much as I love the Chubby Bun Tarot, I must admit I far prefer the new pocket edition.

The Chubby Bun Tarot was already mega-cute but the pocket edition is even sweeter, especially with the added borders and the more adult card backs. What’s more, with its luxurious textured, linen card stock, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot is terrifically tactile to shuffle, making for a rather magical read.

With clear, easy-to-interpret imagery, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot is ideal for readers of all ages and abilities, though due to its incredibly cutesy, cartoon-style, bunny-theming, this is probably a deck that will attract a younger audience.

Runes

The word ‘Rune’ means ‘secret’, ‘mystery’, ‘a whisper’, or ‘something hidden’. Although rune stones/ cards have just one symbol, each and every stone/ card actually represents a wide range of information.

Runes date back to ancient proto-Germanic traditions potentially during the 1st century AD. Runes are traditionally made from stone or wood and use the runic alphabet consisting of twenty-four letters. Runes were traditionally used as a method of fortune-telling and seen as a protective tool to ward away bad spirits and rune inscriptions have been found on weapons, gravestones, and jewellery from ancient times.

It appears that Runes first came about from the German alphabet which was used by the Nordic Tribes of Northern Europe. The Elder Futhark (named after the initials of the first six runes in the alphabet) was in use up to the 8th century, at which point other runic symbols were introduced and the language began to dilute.

Rune Stones VS Rune Cards

Whilst rune stones stem back to ancient times, rune cards are a relatively new concept. Rather than casting stones, readers simply cast cards much like they would with Tarot or Oracle decks. I personally like to use both physical rune stones and rune cards depending upon circumstances during individual readings.

The Chubby Bun Pocket Rune Deck

Based on the Elder Futhark runes, the Chubby Bun Pocket Rune deck was released in April 2022 alongside the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot.

I personally own a number of rune sets and decks which I tend to combine with Tarot and Oracle cards when carrying out readings. You can understand therefore why I appreciate having matching runes and Tarot such as the Chubby Bun series that match.

It is worth bearing in mind that there are a very limited amount of rune decks on the market in comparison to the likes of Tarot and Oracle decks, this is most likely as runes traditionally are made from wood, stone, or materials other than card and rune decks are a fairly new concept.

The Chubby Bun Pocket Runes arrive perfectly packaged in a delightfully decorated, sturdy, cardboard box similar to that of the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot

The Chubby Bun Runes Pocket Edition Cards

Printed on 310 GSM Japanese, textured, matt-linen coated card stock featuring symmetrical bunny-themed, turquoise coloured card back with plain white bordering and edging, the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes include an additional five cards to that of the standard twenty-four Elder Futhark runes.

The Guidebook has Gone!

Whilst the original Chubby Bun Runes came with a small guidebook, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot comes without – this may be something worth considering if you are looking to buy this deck.

Additional Cards & Certification

Each Deckstiny divination deck, including the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot, arrives with certification as proof of authenticity. The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot also comes with two protective art cards and a title card.

Alongside the twenty-four standard Elder-Futhark rune cards, Deckstiny has also included a blank rune card, Loki, Odin, Freya, and Thor cards which readers may wish to include or put to one side during readings.

Comparing the Chubby Bun Pocket Edition Runes with the original Chubby Bun Runes (V2)

I have included photographs to further illustrate the differences between the Chubby Bun Runes standard deck and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes. As you can see, the main differences, other than size, are the additional borders, and alternate, more adult-style card backs.

As I mentioned previously, Deckstiny has upgraded and improved its packaging from flimsy tuck boxes to sturdier, more stylish boxes. This is certainly evident when comparing the original Chubby Bun Runes to the newer Chubby Bun Pocket Runes.

Reading & Working With The Chubby Bun Pocket Runes

Though I’ve spent months using the original Chubby Bun Runes as part of my daily divination routine, I must say that just lI much prefer both the latest Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes as they are both so sweeter in their pocket size, along with being that bit more ‘adult’ in style.

Bonding The Bunnies

I tend to combine Tarot, Oracle, and Rune cards during my daily divination readings – I find that by placing different divination cards and techniques together I am able to establish a more detailed, informative reading. The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes are quite simply made to match – thus are a divination dream to work with!

Let’s Take A Closer Look At The Cards

I have created a short video walkthrough of both the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes, alongside a comparison to the original Chubby Bun Tarot and Chubby Bun Rune decks.

Purchasing & Pricing Information

Both the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes are available to purchase online via Deckstiny’s Etsy Store. The Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot is priced at £53.31 and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes are priced at £39.17. Deckstiny has however offered a deal on purchasing the two decks together for £89.22, this offers a saving of £3.26.

Postage and packaging prices from Thailand to the UK are currently listed at an additional cost of £35.35 thus if you are wishing to order a deck from Deckstiny, it’s certainly worth combining your purchases to save on postage where possible.

To Summarise

This adorable pastel-coloured, cartoon-style, cutesy divination set is a must-have for any rabbit-raving, fluffy-fanatic, bunny fans. Sweeter than ever before, this pocket-sized divination set is ideal for all ages and abilities of readers. With its easy-to-interpret, enchanting and endearing imagery, the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot and the Chubby Bun Pocket Runes are a luxurious, lovable set of decks making for delightful divination.

For further information on the Chubby Bun Pocket Tarot, Chubby Bun Pocket Runes, or alternative Deckstiny divination decks visit www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ShuffleTarot

Disclosure: I was sent the above products for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.