Peter Rabbitis a fictional animal character in various children's stories by English authorBeatrix Potter.[1]A mischievous, adventurous young rabbit who wears a blue jacket, he first appeared inThe Tale of Peter Rabbitin 1902, and subsequently in five more books between 1904 and 1912. The six books by Potter featuring Peter Rabbit havesold over 150 million copies.[2]Spin-off merchandise includes dishes, wallpaper, painting books, board games and dolls. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patentedstuffed toy,making him the oldestlicensed character.[3][4]
| Peter Rabbit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | The Tale of Peter Rabbit(1902) |
| Created by | Beatrix Potter |
| Voiced by | Rory Carty (1992–1994) Mark Lockyer (1995) Cam Clarke(1995) Connor Fitzgerald (2012–2014) Harry Henty (2014–2016) James Corden(2018–present) Sienna Adams (2019) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | European rabbit |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Mr. Rabbit (father, deceased) Mrs. Rabbit (mother) Benjamin Bunny(cousin/brother in-law) Flopsy Rabbit/Flopsy Bunny (sister/cousin-in-law) Mopsy and Cotton-tail (sisters) |
| Relatives | Bouncer (uncle) Benjamin and Flopsy's children (nephews and nieces/cousins-once removed) unnamed brother-in-law by Cotton-tail |
| Nationality | English |
Peter Rabbit appears as a character in several adaptations, including the television seriesThe World of Peter Rabbit and Friends(1992–1998) andPeter Rabbit(2012–2016), and the live-action/animated filmsPeter Rabbit(2018) andPeter Rabbit 2: The Runaway(2021).
Background
editThe rabbits in Potter's stories areanthropomorphicand wear human clothes: Peter wears a blue jacket with brass buttons and shoes. Peter, his widowed mother, Mrs. Rabbit, as well as his younger sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail (with Peter the eldest of the four little rabbits) live in a rabbit hole that has a human kitchen, human furniture, as well as a shop where Mrs. Rabbit sells various items. Peter's relatives are his cousinBenjamin Bunnyand Benjamin's father, Mr. Benjamin Bouncer.
Peter Rabbit was named after a pet rabbit whom Beatrix Potter had as a child, and whom she called Peter Piper.[5]The first Peter Rabbit story,The Tale of Peter Rabbit,was created in 1893 initially as a letter to Noel Moore, the five-year-old son of Potter's former governess, Annie Moore.[5]The boy was ill, and Potter wrote him a picture and story letter to help him pass the time and to cheer him up. The letter included sketches illustrating the narrative.[5]
In June 1903, a trade edition of the tale was published byFrederick Warne & Co,and by the end of the year, 28,000 copies were in print. Over the years,The Tale of Peter Rabbithas sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and as of 2008, the Peter Rabbit series of six books has sold more than 150 million copies in 35 languages.[2][6]
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit—initial history as a letter to Noel Moore
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Books
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Peter Rabbit made his first appearance in 1902 inThe Tale of Peter Rabbitwhere Peter disobeys his mother's orders and sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden (where his father had once had "an accident" involving his being put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor). He eats as many vegetables as he can before Mr. McGregor spots and chases him. Peter manages to escape, but not before losing his jacket and shoes, which Mr. McGregor uses to dress ascarecrow.Peter returns home weary, ill, and naked and is put to bed with a dose ofchamomiletea.
InThe Tale of Benjamin Bunny,first published in 1904, Peter's cousin Benjamin Bunny brings him back to Mr. McGregor's garden and they retrieve the clothes Peter lost inThe Tale of Peter Rabbit.However, after they gather onions to give to Peter's mother, they are captured by Mr. McGregor's cat. Bouncer arrives and rescues them, but also punishes Peter and Benjamin for going into the garden by whipping them with aswitch.In this tale, Peter displays some trepidation about returning to the garden.
InThe Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies,first published in 1909, Peter has a small role and appears only briefly. He is grown up and his sister Flopsy is now married to their cousin Benjamin. The two are the parents of six little Flopsy Bunnies. Peter and his mother keep a nursery garden,[a]and the bunnies come by asking him for sparecabbage.
InThe Tale of Mr. Tod,first published in 1912, Benjamin and Flopsy's children are kidnapped by notoriousbadgerTommy Brock. Peter helps Benjamin chase after Brock, who hides out in the house of the fox, Mr. Tod. Mr. Tod finds Brock sleeping in his bed, and as the two get into a scuffle, Peter and Benjamin rescue the children.
Peter makescameo appearancesin two other tales. InThe Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle,first published in 1905, Peter and Benjamin are customers of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, ahedgehogwasherwoman. The two rabbits are depicted in one illustration peeping from the forest foliage. InThe Tale of Ginger and Pickles,first published in 1909, Peter and other characters from Potter's previous stories make cameo appearances in the artwork, patronising the shop of Ginger and Pickles.
To mark the 110th anniversary of the publication ofThe Tale of Peter Rabbit,Frederick Warne & Co. commissioned British actressEmma Thompsonto writeThe Further Tale of Peter Rabbit,in which Peter ends up inScotlandafter accidentally hitching a ride on Mr. and Mrs. McGregor's wagon. The book was released on September 18, 2012.[7]In autumn 2012, it was reported that Thompson would write more Peter Rabbit books.[8]Her next tale,The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit,was released in 2013, followed byThe Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbitin 2014.[9][10]
On 27 May 2021, a reboot of Peter Rabbit was released, entitledPeter Rabbit Head Over Tail,written byRachel Brightand illustrated by Nicola Kinnear, followed byPeter Rabbit Hide and Seekin 2022, then isPeter Rabbit Up and Awayin 2024.[11]
Merchandising
editPotter created a soft doll depicting Peter Rabbit and a Peter Rabbit board game shortly after the tale's first publication.[3][12]The character has been depicted in a multitude of spinoff merchandise such as porcelain figurines, painting books and dishes.[3]
Peter Rabbit was the first soft toy to bepatented,in 1903, making Peter the oldestlicensed character.[3][4][13]The following year they went on sale and were mass produced bySteiff.[14]Harrodsdepartment store in London has been selling it since at least 1910, when toys of Potter characters first appeared in their catalogues.[15]The British publisherFrederick Warne & Coowns the trademark rights of the Beatrix Potter characters.[16]
The Peter Rabbit (rather than other Beatrix Potter characters) stories and merchandise are very popular in Japan: many Japanese tourists visit theLake Districtafter becoming familiar with Potter's work at an early age at school. There is an accuratereplica of Potter's houseand a theme park in Japan, and a series of Mr. McGregor's gardens in one of the largest banks. Merchandisers in Japan estimate that 80% of the population have heard of Peter Rabbit.[17]
Commemoration
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A statue of Peter Rabbit is located on the grounds ofLingholmcountry house just outside the village ofPortinscalein theLake District,north west England, where Potter spent her summer holidays (between 1885 and 1907) and where she drew inspiration for her Peter Rabbit books.[18]She credited the Lingholm kitchen garden as her original inspiration for Mr. McGregor's garden inThe Tale of Peter Rabbit.[19]Lingholm waslisted Grade IIon theNational Heritage List for Englandin 2013.[20][21]
In 2016, Peter Rabbit and other Potter characters featured on aseries of UK postage stampsissued by theRoyal Mailto celebrate the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter's birth.[22]The same year, Peter Rabbit and other Potter characters appeared on a small number of collectors'50p British coins.[23]
Adaptations
editIn 1936,Walt Disneyexpressed interest in making aPeter Rabbitfilm. He proposed his idea of a feature-length film to Beatrix Potter, but she refused and did not give him the rights.[24]
Peter Rabbit appears in the 1971 ballet film,The Tales of Beatrix Potter.He also was featured inHBO's 1991Storybook Musicaladaptation ofThe Tale of Peter Rabbit,narrated byCarol Burnett.Several of the stories featuring Peter Rabbit were also animated for the 1992BBCanthology series,The World of Peter Rabbit and Friendsand two edutainment titles published byMindscapeThe Adventures of Peter Rabbit & Benjamin Bunnyin 1995[25]andBeatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit's Math Gardenin 1996.[26]An animated children's TV seriesPeter Rabbitpremiered onNickelodeonandCBeebiesin December 2012, with Colin DePaula voicing Peter in its first season (American version) and L. Parker Lucas taking over the role for the second season, respectively.[27]
An animated/live-action adaptation,Peter Rabbitproduced bySony Pictures Animation,was released on 8 February 2018.[28][29]James Cordenvoices Peter Rabbit withDomhnall GleesonandRose Byrnestarring in the live-action role of the lead female named Bea (based on Potter herself).[30]Other cast members includeMargot Robbie,[31]Daisy RidleyandElizabeth Debicki.[30]Will Gluckdirected and produced the film, and Zareh Nalbandian also produced, while Lauren Abrahams oversaw the project for Sony Pictures Animation.[30]A sequelPeter Rabbit 2: The Runaway(2021) reunited most of the cast of the previous film.[32]
See also
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Explanatory notes
edit- ^In the originalfrontispiece,a sign at the garden read, "Peter Rabbit & Mother-Florists-Gardens neatly razed. Borders devastated by the night or year."[1]: 40
References
edit- ^abMacDonald, Ruth K. (1986).Beatrix Potter.Twayne's English Author Series. Boston: Twayne Publishers.ISBN0-8057-6917-X.
- ^ab"Peter Rabbit in China copyright stew".BBC News.23 June 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2009.Retrieved31 August2009.
- ^abcdWagner, Erica (23 December 2009)."Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod".The Times.
- ^ab"How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising".Smithsonian.Retrieved6 October2022.
- ^abc"Peter Rabbit: the tale of 'The Tale'".V&A.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Peter Rabbit".United Media Licensing. Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2006.Retrieved23 June2006.
- ^Itzkoff, Dave (16 September 2011)."Emma Thompson to Give Peter Rabbit a New 'Tale'".ArtsBeat blog.The New York Times.Retrieved29 August2017.
- ^"Emma Thompson Revives Anarchist 'Peter Rabbit'".Morning Edition.NPR. 11 October 2012.Retrieved29 August2017.
- ^"The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit".Waterstones.Archivedfrom the original on 2 February 2014.Retrieved1 February2014.
- ^"An Evening With Emma Thompson and Peter Rabbit".Vulture.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^"Peter Rabbit: Head Over Tail: inspired by Beatrix Potter's iconic character".Telegraph.Retrieved8 October2022.
- ^"The Game of Peter Rabbit".V&A.Retrieved30 October2022.
On 7th December 1904 she submitted her idea for a board game 'The Game of Peter Rabbit' to her publishers, Frederick Warne and Co, who brought out their own version in 1919
- ^"Beatrix Potter's Life".Peter Rabbit. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2012.Retrieved8 January2012.
- ^"Steiff Peter Rabbit 1904 Replica".Steiffteddybears.co.uk.Retrieved12 February2024.
- ^Jones, Sarah (13 March 2018)."Peter Rabbit hops into Harrods in film affiliation".Luxury Daily.Retrieved11 May2023.
- ^"Frederick Warne applauds the Beijing Xicheng District Administration of Industry and Commerce's commitment to the protection of international intellectual property rights".PR Newswire UK(Press release). London: Frederick Warne & Co. 30 August 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2012.Retrieved8 January2012.
- ^Williams, Francesca (13 November 2013)."Peter Rabbit: Why the Japanese love Beatrix Potter, Francesca Williams".BBC News.Retrieved3 January2014.
- ^"The Lingholm Estate".The Lingholm Estate.Archived fromthe originalon 14 February 2014.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Lake District estate that inspired Beatrix Potter is the perfect half term activity for families".Lancs Live.Retrieved10 May2023.
- ^"Lingholm given grade II historic listing by English Heritage".The Lingholm Estate. Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2013.
- ^Historic England,"Lingholm (1413920)",National Heritage List for England,retrieved10 May2023
- ^"Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbitt and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle on anniversary stamps".BBC News.28 July 2016.Retrieved4 September2016.
- ^"Royal Mint: Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit on new 50p coin".BBC News. 29 February 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2020.Retrieved30 August2017.
Four coins will be made featuring different characters from her stories, and a special collector's 50p coin showing a colour image of Peter Rabbit will also be released.
- ^Eccleshare, Julia (22 April 2002)."Peter Rabbit Turns 100".Publishers Weekly.Retrieved11 May2023.
- ^"The Adventures of Peter Rabbit & Benjamin Bunny video game".museumofplay.org.The Strong.Retrieved30 August2017.
- ^"Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit's Math Garden video game".museumofplay.org.The Strong.Retrieved30 August2017.
- ^"Nickelodeon Premieres Peter Rabbit with Holiday Special".People Magazine.12 December 2012.Retrieved8 February2013.
- ^Perry, Spencer (22 December 2015)."Sony sets release dates for The Emoji Movie and Animated Spider-Man".ComingSoon.net.Retrieved24 December2015.
- ^Collinson, Gary (18 October 2015)."Sony working on a live-action/animation hybrid Peter Rabbit movie".Flickering Myth.Retrieved24 December2015.
- ^abcDoty, Meriah (26 September 2016)."Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki Join 'Peter Rabbit' Live-Action/Animated Hybrid".Variety.Retrieved26 September2016.
- ^Kroll, Justin (24 October 2016)."Margot Robbie Joins 'Peter Rabbit' Adaptation".Variety.Retrieved18 February2017.
- ^Kroll, Justin (22 February 2019)."David Oyelowo Joins the Cast of Sony's 'Peter Rabbit' Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.Retrieved21 September2020.
Further reading
edit- Knight, Lucy (May 19, 2023)."Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit story originated in African folktales, expert argues".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.