The First Easter Rabbit

The First Easter Rabbit is an animated Easter television special that premiered April 9, 1976 on NBC and later aired on CBS.^[1] Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin.^[2] The special is loosely based on the 1922 children's book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Burl Ives narrates the special, which also features the Irving Berlin song "Easter Parade". It marked Ives's return to a Rankin/Bass special for the first time since the company's 1964 stop motion television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer twelve years prior.

The First Easter Rabbit
Official logo
Based on	The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Written by	Julian P. Gardner
Directed by	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Starring	Robert Morse Stan Freberg Paul Frees Joan Gardner Dina Lyn Don Messick
Narrated by	Burl Ives
Theme music composer	Maury Laws
Country of origin	United States Japan
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Cinematography	Toru Hara Tsuguyuki Kubo
Editor	Irwin Goldress
Running time	25 minutes
Production companies	Rankin/Bass Productions Topcraft Limited Company
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	April 9, 1976 (1976-04-09)
Related
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)^[a] Frosty the Snowman (1969)^[b] Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)^[c] Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)^[d] 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)^[e] The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)^[f] The First Easter Rabbit (1976)^[g] Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)^[h] Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)^[i] The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town (1977)^[j] Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)^[k] The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)^[l] Jack Frost (1979)^[m] Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)^[n] Pinocchio's Christmas (1980)^[o] Frosty Returns (1992)^[p] Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001)^[q] The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005)^[r] A Miser Brothers' Christmas (2008)^[s]

Plot

G.B., a rabbit, tells the story of Stuffy, who began as a stuffed rabbit given as a Christmas present to a little girl named Glinda. Soon afterward, Stuffy encounters Spats, Flops, and Whiskers, a trio of scheming live rabbits who mock Stuffy for not being real. One day, when Glinda becomes sick after contracting scarlet fever, her clothes and old toys, including Stuffy, are thrown away to be burned in order to disinfect the playroom.

Stuffy is rescued by a sprite named Calliope, who brings him to life and sends him to Easter Valley at the North Pole. Along the way, he again encounters Spats, Flops, and Whiskers, who join him, expecting profit. The four meet Santa Claus, who shows the way to Easter Valley and convinces Stuffy’s companions to give up their selfish ways and help him with the Easter traditions.

Meanwhile, an ice being named Zero, aided by his reluctant henchman, a sapient snowball named Bruce, discovers the secret passage to Easter Valley and manages to freeze the valley by stealing the Golden Easter Lily, which has hitherto kept the valley in eternal springtime. Due to the theft, Stuffy and the other rabbits, who have been preparing Easter eggs and other presents for Glinda’s hometown, are snowed in and consequently unable to make their Easter delivery.

However, Bruce, remorseful about his role in the theft, confesses to Santa, who rescues the rabbits, allowing them to make the Easter delivery. Stuffy’s delivery to Glinda, who has by now recovered from her illness, is a new Easter bonnet and an invitation to the local Easter parade. Due to the timely gift of a new Easter outfit from her doctor, Jonathan (who is implied to be pursuing Glinda’s mother romantically), Glinda is able to attend the parade. There, she and Stuffy again meet, and the two sing Easter Parade.

After the parade, Santa forces Zero to return the Golden Easter Lily to the valley. As Zero does so, he meets Stuffy for the first and only time. Stuffy’s rabbit companions then give Stuffy a new name, G.B., revealing that it is his older self who has been narrating the story all along.

Cast

• Burl Ives as G.B.
• Robert Morse as Stuffy
• Stan Freberg as Flops
• Paul Frees as Santa Claus, Zero, Spats
• Joan Gardner as Elizabeth, Calliope
• Dina Lynn as Glinda
• Don Messick as Jonathan, Whiskers, Bruce the Snowball
• Christine Winter as Vocalist

Crew

 

The original advertisement, as released for the television special.

• Producers/Directors - Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.
• Writer - Julian P. Gardner
• Songs - There's That Rabbit, Easter Parade
  • Music and Lyrics - Jules Bass, Irving Berlin, Maury Laws
• Sound - John Curcio, Don Hahn, Dave Iveland, Tom Clack
• Post Production Editing - Irwin Goldress
• Overseas Animation Production - Topcraft (uncredited)
  • Animation - Toru Hara, Tsuguyuki Kubo
  • Animation Directors - Kazuyuki Kobayashi, Hidemi Kubo (uncredited)
  • Backgrounds - Minoru Nishida (uncredited)
  • Key Animation - Yoshiko Sasaki, Tadakatsu Yoshida (uncredited)
• Design - Paul Coker, Jr.
• Music Arranger and Conductor - Maury Laws

Home media

The First Easter Rabbit was first released on VHS by ABC Video Enterprises and Golden Book Video in 1986. The second release, by Warner Home Video, to VHS occurred in 1993, and a remastered "Deluxe Edition" was issued on DVD in 2010.

See also

• List of Easter television episodes

References

1. Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 146–147. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 259. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

Notes

1. Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Billie Mae Richards), Santa Claus (voiced by Stan Francis), and Mrs. Claus (voiced by Peg Dixon) in this special. Various actors portray the other reindeer.
2. Recurring characters include Frosty the Snowman (voiced by Jackie Vernon), Santa (voiced by Paul Frees), and Professor Hinkle Tinkerton (voiced by Billy De Wolfe) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
3. Recurring characters include Santa (voiced by Mickey Rooney), Mrs. Jessica Claus (voiced by Robie Lester), and S.D. Kluger (voiced by Fred Astaire) in this special. Rudolph and Santa's other reindeer also feature.
4. Recurring characters include the Easter Bunny (voiced by Casey Kasem), and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
5. Recurring characters in this special include Santa (voiced by Allen Swift), alongside his featured reindeer.
6. Recurring characters include Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth), Snow Miser (voiced by Dick Shawn), Heat Miser (voiced by George S. Irving), and Mother Nature (voiced by Rhoda Mann) in this special. Rudolph and Santa's other reindeer also feature.
7. Recurring characters include Easter Bunny (voiced by Robert Morse and Burl Ives), and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.
8. Recurring characters include Frosty (voiced by Vernon), Mrs. Crystal Frosty (voiced by Shelley Winters), and Jack Frost (voiced by Frees) in this special.
9. Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Richards) and Santa (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's other reindeer also feature.
10. Recurring characters include Easter Bunny (voiced by Skip Hinnant), and S.D. Kluger (voiced by Astaire) in this special.
11. Recurring characters in this special include Santa (voiced by Frees), alongside Rudolph and his other featured reindeer.
12. Recurring characters in this special include Santa Claus during a scene which compares the Ghost of Christmas Present to him (both characters were voiced by Frees).
13. The recurring character is Jack Frost (voiced by Robert Morse) in this special.
14. Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Richards), Frosty (voiced by Vernon), Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Darlene Conley), Crystal (voiced by Winters), and Jack Frost (voiced by Frees) in this special. Santa's other reindeer also feature.
15. The recurring characters in the special include Santa (voiced by Swift), alongside his featured reindeer.
16. The recurring character is Frosty (voiced by John Goodman) in this special. Mother Nature is also referenced in the short.
17. Recurring characters include Rudolph (voiced by Kathleen Barr), Santa (voiced by Garry Chalk), and Mrs. Claus (also voiced by Barr) in this film. Santa's other reindeer, and various other characters from the 1964 original also feature.
18. Recurring characters include Frosty (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke), and Professor Tinkerton (voiced by Kath Soucie) in this special.
19. Recurring characters include Snow Miser (voiced by Juan Chioran), Heat Miser (voiced by Irving), Santa (voiced by Rooney), Mrs. Claus (voiced by Catherine Disher), and Mother Earth (voiced by Patricia Hamilton) in this special. Santa's reindeer also feature.

External links

• The First Easter Rabbit at IMDb