| Rabbit | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Rabbit |
|
First Appearance |
Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) |
|
Original Publisher |
Methuen (London) / Dutton (US) |
|
Created by |
A. A. Milne & E. H. Shepard |
Origin[]
Rabbit lives in a house in the north-central part of the Hundred Acre Wood, between the sandy pit where Roo plays and the area where the animals he calls his "Friends-and-Relations" live. Rabbit likes to take charge and come up with elaborate plans, such as the one to scare Kanga by hiding Roo, and the one to "unbounce" Tigger. He is also an organizer, as in the case of the Search for Small. As detailed as his plans are, they often miss certain key points and go wrong.
Rabbit tends to include Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet in his plans, and he goes to Owl when there is "thinking to be done". He likes to be put in charge of things and is sometimes bossy, and he sees his relationship to Christopher Robin Milne as being the one that Christopher depends on. While loyal to the friends he knows, Rabbit shows a certain reluctance to welcome newcomers, as evidenced by his initial negative reaction to the arrival of Kanga and Roo in the first book, and to Tigger in the second book. Nonetheless, he warms up to all of them in time.
Rabbit also has good relationships with the minor animals in the forest, known as "Rabbit's Friends-and-Relations". Several are mentioned by name, including beetles called Small, Alexander Beetle and Henry Rush, and three unspecified creatures called Smallest-of-All, Late, and Early. According to the illustrations of the book, his Friends-and-Relations include other rabbits, a squirrel, a hedgehog, mice, and insects.
While the literacy (or lack thereof) of Pooh, Owl, and Eeyore becomes a plot point in The House at Pooh Corner, Rabbit's ease with reading and writing is taken for granted.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)
- The House at Pooh Corner (1928)
Notes[]
- As a work first published in 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in the United States on 1 January 2022 with Now The House at Pooh Corner entering the public domain in the US on January 1, 2024 respectively.
- The Winnie the Pooh franchise is trademarked by the Walt Disney Corporation. In order to use the characters' names, they can only appear in the interior of the story.