''The Velveteen Rabbit'' (or ''How Toys Become Real'') is a British children's book written by
Margery Williams
Margery Williams Bianco (22 July 1881 in London, England – 4 September 1944 in New York City, United States) was an English-American author, primarily of popular children's books. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she achieved ...
(also known as Margery Williams Bianco) and illustrated by
William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a
stuffed rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
's desire to become real through the love of his owner. The story was first published in
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
in 1921 featuring illustrations from Williams' daughter
Pamela Bianco.
It was published as a book in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
and has been republished many times since.
''The Velveteen Rabbit'' was Williams' first children's book.
It has been awarded the IRA/CBC Children's Choice award.
Based on a 2007 online poll, the
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...
voted the book #28 on the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".
Plot summary
A stuffed rabbit sewn from
velveteen
Velveteen (or velveret) is a type of cloth made to imitate velvet, which is a type of pile fabric. Normally cotton, the term is sometimes applied to a mixture of silk and cotton. Some velveteens are a kind of fustian, having a rib of velvet pile ...
is given as a Christmas present to a small boy. The boy plays with his other new presents and forgets the velveteen rabbit for a time. These presents are modern and mechanical, and they snub the old-fashioned velveteen rabbit. The wisest and oldest toy in the nursery, the Skin Horse, which was owned by the boy's uncle, tells the rabbit about toys magically becoming real due to love from children: "Real isn't how you are made... It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real".
The rabbit is awed by this idea, but his chances of achieving this wish are slight.
One night, the boy's nanny gives the rabbit to the boy to sleep with, in place of a lost toy. The rabbit becomes the boy's favorite toy, enjoying picnics with him in the spring, and the boy regards the rabbit as real. Time passes and the rabbit becomes shabbier but happy. It meets some real rabbits in the summer, and they learn that the velveteen rabbit cannot hop as they do, and they say that he is not a real rabbit.
One day, the boy comes down with
scarlet fever
Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
, and the rabbit sits with him as he recovers. The doctor orders that the boy should be taken to the seaside and that his room should be disinfected — all his books and toys burnt, including the velveteen rabbit. The rabbit is bundled into a sack and left out in the garden overnight, where he reflects sadly on his life with his boy. The toy rabbit cries, a real tear drops onto the ground, and a marvelous flower appears. A fairy steps out of the flower and comforts the velveteen rabbit, introducing herself as the Nursery Magic Fairy. She says that, because he has become real to the boy who truly loves him, she will take him away with her and "turn
iminto Real" to everyone.
The fairy takes the rabbit to the forest, where she meets the other rabbits and kisses the velveteen rabbit. The velveteen rabbit changes into a real rabbit and joins the other rabbits in the forest. The next spring the rabbit returns to look at the boy, and the boy sees a resemblance to his old velveteen rabbit and enjoys seeing the rabbit out in the wild.
Adaptations
The following adaptations have been made of ''The Velveteen Rabbit'':
* In 1973, LSB Productions made the classic, original
16 mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
version (running time: 19 minutes). It won the Chris Plaque Award, the Silver Plaque Award, and the Golden Babe Award, and it appeared at the Columbus Film Festival, the
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
, and the Chicagoland Film Festival. It was a finalist at the
American Film Festival
American Film Festival is a film festival held annually in October in Wrocław, Poland. The first festival was held from 20 to 24 October 2010. The festival is organized by Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty and co-funded by the Wroclaw Municipality a ...
. This film has been on TV and has been acclaimed by parents and teachers worldwide.
* The 1976
Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
''
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. Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin. The special is loosely based on t ...
'' adapts the plot of the book as first of part of its story of how a toy bunny is recruited as the
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" orig ...
.
* In 1984, it was part of the ''Enchanted Musical Playhouse'' series, where
Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...
played the part of the Velveteen Rabbit. Songs were composed by the
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...
.
* ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' was adapted into a video recording and
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
by
Rabbit Ears Productions
Rabbit Ears Productions is a production company best known for producing three television series that feature individual episodes adapting popular pieces of children's literature. Rabbit Ears episodes have been released on home video, broadcast o ...
with
Random House Video. It is narrated by
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
, with music by
George Winston
George Winston (born December 26, 1949) is an American pianist, guitarist, harmonicist, and record producer. He was born in Michigan and raised mainly in Montana ( Miles City and Billings), as well as Mississippi and Florida. He is best known fo ...
.
It received a
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
for Multimedia and was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
.
* In 1985, two different animated adaptations were made at almost the same time:
** The first, narrated by
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
, was produced in Canada by
Atkinson Film-Arts
Atkinson Film-Arts was an animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company is best known for producing the first two Care Bears television specials – ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings'' and ''The Care Bears Battle th ...
for
CTV. This version aired in the United States on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
. In this version, the boy is given the rabbit for his birthday instead of Christmas.
** The second was produced by
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
Australia and broadcast as an ''
ABC Weekend Special
''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997, which featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated. Similar to bo ...
''.
* In 1987,
Don Bluth
Donald Virgil Bluth (; born September 13, 1937) is an American film director, animator, production designer, and animation instructor, best known for his animated films, including ''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982), ''An American Tail'' (1986), ''Th ...
worked on an adaptation of ''The Velveteen Rabbit'', to have been released by
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
, but the project was never completed. Animation stills can be found online.
* In 2003, it was adapted into a clay-animated film by
Xyzoo Animation
Xyzoo Animation is an animation studio founded by director/animator Lindsay van Blerk in 1991. Situated in Cape Town, South Africa, the studio has produced five stop-motion/ clay-animated films, three of which have won a number of awards. All we ...
.
* In 2007, a live-action short film adaptation was released by Horse Fly Studios. It was nominated for two
Young Artist Awards
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
.
* Feature Films for Families, Family1 Films and
Believe Pictures
Believe Pictures is a production company founded by partners Brian Bird, and Michael Landon, Jr. They have created (or co-created) major films such as ''The Last Sin Eater (film), The Last Sin Eater'', the ''Love Comes Softly'' film series and Sav ...
released their live-action/animated adaptation in 2009. It is distributed by
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...
,
Thomas Nelson and Vision Films. The film adaptation was illegally telemarketed to over 500,000 telephone subscribers in the United States. Verizon successfully sued Feature Films For Families for the practice.
* In 2014, Cat & Hutch produced a storytelling adaptation of ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' at Fulham Library for Hammersmith & Fulham ArtsFest. They then went on to perform this at various schools, libraries and other venues across London. In 2021, they adapted this version into an online storytelling over Zoom for various London libraries.
* In October 2015,
Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their actin ...
produced a new musical adaptation of ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' at The Linda Gross Theater. This production was adapted by Anya Saffir (book and lyrics) and Cormac Bluestone (book, lyrics, music).
* In December 2018,
Magic Light Pictures
Magic Light Pictures (founded in 2003 by producers Martin Pope and Michael Rose) is a London-based independent production company, which produces films and manages the children's brand ''The Gruffalo''.
Productions
Since 2009, ''Magic Light ...
was reported to be adapting ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' as a Christmas special. It was to be the company's first live action/animated production.
Tom Bidwell was writing the scripts.
* For many years
ODC/Dance
ODC, formerly the Oberlin Dance Collective, is a contemporary dance and arts organization founded in 1971, in Oberlin, Ohio, by current artistic director Brenda Way. ODC relocated to San Francisco in 1976 and in 1979 became the first modern danc ...
has performed in the San Francisco Bay Area a narrated contemporary dance adaptation of ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' with fanciful costumes, typically during the holiday season.
* The independent film production company Storybook Studio began production of a new animated film adaptation of the book, written and directed by John Patrick. The film features narration by Gabi Smedra and stars child actor Peter F. Piccini as the Velveteen Rabbit, Maureen Russell as the Nursery Magic Fairy, Therese Kincadeand as Nana and Paul Fowles as the Skin Horse. The film was slated to be released during the year 2022, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the original book's publication. But because of production complications, the release was pushed back to Easter of 2023.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nvQxk3K4eU]
References
External links
''The Velveteen Rabbit''Illustrated by William Nicholson. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., c1922 a
A Celebration of Women Writers''The Velveteen Rabbit''(flip book with original illustrations) at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velveteen Rabbit, The
1922 British novels
1922 children's books
British children's novels
ABC Weekend Special
British novels adapted into films
Books about rabbits and hares
Sentient toys in fiction
George H. Doran Company books