As spring makes its way to Rochester, days are longer, new birdcalls fill the air, and I’m newly aware of—rabbits. Yes, there’s the Easter Bunny each springtime, but my rabbit radar ranges much more broadly. Since I’m a gardener, rabbits aren’t always my friends. Cute as they may be, rabbits seem somewhat less charming as they mow down seedlings or nip off the fresh and delicious growth on perennials in my flowerbeds. On the other hand, as a curator, the rabbits I find in The Strong’s collection are a different matter and I’m much more inclined to smile benevolently as they crop up in toys or games.
One rabbit that I recall from my childhood is Uncle Wiggily. Not familiar with him? He started back in 1910 in stories that Howard Garis wrote for the Newark News and he and his fellow characters went on to help Garis publish almost 80 children’s books in his lifetime. I’m not certain that I inherited any copies of those books from my mom, but my sister and I played an Uncle Wiggily board game that pitted the elderly rabbit with his candy-striped cane against various adversaries and obstacles as he hobbled down the path to Dr. Possum’s office to get his rheumatism medication. At least in the game version, Uncle Wiggily was on the innocuous side (a bit like Mickey Mouse in that regard), but I was much more amused by the names of his foes such as Skeezicks and the Bad Pipsisewah.
While Uncle Wiggily ranks as a senior rabbit, the younger end of the spectrum is represented by the little bunny in Margaret Wise Brown’s 1947 picture book Goodnight Moon. Reportedly Brown gave illustrator Clement Hurd minimal instructions as to what she was looking for and Hurd adapted to the assignment by making the characters rabbits—he felt more confident drawing bunnies than people. Despite sluggish initial sales, the book went on to become a children’s classic and a favorite bedtime story to wind down the day and send kids peacefully off to dreamland. Naturally, some of those kids wanted to snuggle into bed with their own plush version of the rabbit from the story.
Another storybook rabbit, this time from 1921’s The Velveteen Rabbit, has also made the leap into The Strong’s collection. Margery Williams’s tale about a stuffed animal who yearns to become real through the love of his owner has endured in the hearts of children and adults for more than a century now. Certainly, looking around the plush animals and dolls in the museum’s holdings, I can see signs of the deep affection that has been lavished upon them over the years as they were clutched for comfort. Their repaired stitching and threadbare fur make tangible some of the meaning they held for their little owners. Some may find The Velveteen Rabbit too sentimental for their tastes, but the story holds powerful emotions for some of us (including yours truly). It therefore feels fitting that a 3-D version of that rabbit makes its permanent home at The Strong.
But to end on a lighter note, let’s turn to the movies and the wisecracking hare of countless Warner Brothers cartoon shorts—none other than Bugs Bunny. A direct descendant of classic trickster characters from folk tales and literature around the world, Bugs holds a special place in the hearts of his many fans, although his nemesis Elmer Fudd and even Daffy Duck undoubtedly feel less cordial toward him. Bugs and Elmer faced off for the first time in the 1940 short A Wild Hare in which Bugs uttered his timeless catchphrase, “What’s up, Doc?” The player of innumerable pranks, Bugs Bunny has seen toys and other products bearing his likeness proliferate over the years, almost breeding like, well, rabbits. At The Strong, our collection includes products far beyond the anticipated Bugs Bunny plush figures, encompassing everything from jigsaw puzzles to PEZ dispensers to video games and yo-yos.
I have no doubt that the rabbits in The Strong’s collection will continue to thrive and multiply. Even as I write this, I’m visualizing more examples on shelves and in cases throughout the museum. Roger Rabbit. Peter Rabbit. Babs Bunny. The Runaway Bunny. The list goes on and on. I guess you can’t keep a good bunny down.