Peter Rabbit is a fictional anthropomorphic character in various children's stories by Beatrix Potter. He first appeared in The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, and subsequently in five more books between 1904 and 1912.
Peter Rabbit, along with Benjamin Bunny, was named after a pet rabbit Beatrix Potter had as a child. The first Peter Rabbit story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was originally created in 1893 as a letter to the young son of Potter's former governess. The boy was ill, and Potter wrote him a story to help him pass the time and to cheer him up. The letter included sketches illustrating the narrative. It wasn't until June 1902 that the story was published by Frederick Warne & Co, but by the end of the year, 28,000 copies were in print. Over the years, The Tale of Peter Rabbit has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and as of 2008, the Peter Rabbit series has sold more than 151 million copies in 35 languages.[1][2]
The rabbits in Potter's stories are anthropomorphic and wear human clothes; Peter wears a blue jacket and a little pair of brown shoes. He is surrounded by a large family: his mother Mrs. Josephine Rabbit and his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail. There is also his cousin Benjamin Bunny and his father Mr. Benjamin Bunny, later called Mr. Benjamin Bouncer.
Peter Rabbit was the first soft toy to be patented, in 1903. This makes Peter the oldest licensed character.[3] Frederick Warne & Co owns the trademark rights of the Beatrix Potter characters.[4] However, most of the stories are in the US public domain as they were published before 1923.
Grown up Peter in his nursery garden, from The Tale of the Flopsy BunniesPeter Rabbit made his first appearance in 1902 in Beatrix Potter's first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter disobeys his mother's orders and sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden, eating as many vegetables as he can before Mr. McGregor spots him and chases him around. Peter manages to escape, but not before losing his jacket and shoes, which Mr. McGregor uses for his new scarecrow.
In The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, first published in 1904, Peter's cousin Benjamin Bunny brings him back to Mr. McGregor's garden and they fetch Peter's clothes from the scarecrow. But after they gather onions to give to Peter's mother, they are captured by Mr. McGregor's cat. Benjamin's father shows up and rescues them, but also reprimands Peter and Benjamin for going into the garden by whipping them with a switch.
In The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, first published in 1909, Peter and his friends are grown up. His sister Flopsy is now married to Benjamin Bunny and they have a big brood of little Flopsy Bunnies. Peter keeps a nursery garden and the bunnies come by asking him for spare cabbage.
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Many thanks for Peter the Rabbit.
katy