Rabbit (Winnie-the-Pooh) facts for kids

Rabbit is a popular character from the Winnie-the-Pooh books and cartoons. He is a good friend of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Rabbit sees himself as very smart and organized, and he often tries to be the leader. However, his plans don't always work out the way he expects!

Rabbit in the Original Books

Rabbit first appeared in the book Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne in 1926. He also appears in the second book, The House at Pooh Corner.

Unlike most of the other characters, who are based on Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals, Rabbit looks more like a real rabbit in the book's drawings. He walks on two legs and uses his front paws like hands. He is about as tall as Pooh's nose.

Rabbit's Home and Personality

Rabbit lives in a house in the middle of the Hundred Acre Wood. He likes to be in charge and often comes up with detailed plans. For example, he planned to scare Kanga by hiding Roo. He also tried to stop Tigger from bouncing so much. Rabbit is also good at organizing things, like when he led the search for Small. Even though his plans are very detailed, they often have small problems and don't go perfectly.

Rabbit often includes Pooh and Piglet in his plans. When he needs a lot of thinking done, he usually goes to Owl. Rabbit enjoys being in charge and can sometimes be a bit bossy. He believes that Christopher Robin relies on him a lot.

While Rabbit is loyal to his friends, he can be a bit hesitant to welcome new characters. When Kanga and Roo first arrived, he wasn't happy. He also didn't like Tigger at first. But over time, he always warms up to them and becomes their friend.

Rabbit is good at reading and writing, which is something that some other characters like Pooh and Eeyore sometimes struggle with.

Rabbit's Friends and Family

Rabbit also has many friends and relatives who live in the forest. They are often called "Rabbit's Friends-and-Relations." The book illustrations show that these friends include other rabbits, a squirrel, a hedgehog, mice, and insects. Rabbit once said he would need "seventeen pockets" to carry all his family with him!

In Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, a sequel book not written by A. A. Milne, Rabbit tries to organize things even more. He attempts to count all the animals in the forest, but it doesn't go very well. He also tries to teach a class on how to manage a household. In this book, his grandfather, Grandad Buck, is introduced.

Rabbit in Disney Cartoons

Rabbit (Disney version)
First appearance	Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (February 4, 1966)
Created by	A.A. Milne
Voiced by	Junius Matthews (1966–1977) Ray Erlenborn (1981) Will Ryan (1983–1986) Ken Sansom (1988–2010) Tom Kenny (2011–present) Peter Capaldi (2018)
Information
Species	Rabbit
Gender	Male
Occupation	Gardener
Family	Grandad Buck (grandfather), innumerable relatives
Children	Kessie (adoptive daughter)

Rabbit appears in most of the Disney Winnie the Pooh cartoons. In these cartoons, he is yellow instead of brown. A new part of his character in the Disney versions is that he has a garden. He is very protective of his garden and gets upset if anyone tries to damage it. Even though he doesn't have a garden in the original A. A. Milne books, he does have one in David Benedictus's Return to the Hundred Acre Wood.

Rabbit's Disney Personality

The Disney cartoons show more of Rabbit's personality. He is still organized, but he can also be a bit of a control freak and has a short temper. However, he still cares deeply for his friends. In the movie Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, Rabbit always follows written instructions because he is afraid to think for himself. But later, he comes up with a very good plan. He always learns from his mistakes. In the film Springtime with Roo, he realizes that being selfish might make his friends leave the forest, so he changes his ways.

In the Disney cartoons, Rabbit and Tigger are often very different from each other, which creates funny situations. In the early cartoons, Rabbit really dislikes Tigger. But in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, they become close friends, even though they still annoy each other a lot. Tigger's silly actions often bother Rabbit and cause him trouble. Rabbit's strict attitude and attempts to teach Tigger a lesson can sometimes seem unkind. Still, Tigger is usually the first to help Rabbit when he needs it, and Rabbit knows how close they are.

Rabbit's character is mostly the same across different Disney cartoons. However, in Welcome to Pooh Corner, he is shown as a talented magician. In The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, he adopts a bluebird named Kessie.

Rabbit can also be found at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, where fans can meet him.