Famous rabbits in books, films and history

Rabbits may be the most loved animals in all of children's books. Here are the famous ones, real rabbits first, then the stars of books, cartoons and films, with who made them and why people still adore them.

Who are the most famous real rabbits?

Peter Piper, the real Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit had a real-life model. Beatrix Potter bought a rabbit called Peter Piper in 1892, the Connecticut College exhibit on her animals says, and he became her favourite model. He appears in her "now famous picture letter" to a boy called Noel Moore, which she later turned into The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Our page on Beatrix Potter's real pets tells the full story.

Benjamin Bouncer, Potter's first rabbit

Before Peter there was Benjamin Bouncer, whom Potter called "that charming rascal" in her journal. He modelled for six designs she showed to publishers, and the firm Hildesheimer and Faulkner bought her illustrations. The result, A Happy Pair in 1896, was her first commercially published work. So a pet rabbit started one of the great careers in children's books.

Darius, the world's longest rabbit

Darius is a Flemish giant rabbit owned by Annette Edwards in the UK. Guinness World Records lists him as the longest rabbit, measured at 129 cm (4 ft 3 in) on 6 April 2010. If you love big bunnies, our guide to Flemish giant rabbits explains the space and care they need, and record-breaking small pets has more champions.

Who are the most famous rabbits in books?

The White Rabbit, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The oldest rabbit on our list is the anxious White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, first published in 1865. Carroll was the pen name of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Alice follows a passing rabbit down the rabbit hole, and the White Rabbit keeps popping up throughout her adventures, always in a hurry. More than 160 years later, "down the rabbit hole" is still how we describe getting lost in something.

Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter

Potter first produced the story herself. The Connecticut College exhibit says she self-published 250 copies in 1900, and demand was so strong that 200 more followed. Frederick Warne then published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in London in 1902, with 31 colour illustrations, the V&A records. It sold 56,470 copies in its first year. Peter, the naughty little rabbit who cannot keep out of the vegetable garden, has charmed every generation since.

Peter's friends got books too. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny followed in 1904, with 20,000 copies in its first run, and The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies in 1909.

The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, who was born in London in 1881, was first published in 1922. It is the story of a stuffed toy rabbit who feels shabby next to the fancy mechanical toys, and who learns from the wise old Skin Horse that a toy becomes real when a child loves it for a long time. KQED says it has never stopped being published and that passages are often read at weddings. It speaks to grown-ups as much as children.

Watership Down, Richard Adams

Richard Adams was a civil servant when he began telling rabbit stories to his daughters, Juliet and Rosamond, at bedtime and on car trips to school, NBC News reports. He published them as Watership Down in 1972, and it has since sold millions of copies, with a film following in 1978. It is the epic of a band of wild rabbits searching for a new home. It has frightening moments, so it suits older children and adults best.

Miffy, Dick Bruna

Miffy, the little white rabbit drawn in a few clean lines and colours, was created by the Dutch artist Dick Bruna. She first appeared in 1955 in Miffy at the Seaside, and in Dutch she is Nijntje, meaning "little rabbit", the Christian Science Monitor explains. Bruna's first book had 16 pages, with four rhyming lines beside each picture, and he kept her simple on purpose so young children could relate to her. The Dick Bruna Huis at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht has a permanent exhibition on his work.

Who are the most famous rabbits on screen?

Bugs Bunny, Warner Brothers

Bugs Bunny made his first official appearance in A Wild Hare, released by Warner Brothers on 27 July 1940, CBS News reports. Director Tex Avery reworked the character with animator Virgil Ross, and Mel Blanc gave him his Brooklyn voice. Audiences laughed so hard at his casual "What's up, doc?" at an early screening that it became his signature line. Laid-back, quick-witted and never short of a carrot, he is probably the most famous rabbit in the world.

Thumper, Bambi

Thumper is the bouncy young rabbit who befriends the fawn in Disney's Bambi, released in the US on 13 August 1942 after a world premiere in London on 9 August. D23, Disney's official fan club, lists Peter Behn as the voice of young Thumper.

The Easter bunny and the zodiac rabbit

Two of the best-known rabbits come from folklore rather than books. The Easter bunny began life as the German Easter hare; read where the Easter bunny comes from. And the gentle rabbit of the Chinese zodiac came fourth in the Great Race; see the Year of the Rabbit.

Famous rabbits at a glance

What do famous rabbits tell us about real rabbits?

The stories get a lot right. Peter Rabbit cannot stay out of the vegetable patch, Thumper is a loyal friend, the White Rabbit is always alert, and Benjamin Bouncer was a charming rascal. Real rabbits are curious, bold once they trust you, and full of personality. Our guide to rabbit behaviour and body language explains the thumps, flops and binkies, and our rabbit facts page has more surprises.

The stories also skip a few things. Real rabbits live a long time: the RSPCA says 8 to 12 years, and some live longer. They need company of their own kind, a big home and a diet built on hay rather than carrots. If Peter or Miffy has you dreaming of rabbits, start with rabbits as pets: what to know before you get one and our full rabbit care guide.