March 19th, 2021 
Michael Lyons 
The First Easter Rabbit, the Rankin Bass’ T.V. Special from 1976, plays almost like a “greatest hits” from the Studio synonymous with Holiday specials. It does what the Studio is known for: providing an “origin story” for an iconic holiday figure (in this case, the Easter Rabbit). Additionally, there are other Rankin/Bass “hallmarks,” such as a popular, appropriately themed song, a narrator inspired by singer Burl Ives (famous as Sam the Snowman from Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer), and even an appearance by Santa Claus.
However, the First Easter Rabbit differs because it has slipped below the holiday radar, where many of the Rankin-Bass specials now live-on in our Holiday pop culture consciousness. It’s one of the hidden holiday treasures from Rankin/Bass, utilizing 2D animation (a rarity for the Studio that usually employs stop-motion “Animagic”) and telling the Easter Rabbit’s origin story that’s unlike any other.
The special opens on Christmas, and we meet our narrator, a smartly dressed rabbit named G.B., who introduces us to Stuffy’s story: he is a stuffed rabbit who is a Christmas gift to a young girl named Glinda. Sadly, Glinda comes down with Scarlet Fever, and the doctor and family make the tough decision to throw away and destroy all of her toys in a bonfire to stop the spread of the disease.
As advertised in TV Guide
Stuffy is rescued by a Calliope, a sprite, who brings Stuffy to life and informs him of his “special mission”: he is to be the First Easter Rabbit. Stuffy is then whisked away to the beautiful Easter Valley. It is here that all of the baskets, bonnets, and other Easter items are created. Easter Valley is a section of the North Pole and is kept warm by the magical Golden Easter Lilly. As Easter Valley is part of the North Pole, Stuffy meets Santa Claus, who is there to assist Stuffy.
Stuffy also meets three other rabbits (all anthropomorphically dressed like humans) named Spats, Flops, and Whiskers. They help him get to Easter Valley and wind-up staying to help Stuffy.
Like every good Rankin/Bass holiday special, The First Easter Rabbit has its villain and one who is out to stop the holiday from happening. In this case, it’s an evil ice wizard named Zero and his sidekick, a snowball named Bruce. Zero wants to send a blizzard to Easter Valley, which will make for a “white Easter,” and he can take the Golden Easter Lilly. With the help of his Rabbit friends and Santa Claus, Stuffy looks to save Easter.
Originally sponsored by Sunshine Cookies
Stuffy is voiced by Tony Award-winning Broadway musical veteran Robert Morse.
Familiar animated voice veterans round out the Cast: Don Messick, a regular at Hanna-Barbera (Muttley, Scooby-Doo) is Whiskers, as well as Bruce; Stan Freberg (who provided several voices for Warner Bros) is Flops; Joan Gardner, whose resume is almost like a history of animation, played Calliope and what would a Rankin/Bass special be without their stalwart voice actor Paul Frees. Here, he plays Zero, Spats and Santa Claus (a familiar voice he would play quite a bit in a number of the Studio’s specials).
The First Easter Rabbit also has the familiar and comforting look of many 2D Rankin/Bass specials, thanks to the design work of Paul Coker, Jr., who served the same role for the Studio’s other specials, such as Frosty the Snowman (1969), The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) and The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town (1977). Coker was also a regular contributor for Mad magazine and Hallmark, which fits in that his style in the Rankin/Bass specials is very evocative of vintage greeting cards.
The special also features an incredibly catchy song, “There’s That Rabbit,” which opens the special and is featured in the show’s story. Written by Jules Bass and Maury Laws, the song is an earworm that, once heard, will stay with you through summer.
Also featured is Irving Berlin’s holiday standard, “Easter Parade,” which features in the finale. Stuffy and Glinda are reunited in a nicely animated segment that’s filled with appropriate springtime color.
The First Easter Rabbit aired on NBC on April 9, 1976 and celebrates its 45th anniversary this season.
The special is one of those rare Rankin/Bass outings that the Studio’s usual scribe Romeo Muller did not write. Instead, it was written by Julian P. Gardner, with a story based loosely on the popular book, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. With their take on the story, Rankin/Bass does what the Studio has always done so well with their other holiday specials.
In fact, another of their Easter specials reaches a milestone this year and will be celebrated in this column next week.
For now, take time to re-visit (or even visit) this unsung Rankin/Bass special. The First Easter Rabbit may play like many of the Studio’s other specials, but there’s always comfort in playing those “greatest hits.”
Greg Ehrbar writes more about the soundtrack of The First Easter Rabbit on our sister website, Cartoon Research.
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