Line #23 Literature/TheVelveteenRabbit


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5	''The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real'' is a children's novel written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. The story revolves around a stuffed rabbit's journey to become "Real" through his owner’s love. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished many times since.
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7	''The Velveteen Rabbit'' was Williams' first children's book and it was the most popular of all her children's books. It has been awarded the IRA/CBC Children's Choice award.
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9	''The Velveteen Rabbit'' was adapted into a video recording in 1985 by Random House Video; narrated by Meryl Streep, with music by George Winston. It received a Parents' Choice Award for Multimedia and was a Grammy award nominee. Also released in 1985 were two different animated adaptations made around the same time. The first was produced in Canada by Atkinson Film-Arts and narrated by Christopher Plummer, while the second was produced by Hanna-Barbera's Australia unit and premiered as a ABC Weekend Special. In 1976 it was very loosely adapted into the Creator/RankinBassProductions Holiday Special, ''The First Easter Rabbit,'' in which the rabbit goes on to become the Easter Bunny after becoming real. In 1984 it was part of the "Enchanted Musical Playhouse" series, where Marie Osmond played the part of the Velveteen Rabbit. In 2003 it was also adapted into a clay-animated film by Xyzoo Animation. In 2004, a Japanese adaptation in the form of audiobook + vocal album is released by [[http://canta-per-me.net/discography/velveteen/ Noriko Ogawa and Yuki Kajiura]][[note]][[Literature/FateZero Yes]], ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica that]]'' Music/YukiKajiura. [[/note]] In 2009 it was adapted into a HumanFocusedAdaptation film, and in 2023, it was adapted into a special for AppleTV+. Both of these last two adaptations combined live action with animation.
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12	!!''The Velveteen Rabbit'' has examples of:
13	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The Boy's "modern" mechanical toys snub the Rabbit for being only a stuffed animal. Until he becomes's the Boy's favorite toy, his only friend is the Skin Horse.
14	* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: The Boy's parents are never seen or mentioned, only [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Nana]], his nanny. Some adaptations [[AdaptationExpansion address this issue]] and make it a part of why the Boy so needs the Rabbit to love: for example, the 2009 film gives him a [[MissingMom dead mother]] and a WhenYouComingHomeDad father.
15	* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Several adaptations add some trouble in the Boy's personal life to explain why he becomes so attached to the Rabbit. The 2009 film gives him the above-mentioned MissingMom and WhenYouComingHomeDad father, the 1986 stage musical adaptation gives him an AloofBigBrother, and in the 2023 film he's just moved to the country and is too shy to make new friends. These problems are usually solved by the end, which explains why the Boy doesn't need the Rabbit anymore.
16	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Rabbit becomes a Real rabbit in the end, but is separated from the Boy, who is left thinking the Rabbit was burned with the rest of his toys. The 2009 movie makes this a tad happier by making Toby aware that the rabbit became Real, but they still end up separated. Averted in ''The First Easter Rabbit'', where [[NamedByTheAdaptation Stuffy]] becomes a talking, human-like EasterBunny instead of a wild rabbit and happily reunites with [[GenderFlip Glinda]].]]
17	* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his stuffed rabbit.
18	* BunniesForCuteness: The main character is a toy bunny much adored by its owner.
19	* CapitalLettersAreMagic: "Real" is always capitalized.
20	* CompanionCube: The Velveteen Rabbit is this to the Boy before it becomes Real.
21	* DidIMentionItsChristmas: The book opens with the Boy receiving the Rabbit as a Christmas present, but otherwise the holiday has no bearing on the plot. Some stage adaptations and at least one AnimatedAdaptation change the beginning to the Boy's birthday to avoid pigeonholing the piece as a Christmas story.
22	* EitherOrTitle: ''The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real.'' The second half of the title is rarely remembered.
23	* TheFairFolk: A fairy (very much the magic-wand-and-sparkles kind) shows up at the end to make the Rabbit Real.
24	* GenderLift: Some stage and screen adaptations/sequels make the Boy a girl named "Andrea" or "Glinda". The ''CBS Storybreak'' version gave the (male) Skin Horse a warm, motherly woman's voice.
25	* HealthyCountryAir: The boy is taken out to the seaside to aid his recovery after his bout with scarlet fever.
26	* KillItWithFire: A doctor orders everything the Boy touched while he was sick with scarlet fever, including the Rabbit, burned after he recovers to prevent the then-dangerous disease from spreading.
27	* LivingToys: The toys can talk to each other, [[AnimalTalk and to animals]], but aren't able to move around by themselves unless they become Real.
28	* LoveImbuesLife: Played with. According to the Skin Horse, a child's love can make a toy Real. As it turns out, this is MetaphoricallyTrue: the Rabbit stays a stuffed animal, but he becomes Real "to the Boy." In the end, a fairy's magic is what makes him a literal flesh-and-blood rabbit. Still, the reason why the fairy comes is because she takes care of all toys that children have loved.
29	** The 2023 film adds a twist: it's not being loved that will make the Rabbit turn Real, but the Rabbit's own unconditional love for William (the Boy). He proves it by choosing to comfort William in his bed while he's sick, even though [[HeroicSacrifice he knows it means he'll be burned afterwards.]]
30	* NamelessNarrative: The Boy, the Rabbit, and the Skin Horse are not otherwise named in the book.
31	* NoNameGiven: In the book, the central human is just "the Boy." Averted in the 2009 movie, which names him Toby, in the 2023 movie, which names him William, and in ''The First Easter Rabbit'', which [[GenderFlip gender flips]] him into a girl named Glinda. Also averted in some stage adaptations. The musical version licensed by Music Theatre International names him Steve, while another version names him Andrew, with the playwright giving the option to [[GenderFlip gender flip]] him into a girl named Andrea.
32	%%* PublicDomainCharacter
33	* SentimentalShabbiness: Shabbiness is described as a key part of becoming "real" and "reality" is caused by love.
34	* SlidingScaleOfLivingToys: Level 0 at the beginning, level 6 at the end.
35	* SickEpisode: Late in the story, the Boy becomes seriously ill with scarlet fever. He recovers, but all the toys he played with in bed need to be burned to keep the disease from spreading, including the Rabbit.
36	* SwissArmyTears: Near the end, the Rabbit is Real enough to shed a tear, which summons the fairy who makes him fully Real.
37	* TalkingAnimal: Animals can talk to each other and to toys, but not to humans.
38	* TearsFromAStone: The abandoned rabbit sheds a Real tear when he is thrown out to be burned.
39	* TragicAbandonedToy: The titular plush rabbit is thrown out because he was with his owner when the latter was stricken with scarlet fever. He is clearly distraught about being separated from his owner and sheds a SingleTear. He cheers up, however, when a fairy turns him "real" rather than stuffed, and he later comes across his owner (though the latter [[DramaticIrony isn't aware that this is the plush toy he used to have]]).

Context Literature / TheVelveteenRabbit