The Velveteen Rabbit Introduction
Before Toy Story, before Pinocchio, before even (shudder) Child's Play—there was The Velveteen Rabbit.
This book is one of the earliest stories about the secret lives of toys. It tells the tale of a little stuffed bunny who dreams of becoming capital-R Real someday. He ends up achieving his dream with the help of a kind little boy and also learns all about friendship, love, and loss along the way. (And, on the plus side, he never once tries to kill anyone. We're looking at you, Chucky.)
The Velveteen Rabbit was written by Margery Williams way back in 1922. Williams had penned other books but, after World War I ended, she was inspired by her two children to start work on a short book for kids. The story was an instant hit. Williams would write nearly twenty-five books total, but The Velveteen Rabbit would be her most famous by far.
Hey, everyone loves a bunny who keeps it Real.
Even now—almost a hundred years later—this story remains one of the most cherished children's books of all time. It was honored with the IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award. It was also voted one of the Top 100 Books for Children by the National Education Association. That's pretty impressive for a little rabbit stuffed with sawdust.
It isn't surprising that Margery Williams would dream up a story about a toy that comes to life. People have always wondered what their toys are up to when they're not around. Calvin imagined his tiger Hobbes was Real. Pinocchio wanted to become a Real boy. Clara helped her nutcracker doll turn into a handsome prince. Woody and Buzz fought over who was better—the classic toy or the modern, flashy one.
And, you know, Chucky tried to possess the kid who owned him.
The point is—the lives of our toys are so mysterious. What do they do all day? Does our Barbie have hopes and dream? Does our Ninja Turtle love us as much as we love him? And what happens when we can't take care of our scruffy-looking teddy bear anymore?
The Velveteen Rabbit has answers to those questions.
What is The Velveteen Rabbit About and Why Should I Care?
You're a mature person. You're in control of your emotions. That means you don't go around crying at kid's stuff. Especially not a book written for little tiny children.
Right?
…wrong.
We hate to break this to you, but, based on our (unscientific) calculations, 99% of people cry at some point during The Velveteen Rabbit. This story is an emotional minefield. It's a sweet and sentimental tale about a vulnerable toy rabbit who learns to love and then has his little sawdust heart broken into a thousand pieces when he's ultimately rejected by the child he cared for the most.
What's that? You've got something in your eye. We'll give you a minute to recover.
The Velveteen Rabbit is pretty deep for a book aimed at little kids, but it's in keeping with a tradition of tackling big topics in children's literature. The Giving Tree; Love You Forever; The Hundred Dresses: these books all have a bittersweet quality as they take on issues like love and loss and friendship. It's definitely not just kid's stuff.
The Rabbit is also struggling with another big question—what does it mean to be Real? The book says we become the truest, most authentic people we can be when we open ourselves to the possibility of loving and being loved in return. Of course, that also means we can be hurt. The Velveteen Rabbit learns that love isn't all play dates and Sunday morning snuggles in bed. Real love can mean heartbreak and tears and being burned to death. Well, not usually being burned to death…but you get the idea.
If you're not tearing up after all that? It's cool. You're probably one of those people who didn't cry at the beginning of Up either. (On the plus side, you'll save a lot of money on Kleenex.) The rest of us will be over here sobbing our eyes out with the Velveteen Rabbit.