How It All Goes Down
Merry Christmas! A little boy gets a special present in his stocking—a velveteen rabbit. (Way better than coal.) He's excited about the little stuffed animal at first, but then the toy just goes into the toy box with all his other playthings.
The Velveteen Rabbit is cool with it though. Most of the toys in the nursery don't talk to him, but the wise old Skin Horse tells him all about what it's like to be Real. See, when a child loves you for a really long time and plays with you and wears you out, then you become Real. The Rabbit's not too sure about the whole "getting worn out" part, but he would really like to be Real someday. #ToyGoals
One night, Nana, the lady in charge of the nursery, give the Boy the Velveteen Rabbit to sleep with. After that, the Boy and the Rabbit become best friends. The Rabbit's fur starts to wear and his seams are coming apart from too much love, but he doesn't mind. One day, the Boy tells Nana that his rabbit isn't a toy—he's Real. The Rabbit is super psyched. He's finally achieved Real status. Way to keep it 100, Rabbit.
In summertime, the Velveteen Rabbit is playing outside with the Boy when a group of wild rabbits come up to him. They want to play with him, but the Rabbit can't move because he's just a stuffed animal. Eventually the rabbits realize that the Velveteen Rabbit isn't a wild rabbit like them and they run away. This just about breaks the poor Rabbit's little heart. And ours.
Eventually, the Boy gets sick with scarlet fever. The Rabbit stays with in bed him until he recovers. But the day before the Boy is supposed to leave for the seaside, the Rabbit hears that he needs to be burned. Apparently he's covered in germs.
So this whole being Real thing didn't work out so great for the Rabbit. He sits in the bag of toys waiting to be tossed into a bonfire and cries. Out of his one real tear grows a flower fairy. This Fairy tells the Rabbit that he was already Real to the Boy, but now she's going to make him Real to everyone. Score. The Fairy carries the Velveteen Rabbit over to a group of wild rabbits in the woods and tells them to look out for her friend. Then she gives him a kiss and he's off and hopping with the other wild bunnies.
Later, the Boy is out playing in the woods by his house and he comes across some wild rabbits. One looks super familiar. It reminds him of a bunny he used to have before he got sick. Of course, we know that it's the Velveteen Rabbit and that he came back to find his special friend who helped him become Real.
The end. (Now would you please pass the tissues?)