Acknowledging Rabbit

When I think of Winnie the Pooh, a nursery room comes to mind.  Soft colors, simple shapes, smiles all around.  Basically, anything that you may find in the baby sections of a Disney store.  But it is always the same characters: Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore.  Why?

I guess I can understand why.  They are the most loveable, cuddly friends.  Still, I cannot help but find it unfair that the others are not as equally recognized.  Kanga and Roo are absolutely charming!  And Rabbit...well, he's my favorite.

Maybe it is the adult in me, because I'm sure as a kid, I couldn't stand the guy.  However, when I watched The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for this post, I was drawn to him (pun intended!).  Rabbit is a fantastic friend and practical in every way, which is desperately needed in this land of chaotic imagination.  As ridiculous as this may sound, I found myself thinking Rabbit should be the lead of the franchise!  The straight man in the middle of all the nonsense, much like Jerry's character in Seinfeld.  Of course, that's just the grown up in me - let's get real - no kid would imagine Rabbit as his best bud.

This got me thinking on how Rabbit would look as a young bunny.  He and Owl are the two drawn as actual animals, not stuffed toys, which is probably why they have a more grown-up view on most situations.  So I gave it a shot!  With ink and watercolor, I present to you Rabbit as a bunny! 

Funny, though - he still has that old man face.  Maybe Rabbit is just an old soul. :)