The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Story

Peter is a mischievous rabbit who lives with his mother and three sisters. Despite his mother’s warnings, Peter sneaks into Mr McGregor’s garden and eats some of his vegetables. It isn’t long before he runs into Mr McGregor himself, who chases Peter around the garden. Can he escape and find his way home?

Why we chose it

There are a number of famous story rabbits. Peter was one of the first and is still one of the best loved. When visitors to the museum were asked to tell us their favourite story Peter Rabbit was one of the ten most frequently mentioned stories.

Where it came from

Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943) first wrote about Peter Rabbit in a letter to the ill son of her former governess, Noel Moore, in 1893. Potter based the character on her pet rabbit, Peter Piper. In 1901, after being rejected by several publishers, Potter decided to publish the story herself. Frederick Warne & Co were eventually swayed by her “bunny book” and published it commercially in 1902.

Where it went next

The first 8,000 copies of the book sold out before it was even published, and over 45 million copies have been sold worldwide. In 1903, Potter patented a Peter Rabbit doll, making him one of the oldest licensed literary characters. Peter has also appeared in numerous TV shows, books, ballets and films, including the 2018 feature film Peter Rabbit.

Associated stories

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is the first of a series featuring the bunny. Other stories include The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904), The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909), and The Tale of Mr Tod (1912). To mark the 110^th anniversary of the book’s publication, actress Emma Thompson wrote The Further Tales of Peter Rabbit (2012)