TVSquad

When you think of Rankin-Bass (that's Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass for the unknowing) what's the first thing that comes to mind? Why Christmas, of course! No holiday season would be complete without watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman or The Year Without a Santa Claus (the original, not the bastardized live-action NBC version) at least once. However, Rankin-Bass wasn't only just for Christmas. In fact, they made specials for Thanksgiving, Halloween and . . . Easter.

There were actually three Easter specials, to be exact. The first was Here Comes Peter Cottontail, which premiered in 1971 on ABC. In that one, which starred the voice talent of Casey Kasem, Vincent Price, and Danny Kaye, Peter is a young bunny in April Valley, which is the central hub for all things Easter. The Chief Easter Bunny names Peter his successor, but the citizens of April Valley, including the evil rabbit Irontail (isn't there always an evil rabbit somewhere) declare this monarchy unconstitutional. So, the C.E.B decides to hold a contest between Irontail and Peter to see who can deliver the most eggs. Whoever does gets the Chief Bunny position.