QUICKSAND BY THE NUMBERS » EASTER BUNNY
18
The century when German immigrants brought the Easter Hare tradition to the U.S. The tradition was adopted quickly and Americanized, turning the Easter Hare into the Easter Bunny. The Germans also attempted to introduce the Easter Hare to Sweden, but it wasn’t translated correctly and essentially a long game of telephone ended with the Easter Wizard as Sweden’s holiday mascot.
86
The number of chocolate Easter bunnies, in millions, made in Germany each year; about 43 million of those are shipped across the globe. Although Germany isn’t a main source of cacao seeds, it is a focal point for Easter tradition, which is why they are one of the top producers of chocolate bunnies.
6
Numbers of publishers who rejected the story of Peter Rabbit—though The Tale of Peter Rabbit is one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. To this day the story is still widely known across the world with the most recent version being published in 35 languages.
1959
The year the Trix rabbit started his opening monologue, which ends with the recognizable slogan, “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” As if the mascot and catchy slogan weren’t enough to make this one of the most memorable advertisements ever created, the creators partnered with Bugs Bunny in 1985 to further engrave the catchphrase into our memory.
6 | SAND& PINE MAGAZINE April/May 2021
150
Number of cartoons starring the cultural icon, Bugs Bunny, between 1940 to 1964. Bugs Bunny was an icon partially because of the effort the original voice actor applied when voicing the character. Voice actor Mel Blanc even chewed carrots while recording to help immerse himself in the character. Later on in life, the Bugs Bunny character was credited with helping Mel Blanc communicate with doctors after a car accident left him severely injured. Instead of talking directly to Mel, doctors addressed him as Bugs Bunny, and to their surprise he replied in character. Bugs Bunny is the ninth most portrayed character in the world. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
9,359
The record, in pounds, of the world's largest chocolate bunny ever made. The behemoth was created in 2017 in Brazil. It broke the original record by weighing more than an Asian elephant—or close to onethird the weight of a cruise ship anchor.
