Easter Bunny Plush Toys

What would Easter be without multi-colored eggs, chocolate eggs, and Easter bunny plush toys? Easter just wouldn't be the same if these traditional Easter fare were missing.

The Easter Bunny is somewhat of a mystery. By all accounts, it's an animal that is good and kind and only appears on the Easter holiday to bring chocolate eggs to children. Most notably, the eggs are hidden in 'secret' locations in homes overnight where children then search for the treasures the next morning. Like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny is never seen and leaves his scrumptious treats in the middle of the night. Because the Easter Bunny is so popular, many children want a memento of him to last the entire year. Just prior to the holiday, bunny plush toys become available for purchase. That's not to say that plush bunnies aren't available all year long, but specifically for the Easter holiday, Easter bunny plush often come in different and unusual colors (like pink) and can be purchased with bows tied around their necks and can be placed in colorful Easter type baskets.

The holiday of Easter became a holy celebration in the second century. Prior to that it was non-religious and celebrated as a pagan festival; with the return of spring, the ancient Saxons celebrated with a huge festival which commemorated both their goddess of offspring and springtime, named 'Eastre.' Over time, the spelling of 'Eastre' was changed to what we know it as today - Easter.

Like the Pagan festival of Eastre, The Easter Bunny is not a new innovation that came along with the modern world. The Bunny symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre but its origins were based in pre-Christian lore. At the time, both the hare and the rabbit were the most known fertile animals that existed thus they served as symbols of new life when spring began. Easter rabbits were first mentioned in German writings found in the 1500s and then the first edible Easter bunnies were made in the 1800s in Germany. These bunnies were made of pastry and sugar, not chocolate. The actual symbol of the Easter rabbit was brought to America by German settlers who arrived during the 1700s in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Next to a visit by Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve, children took no greater pleasure than waiting for the "Oschter Haws" to arrive. It was believed that if the children were good, "Oschter Haws" would leave them a nest of colored eggs. Later on, as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread, beautifully decorated Easter baskets were also introduced on the holiday.

The next time Easter rolls around, giving your child a bunny plush toy along with the 'traditional' chocolate eggs can be an adventure in learning; teaching them about the history of Easter and their bunny plush toy, will make the holiday that much more enjoyable.

Angeline Hope is a collector of Easter bunny plush toys. You can view a huge selection of quality Easter bunny plush toys at MyBigPlush.

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