By Michael Lyons
These television Easter specials are like jellybeans buried under the fake grass at the bottom of the basket, and have faded into obscurity.
Unlike Christmas, Easter has never brought with it a plethora of TV traditions (the shortlist would probably be It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, and Here Comes Peter Cottontail), which makes these specials even more interesting to seek out.
The First Easter Rabbit (originally aired on April 9, 1976)
Rankin/Bass, the studio synonymous with so many Christmas specials, brought us this Easter Rabbit origin story, narrated by Burl Ives (Sam the Snowman from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) as the Rabbit who tells the story.
The First Easter Rabbit centers on Stuffy (Robert Morse), a stuffed rabbit given to a young girl named Glinda as a Christmas present. In a sad, dark turn, Glinda is diagnosed with Scarlet Fever and all of her belongings, including Stuffy, need to be burned to stop the sickness from spreading.
Stuffy is rescued by a sprite named Caliope, who takes him to Easter Valley (located at the North Pole and Santa himself watches over it).
Stuffy and the other rabbits of Easter Valley face Zero, the evil ice wizard, and his sidekick Bruce the Snowball, who are trying to capture the Lily of Easter Valley. If they do, there will be no Easter.
The First Easter Rabbit is told in comforting Rankin/Bass 2D animation, with great designs by artist Paul Coker, Jr. Also, the studio's stalwart voice actor Paul Frees is featured as several characters, including Santa.
Irving Berlin's Easter Parade is utilized so well in The First Easter Rabbit, during a lovely finale that plays out in pure’70’s springtime animation.
Bugs Bunny's Easter Special (Originally aired April 7, 1977)
Also called Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies, this special is about the Easter bunny feeling under the weather, and Granny knowing who would be the perfect substitute - Bugs Bunny! She heads over to the Warner Bros. studio lot to find Bugs and encounters the Bunny and other members of the Looney Tunes canon busy making their movies.
Daffy Duck is eager to help but always winds up in the wrong outfit (such as an Easter basket).
The special is indicative of many Bugs Bunny specials from the decade, in which classic Waner Bros. cartoons are bridged with new animation (that doesn't always match or have a heck of a lot of continuity).
Ah well, we get to hear the wonderful vocal work of legends Mel Blanc and June Foray and watch scenes from some of the funniest cartoons ever made.
A Family Circus Easter (originally aired April 8, 1982)
From a time when almost every newspaper comic strip was getting its own holiday special comes this animated adaptation of cartoonist Bil Keane's popular strip.
The special centers on the kids Jeffy, Dolly, Billy, and PJ on the night before Easter. They're all concerned that their baby brother, PJ, won't be able to find any eggs during the hunt the following day. With mom and dad asleep, the kids then sneak out in the middle of the night to hide the eggs and attempt to catch the Easter Bunny.
And that, essentially, is the special's entire plot (reflecting the comic strip's simple charm). Unlike the comic strip, there is a moment of psychedelic and surreal animation.
The kids look through an Easter Egg viewer (like a kaleidoscope or view master) and see a colorful, magical Easter village, complete with the Easter Bunny (voiced by Dizzie Gillespie). It includes a musical number that goes on too long and ethereal animation that seems entirely out of place with the rest of the special, but it's still fascinating to watch.
Each of these shows are great to look back on. They provide perfect Easter season viewing, and also give us a glimpse at a time when TV produced specials for seemingly every holiday, and we all waited for them eagerly in front of the television!
Happy Easter!
*My new book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance is now available on Amazon, click here: Drawn to Greatness
**And, check out more of my writing on my website: Words From Lyons
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