Peter Rabbit Was A Marketing Strategy

Children have been reading and enjoying Beatrix Potter books since 1902. You might recognize some of the more popular stories such as Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. Most of her other stories utilize a similar template based on animal characters interacting as human beings which have drawn comparisons to Aesop?s fables. Potter, however, had a very specific and somewhat distinct vision for her own books.

Beatrix Potter had virtually full creative control and carte blanch in the branding and content of her stories. All of the illustrations for her books were drawn by her and were considered quite accurate as well. In a few cases, the pictures were so detailed that they became the focus more so than even the stories for which they were drawn.

She would often use the details of her own personal life as themes or backdrops for her stories. For instance, the plot in The Tale of Ginger and Pickles where the main characters were dealing with profit margins and other business decisions came from the fact that Beatrix was dealing with the very same issues in getting her books advertised and sold. The drawings would be based upon her surroundings; pets became characters and nearby gardens became settings.

May of the stories had a cast of recurring characters. For instance in The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, Peter Rabbit makes an appearance as a minor supporting character. Benjamin Bunny, one of the major characters of the story, was the main character of a previously published book titled The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Not every book, though, featured character from other books such as in The Tale of Pigling Bland.

Beatrix Potter?s work was popular enough to attract the attention of other famous historical figures. In one story, an animal eats too much and becomes stuck. This story premise would later be borrowed in a Winnie the Pooh story. Walt Disney, who purchased the rights to the Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh, also approached Potter, but she declined selling the rights.

By: Scotty Lane

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

There are common themes in many Beatrix Potter books. For example; The Tale of , The Tale of the Bunnies, and The Tale of Pigling Bland among most of her other books follow an identical title formula. The characters were always animals acting completely human. Additionally, many of the books have recurring characters. Though she would eventually grow tired of writing children?s tales, she purposefully and decidedly developed and sustained this formula almost without fail throughout her career.