Rabbits protest actions that play down Easter's bunny nature

[Robb]

DNN Ñ Flopsy is tired of being wished "Happy Good Friday" instead of "Hoppy Easter." She's annoyed with department stores that use "He is Risen" banners, and with private schools that teach about Passover and Yom Kippur but won't touch the Peter Cottontail story.

So last week, she sent a baked protest to an Easter party at her first-grade son's school: a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and red icing that spelled out "Hippity Hoppity."

"Easter keeps getting downgraded, to the point that you're almost made to feel weird if you even mention bunnies," says Flopsy, who describes herself as a non-denominational rabbit. "What's the matter with recognizing the reason behind the whole holiday? The Easter Bunny!!!"

This Easter season, Flopsy has plenty of company. Bunnies and hares across the nation, fed up with what they view as the de-emphasizing of Easter as an egg-hiding holiday, are filing lawsuits, promoting boycotts and launching campaigns aimed at restoring references to the Easter Bunny in seasonal celebrations.

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