History of the Easter Bunny
- The Easter Bunny is a symbol of new life during the spring season.
- The idea of the Easter Bunny with baskets of eggs started in Europe as the Easter Hare. The hare was originally a symbol of Easter for the Germans who came to America in the 18th century.
- German settlers believed a white hare would leave brightly colored eggs for all good children on Easter morning.
- Early American children built nests of leaves and sticks in their gardens for the Easter Hare to fill with colored eggs.
- By the 19th century in America, the Easter Hare had become the Easter Bunny delighting children with baskets of eggs, chocolates, candy chicks, jelly beans and other gifts on Easter morning.
Easter!
- The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th century and remain among the most popular treats associated with Easter.
- 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year.
- 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter.
- Each day, five million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
- Easter is the second top-selling confectionery holiday behind only Halloween.
- 88 percent of adults carry on the Easter tradition of creating Easter baskets for their kids.
- 76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
- Red jelly beans are kids' favorite.
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25-ft high and made of chocolate and marshmallow. The egg weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.