Peter Cottontail (Diamond Select)

Peter Cottontail
Diamond Select
2002

Rankin / Bass Productions was behind some of the most well known holiday specials which started airing in 1964. Their most famous being the stop motion animated short, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Though the company produced a fair amount of stop motion animated shorts (and films), they also dabbled in traditional animation as well as live action films.

These days you won't find any new Rankin / Bass Productions airing on television. The company closed its doors several years ago. However, that hasn't stopped the individual entities that have assumed the rights of their products from creating sequels, nor stifled them from hitting the air waves with seasonal reruns.

However, if you're looking for a more collectible, plastic, action figure based Ranskin / Bass Production, turn your attention to the 2002 Diamond Select Peter Cottontail line. The figures are based on the 1971 stop motion animated short, Here Comes Peter Cottontail starring Danny Kaye.

 Peter Cottontail*Donna

As is usually the case with this type of line, the series was rather small. It featured only four figures, and nothing else. It was aimed at a very specific target audience, and sadly said audience didn't seem to care much. Sales were bleak, and secondary markets these days are even worse. A full carded set can sell for as little as $40.00. However, this seems to not be a gauge of the actual value of the series as a full set of opened / complete figures can sell for the exact same amount. This is definitely a unique if not odd scenario.

Irontail*Sassafrass

It's not that the series was (or is) a bad one. It's just very confined to the type of person that would want it. First and foremost you have to find a Raskin / Bass fan - Which granted, there are probably a lot of them. However, you then have to have one that is also remotely interested in action figures - Or more specifically - Buying and collecting action figures. That's probably a very small demographic.

Though there aren't many toys based on Rankin / Bass shorts, there are still some to be found here and there. We've personally covered another of their series in our post on NECA's The Year Without A Santa Claus.

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