First edition cover.
The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in July 1909.
PLOT[]
Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit are adults. And Benjamin has married his cousin, Flopsy Rabbit (one of Peter's three younger sisters). The couple have six young children (possibly three boys and three girls), who are all nicknamed The Flopsy Bunnies. (The youngest two --the fifth and sixth children-- may possibly be twins, while the first four are the eldest child, the second oldest, the middle child, and fourth child. The eldest Flopsy bunny is possibly a girl.) Benjamin and Flopsy are “very improvident and cheerful” and have some difficulty feeding their children. Sometimes they visit Benjamin's older cousin Peter Rabbit. Peter and his wife have a large vegetable garden. But sometimes he (Peter) cannot spare anything. (Peter --Benjamin's cousin-- became an adult and also had a wife and children --of his own-- too. That is, although this hasn't been heard. But Mopsy and Cotton-Tail --Peter's other two sisters-- have not been married yet and are still living with their mother Old Mrs. Rabbit.) If that happens, then they cross a field to go to Mr. McGregor’s rubbish heap which has rotten vegetables.
One day they find and feast on lettuces that have shot into flower, and, under their "soporific" influence, fall asleep in the rubbish heap, though Benjamin puts a sack over his head. Mr. McGregor discovers them by accident when tipping grass-clippings down and places them in a sack and ties it shut then sets the sack aside while attending to another matter. (Mr. McGregor, he counts, "One, two, three, four, five, six leetle rabbits". Then he ties up the sack with the six baby rabbits inside.) Benjamin and Flopsy are unable to help their children. Benjamin and Flopsy tried to undo the string on the sack, but it was too strong to untie. Flopsy cries when she hears that her babies have been kidnapped. But a "resourceful" wood mouse called Thomasina Tittlemouse, gnaws a hole in the sack and the bunnies escape. Their parents fill the sack with rotten vegetables (an old blackening brush, three rotten vegetable marrows, and two decayed turnips), and the animals hide under a bush to observe Mr. McGregor's reaction.
Mr. McGregor does not notice the substitution, and carries the sack home, continually counting the six rabbits. Mrs. McGregor still thinks that Mr. McGregor is acting silly. That is, until Mr. McGregor counts them (while showing his wife the sack). (That is, as Mr. McGregor says, "In the sack! One, two, three, four, five, six!".)
Mrs. McGregor claims the skins for herself (intending to line her old cloak with them). Mrs. McGregor untied the sack and put her hand inside. But when she reaches into the sack and discovers the rotten vegetables, she became very, very angry. Then she (furiously) accuses her husband of playing a trick on her. (In the cartoon, Mr. McGregor --before accusing her husband-- says in a whiny tone --when she discovers the rotten vegetables-- "What is this?! My old blackening brush?! And the marrows I threw out yesterday are rotten!". Then she turns to her husband and furiously snaps, "YOU SILLY MAN, YOU HAVE MADE A FOOL OUT OF ME! AND YOU HAVE DONE IT ON PURPOSE!". That is, when she sees the rotten vegetables. And she throws a rotten vegetable marrow at Mr. McGregor, which lands in his dinner. Then she accuses her husband for playing a trick on her.) And Mr. McGregor was very angry too. Then one of the rotten vegetable marrows are thrown through the window (by Mr. McGregor). (That is, after Mr. McGregor --also furious-- says to his wife that the Flopsy Bunnies have "gotten the better of him again". He says, "OH BEASTIES! THEY HAVE GOTTEN THE BETTER OF ME AGAIN!". And he states that no one plays a trick on him or his wife and gets away with it. After saying the Flopsy Bunnies have "gotten the better of him", he throws the rotten vegetable marrows out the window and gets the youngest Flopsy bunny.)
One of the rotten vegetable marrows came flying out of the window. And it hits the youngest of the eavesdropping bunnies (who has been sitting on the windowsill). (Mrs. McGregor blamed Mr. McGregor, followed by Mr. McGregor who blamed one of the Flopsy Bunnies, and followed by the youngest Flopsy Bunny --because the thrown marrow broke his arm when Mr. McGregor threw it at him-- who was carried off in Flopsy and Benjamin's --his parents's-- arms for comfort.) Then the Flopsy Bunnies decided it was time to go home.
Finally, the McGregors (after the Flopsy bunnies leave) get into a nasty argument. And they play the blame game. Mrs. McGregor (mockingly) repeats Mr. McGregor's counting patterns. (She says, "One, two, three, four, five, six!".) Mr. McGregor says it is not his fault that the Flopsy bunnies were playing a joke on him all along and admits there were six fat rabbits in the sack. (That is, as he says, "And I tell you there were six fat rabbits in the sack!". He tries to say to Mrs. McGregor that it wasn't his fault that the Flopsy Bunnies tricked him with the rotten vegetables.) But Mrs. McGregor remains unmoved, despite understanding that it was not her husband's fault that the six rabbits were replaced with rotten vegetables. (That is, as she says, "Keep me for a fool, Mr. John McGregor! I am mad to believe the theories have changed them into marrows!".) And the McGregors (after she --Mrs. McGregor-- says this) continue the argument.
Then Benjamin and Flopsy decided that it was time to go home. (That is, as the narration --in the book-- reads, "Then Benjamin and Flopsy decided that it was time to go home".) They hear the McGregors arguing. So this buys them some time to escape. And the Flopsy bunny children are unaware that this is short lived (regarding with the McGregor couple's defeat).
At Christmas, they send the heroic little wood mouse a quantity of rabbit-wool. She makes herself a cloak and a hood, and a muff and mittens.
In the end, the McGregors fail their attempt to get the rabbit tobacco. And they are once again defeated. Well, Mr. McGregor tries to prove to his wife Mrs. McGregor that it wasn't him who made the replacement (which was the rotten marrows and turnips). Mrs. McGregor ultimately believes Mr. McGregor that the six fat rabbits was the one who made the replacement (which was the rotten vegetables) and it wasn't Mr. McGregor who made it nor was it his fault. (Indeed, she gets that.) However they (the McGregors) refuse to bury the hatchet and the chase starts over again. And she (Mrs. McGregor) demands the Flopsy bunnies back and orders her husband to go out and find the Flopsy bunnies. (She --furiously-- says to her husband that if it is not his fault, she wants the six fat rabbits back this instant.) Mr. McGregor does as she asks. (Mr. McGregor says to his wife, "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW SMART I AM, YOU SILLY OLD WOMAN!".) Then he impatiently runs out of the house. And he gets to the burrow and digs from them with his stick. (That is, as he then says, "WHERE ARE YOU!? YOU WEE LITTLE BEASTIES! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! COME OUT! COME OUT! YOU ARE SIX WEE RABBITS! AND YOU ARE MAKING A FOOL OF MR. JOHN MCGREGOR!".)
As for the McGregors's defeat, this is short lived. Because even if the Flopsy family and Peter's family (including Peter and his wife, his own children, his mother, and his [[Cotton-Tail|sisters) do move out to another state and into a new garden of their own, the McGregors are still going to follow them.
Trivia[]
In an illustration of Peter with his vegetable garden, a female rabbit wearing a pink dress is next to him. This implies that Peter is married.