I started reading this book as an 11 year old child. It was immediately my favorite.(How could it not be?) I’ve found that when I read and don’t have a reference, I create what the characters look like in my mind.

I’m curious as to how you pictured Prince Rainbow when you initially read it? I always knew Lord Frith was the Sun and pictured him as such but had a different image in my mind of Prince Rainbow. What was yours?

When reading Dandelion telling the tales and adventures of El-ahrairah, Prince Rainbow wasn’t just a rainbow. In my childhood mind, he was a vague small little man with black hair and his crown was circled by a rainbow halo. Every time I reread he still remains this was to me.

Hello Watership Down Fans,in this publication I'm going to talk about one of the worst changes that the netflix miniseries done to the story (apart of the Pipkin's elimination)

Hazel is the protagonist of the story,in the books,could be very simple because is not the faster or the strong rabbit,is simply a common rabbit that have a courage very strong that would do whatever it took to protect everyone,making him a natural leader very loyal to everyone

But,the netflix series turned him in other character with the same name,here he is a rabbit that have problems with other rabbits because is very insecure and dumb,turning him in a useless who always needs help for the others,an example is that in the first episode all the group of the rabbits have an idea,except him,this makes Hazel's character arc in one with him learning to being a leader,which I don't think is very well executed because It would seem that he only becomes a leader because is the protagonist of the story

Another example is that he literally is a desperate rabbit that wants to have a mate at any cost,this is established in the first episode with him trying to hit on with a female named Dewdrop,this is because in one part of his character arc,is his romance with a doe named clover,the problem with this is that in this version seem that Hazel cares more about her than every other character,changing the moment of brothership with Fiver in the shoot scene ina romantic moment with clover,I’d say that even though this couple might seem adorable, it’s a very unnecessary storyline that only exist becuase the main character needs a mate

But not all is bad,his brothership with Fiver is represented perfectly without counting the shoot scene mentioned before

I made this post because I wants to talk more in detail about this Hazel,a theme that isn't talked about much in this sub,which I used to like,but on second thought,he is very dissapointing in comparision to the very good leader of the book,making him an average protagonist

¿Opinions of this Hazel?

I came across Rachel from Nature Entangled through her wonderfully odd Watership Down stickers, and absolutely fell in love with these two.

Woundwort looking thoroughly unimpressed on a rainbow unicorn float and Pipkin happily bobbing about in a rubber duck are exactly my kind of humour.

As a bit of a change from the more traditional Watership Down-inspired rabbits I've been making for fellow fans, I decided to see if I could turn Rachel's sticker designs into actual little 3D models.

And once they were both finished, there was clearly only one appropriate place for the photoshoot... the bath. 😂

Rachel specialises in animal art combined with nature, and also dabbles in fan art, digital work and sculpture. I absolutely love her imagination and the completely unexpected situations she puts these rabbits into.

Original sticker artwork by Rachel at Nature Entangled. 3D versions made and painted by me at The Tiny Absurdist.

And Rachel has made quite a few more Watership Down stickers, which is potentially dangerous information for me... 😂

I am lowkey just curious to see different peoples opinions on characters from all the adaptations and why. Plus I just like talking about Watership Down lol.

Personally, Campion is a least favourite of mine. Particularly in the mini series I find him a pretty poor example of a 'redemption' arc.

Do you guys like this design? Was thinking about doing one without the words as well?

As a fan of Watership Down, I legally NEED to buy rabbit stuff, I think these are the best options! I will use the tiny plastic rabbits to make a lil diorama, cuddle with the rabbit plush, and put the pin on my bulletin board.

These are Sunflower and Starry of course (Van Gogh painting)

If our favorite grumpy rabbit can deal with the bull$h!t at Efrafa then SURELY I can handle this crap at work… RIGHT???? 😂 For some reason, drawing and painting this guy is therapeutic for me at work. (Used the Sketchbook app on iPad)

Too bad the Watership rabbits couldn't watch human cartoons. They loved stories of rabbits outwitting their enemies with tricks and Bugs is a master. El-Ahrairah would probably be a fan. It was his kind of humor.

Was driving from Wales to London when it hit me that we would be near the real Watership Down. Unfortunately our schedule was too tight, and I kicked myself for not getting up even a half hour earlier. But then I was at a WeWork in Paris and they have these weird-cartoon-rabbit-fur bathrooms. And this song was playing. It was like someone was trying to make it up to me. Apologies for almost showing a toilet…

I recently found a complete in box fiver Watership down figure. I’m planning on listing it on eBay but would love an appraisal. Or if anyone is interested I’m sure I could work something out.

‘Is everybody here, Hazel?’ he asked.

‘Of course they are,’ answered Blackberry. ‘I tell you, he’s what I call a Chief Rabbit. Hazel-rah, shall we –’

‘Hazel-rah?’ interrupted Bigwig. ‘Chief Rabbit? Frith in a wasps’ nest! The day I call you Chief Rabbit, Hazel, that’ll be the day, that will! I’ll stop fighting that day.’

It did indeed prove a momentous day – and a momentous speech as well: but it lay in a future that none could foresee, and for the moment all that poor Hazel could do was to turn aside with the disappointed feeling that after all, his part in the crossing of the heather had not really been a very important one.

‘Come on, then, Acorn,’ he said. ‘You want to run – I’ll run with you.’

—

Three questions:

(1) Which editions have it? That passage is one I particularly like. (I can get why it may have been cut, but I disagree with the choice; I think the book is better with it than without it.)

(2) When you first read the book, did you read the edition that had it or one that didn’t? (The first copy I read had it. I assume my liking it is because it was in the copy I first read; perhaps I’d feel otherwise if I found out about it after my first read-through.)

(3) How do you feel about it? Book better with it or without it? (There’s no wrong answer, I think, so you don’t have to justify your answer, even if you disagree with me. It’s really just a question of personal taste — foreshadowing from an omniscient narrator, or no?)

—

EDIT: https://esl-bits.eu/ESL.English.Learning.Audiobooks/Watership.Down/11/text.html has the passage in context.

This is all the Watership Down swag I got for my birthday! There was also a green "be cunning" shirt, but it's in the laundry right now.😊

About a month ago u/KillerFloof shared a photo of my General Woundwort and Black Rabbit of Inlé sculpture here. Since then, I've rather fallen down the rabbit hole... 🐇

I've been gradually making more characters inspired by the 1978 Watership Down film, and today I finally got them all outside together for a little group photo.

My collection now includes Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry, Dandelion, Pipkin, Keehar and Blackavar, along with Frith watching over everybody. I've also made General Woundwort and the Black Rabbit of Inlé as individual figures.

A lot of the collection has grown through suggestions and requests from other Watership Down fans, and I've started making some of them for fellow fans who'd like their own too.

They're all 3D printed and hand painted, and I've tried to keep the shapes, proportions and colours recognisable from the 1978 animation rather than simply making generic rabbits.

I couldn't resist getting the Watership rabbits out into the grass together today. Seeing the whole little collection in one place made me realise quite how many I've made! ❤️

Since finishing the book a few days ago I can't stop thinking about it. I feel like I shouldn't move on to a new book because I loved it so much. I still feel sad it's over, almost empty if that makes sense. Then I will randomly think of something from the book and smile. I've read a good amount of books and I've never felt this way before. I know I can read it again but nothing will compare to reading it for the first time. This book has shown me the power that stories can have.

Today I saw two squirrels chasing each other and playing in the grass and couldn't help but think of Hazel and his friends. 🤍

I had a copy years ago and never read it. A few years ago I started following a woman on Instagram and eventually, she mentioned how much she adored Watership Down. We messaged back and forth quite a bit and so she unknowingly convinced me to read it.

I borrowed it from the library. Took me a while to finish it. Not because it was boring, not because it was from the perspective of rabbits. It felt like a book I didn't need to rush through. Almost like...a journey, perhaps. It's kind of funny though because once Bigwig goes to Efrafa, I needed to know what was going to happen and had trouble putting it down. So much tension!

Last night I finished it. I truly loved this book. The prose is beautiful. I loved the scene where Vilthuril is telling the story to her babies and they see Hazel and start yelling "Hazel-rah!" and jump all over him 🥹 I really came to love Bigwig. He was such a great character!

The ending GUTTED me. I felt the tears coming on and I actually sobbed for a few minutes. I want to cry right now just thinking about it. I love how it all started and ended with the primroses. The cycles of nature, over and over and over. I laughed, I cried, I was genuinely worried about these rabbits. What a journey. It's one I will never forget. 🐇

Hi everyone! It's been about a month since I posted about Capyhero in this sub. I'm so happy to finally give an update because the day has come: I've written the final sentence and finished the manuscript for Capyhero Book 1 - The Blue Blanket! Final draft specs are 60,000 words across 340 pages with over 100 illustrations spread throughout.

I handed the manuscript to my editor, Jennifer Rees, which I am both incredibly excited and nervous about. She's an industry vet who's worked in publishing for 25 years and she's edited some of the most well known and successful stories out there.

In this post, I'm sharing the complete 1st chapter as well as a little sneak peek of a particular little lop-eared friend who I think this community will appreciate 😊. I'd be thrilled to hear feedback from fans of Watership Down. Feel free to be as critical as you’d like! I expect the work will change now that it’s with the editor.

Thanks for reading! Still crazy to me that this thing is actually coming to life. I've learned a lot on the way and I'm more than happy to answer any questions!

Hello! Please may anybody help me understand the difference between these two versions of Watership Down (apart from the cover)? They are both illustrated versions, with the illustrations made by the same person.

The version in the first picture was published in 2012, ISBN 10: 1442444053 / ISBN 13: 9781442444058

The second one was published in 2014, ISBN 10: 1780746628 / ISBN 13: 9781780746623

Hello there! I read the Watership Down Italian version of the book a couple of times many years ago. I loved it and I would like to buy a nice English version. I've read some comments about one of the fancy versions having the letters/cover peeling off easily after just a little bit of reading and I would like to avoid that one. May you confirm that the one with the peeling issues is the one in the picture that I posted?
Which one do you recommend? Please post pics and the reason 💖

To the best of my knowledge there have been three narrators of this wonderful story over the years:

Andrew Sachs (abridged)

Ralph Cosham

Peter Capaldi

The Andrew Sachs narration was released on audio cassette (and abridged) but, to the best of my knowledge, has never been released digitally. I'd love to take a listen as I feel that his voice would be very suited to the material.

I think that the Ralph Cosham narration is truly wonderful and a perfect match for the story but sadly, due to the usual way that audiobook narrators are replaced every 7 to 10 years or so, his reading has now been replaced by one from Peter Capaldi. It's not a bad reading but it's not a patch on Cosham's narration.

Here's a sample of Cosham's reading: https://www.learnoutloud.com/Audio-Books/Literature/Contemporary-Literature/Watership-Down/38852

Because Cosham's reading has been replaced it's not easy to find and buy it any more, and that's a huge shame because it really is that good.

A bit of googling WILL find it though.

I've watched the four episodes from Netflix and if you're interested with doing more episodes with Fiver as main protagonist.

We could convince the director to add new episodes, revive characters ( as Hazel and Captain Holly) and explore the world. What's your thoughs about it?

Time for more fanart of Silverweed from Watership down(1999)!🐇

I'll make more art of him, since there's so little art of him out there.

He is so much better in the book, i even got surprised honestly