First pets are a popular attraction at the White House egg roll. Canine attendees of the event have included a wide variety of beloved purebreds and mutts. Animals as diverse as Benjamin Harrison’s toy pony, Grace Coolidge’s raccoon and the 1,200-pound steer brought in by the Carters for their petting zoo have appeared on the South Lawn for Easter Monday. Appropriately, pet rabbits have also shown up at the egg roll. During the Eisenhower era, children came dressed in handmade bunny suits, and rabbit replicas were all the rage. In 1969, one of First Lady Pat Nixon’s staff put on a fleecy white costume, and the tradition of an official White House Easter Bunny was born. Now young egg rollers are just as thrilled to see this big bunny as they are the occupants of the White House.   Older era c. 1920s, modern-era 1982 & 2002: Library of Congress, White House

Source Credits: C.L. Arbelbide, "With Easter Monday You Get Egg Roll at the White House,"  Prologue, Volume 32, Spring 2000; White House Curator's Files, and the White House Historical Association Files