Peter the action rabbit

LONDON - For 99 years he symbolised childhood innocence in the same blue coat and slippers. But the modern world has caught up with Peter Rabbit.

To splutters of protest from Beatrix Potter traditionalists, the publisher Penguin said yesterday that he has been "redrawn" to make him more attractive to young children. The new Peter Rabbit, who will make his debut in five books this year, has been remodelled to make Beatrix Potter's original watercolours easier to reproduce. While the blue coat and slippers remain, Penguin, which owns the rights to the 20 Potter titles, says he will now appear with bigger eyes, brighter colours and cleaner lines.

And Peter Rabbit 2001 will also become something of an action hero. A Penguin spokeswoman said: "We feel this will make show him in a slightly more dynamic light doing things that children now want their book characters to be doing."

The new image will be used for the multimillion-dollar Beatrix Potter merchandising industry to allow the lettuce-stealing rabbit to be reproduced on towels, duvet covers, china and food packaging. The drawings in the original Potter books will remain untouched.

Guardians of the Potter legacy reacted with concern. Country Life magazine said: "It was bad enough when Disney transformed Winnie the Pooh. Peter Rabbit's features are becoming soppy, his contour more bulbous."

- INDEPENDENT