Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends

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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox television

| image = Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends logo.png

| caption =

| genre = Comedy

| creator = Richard Concepcion

| opentheme = "Custer's Last Stand" by Apollo 100

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_episodes = 780

| camera = Single-camera (individual episodes)
Multi-camera (studio interview episodes)

| runtime = 28 minutes

| first_aired = {{Start date|1983|2|21}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2017|4|28}}

}}

Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends was an independently produced puppet and variety show created and produced by Richard Concepcion.{{cite news|title=Public-Access TV: Behind the Scenes|first=Lisa|last=Belkin|work= The New York Times|date=April 13, 1987|page= C18}} The show was broadcast weekly on public-access cable TV in New York City from 1983 to 2017.{{cite web |title=Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends show #1 |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=gVYUsmoqWnw&feature=youtu.be |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/gVYUsmoqWnw| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live|website=YouTube | date=January 10, 2013 |access-date=December 25, 2019 |language=en}}{{cbignore}} The show ran on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Queens Public TV, and aired online every Sunday afternoon over the Pawpet Broadcasting Network before the Funday Pawpet Show.{{Cite web|title=Funday PawPet Show|url=https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Funday_PawPet_Show|access-date=September 14, 2021|website=en.wikifur.com|language=en}}

The show, which is based in Rapid Transit Rabbit's hometown of New York City, followed him, and his friends Cuppy, Rupert and Mejeep, both in town, and around the country on their adventures. This could be in the form of puppets interacting with each other via a traditional puppet stage, or in the form of a video documentary. In recent years, the show expanded to include Rapid as a mascot, as well as a puppet which was used to film video documentaries for the show.

Throughout the years, the Rapid T. Rabbit character has attended many events such as the Doo-Dah Parade in Ocean City, New Jersey,{{Cite web|title=Who's Who at the Doo Dah Parade - America's Greatest Family Resort {{!}} Official Site of Ocean City, NJ|url=https://oceancityvacation.com/the-latest-updates-upcoming-dates-to-remember/whos-who-at-the-doo-dah-parade.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=oceancityvacation.com}} and the Long Island Ducks Mascot Day{{Citation|title=Rapid T. Rabbit & Friends at LI Ducks Mascot Day 2005| date=October 29, 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEKNS6T5zjw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/CEKNS6T5zjw| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=September 15, 2021}}{{cbignore}} among others including the New York City Easter Parade. While Rapid T. Rabbit was a very involved with local events in the New York City area, he was commonly mistaken as the "Easter Bunny"{{Cite news|last=Belkin|first=Lisa|date=April 13, 1987|title=PUBLIC ACCESS TV: BEHIND THE SCENES|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/13/arts/public-access-tv-behind-the-scenes.html|access-date=September 14, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} by kids according to an interview with Richard in The New York Times.

Rapid also made appearances on various other television shows including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1999{{Cite web|title=A Hare Piece - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart|url=https://www.cc.com/video/23xfaa/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-a-hare-piece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518134114/https://www.cc.com/video/23xfaa/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-a-hare-piece|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 18, 2021|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=Comedy Central|date=September 22, 1999 |language=en}} and with local fandoms including the Chuck E. Cheese and ShowBiz Pizza fandom (from 2004 until 2013) at "Cheesevention", as well as in the Furry Fandom at conventions such as Anthrocon and Midwest Furfest as a Guest of Honor in 2000.{{cite book|title= Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015|first=Fred|last=Patten|year= 2017|page=172|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=9781476663814}}

In 2011, the program was the subject of a featured exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image.{{cite news|title=Before the Web, It Was Public Access: A New Museum Exhibition Leads Visitors Back to the Days of Rapid T. Rabbit|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=February 11, 2011|page= A20}}

Richard Concepcion, the producer and puppeteer of Rapid T. Rabbit, died on August 1, 2017,{{Cite web|title=Rapid T. Rabbit|url=http://www.bobdbob.com/~rtrabbit/rtrhome/html/enter.htm|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=www.bobdbob.com}} in his apartment due to natural causes, thus ending the show's run.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

File:Rapid T. Rabbit.png