BB FANS

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Posters for the new Wallace and Gromit film on a south coast island will not feature the word "rabbit" because of a local superstition.

Because burrowing can cause landslips in quarries, residents of Portland, Dorset, instead call the creatures underground mutton or furry things.

Posters for the new film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, on Portland do not use the word, to respect local folklore.

Instead they simply say "Something bunny is going on".

Les Ames, mayor of Weymouth and Portland, told BBC News that the animals could cause dangerous landslips in the quarries the isle is famous for.

"If the word rabbit is used in company in Portland there is generally a bit of a hush," he said.

"In the olden days when quarrying was done by hand, if one of these animals was seen in the area, the quarryman would pack up and go home for the day - until the safety of the area had been reconnoitred.

"It is an unwritten rule in Portland that you do not use the word rabbit."

A spokesman for Aardman Animations said they were happy to respect local folklore.

Friday, 7 October 2005, 10:15 GMT 11:15 UK
From BBC

its great the posters have been changed...my friends parents have a cottage on Portland and when we went to stay there for a weekend we were warned not to say the 'r' word at any time.

i didnt expect a big company to be so respectful of local customs.
either that or its just a publicity stunt....not that i'm cynical of course..?

Mmmmmmm, just a reminder that this is NOT the R that features in lots of Molly's posts