In “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” Peter has colored eggs for Tommy’s sister Sue. The lyric presents Peter as an Easter visitor carrying different gifts for members of the family: jellybeans for Tommy, colored eggs for Sue, an orchid for their mother, and an Easter bonnet.
The song was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins and became closely associated with Easter celebrations in the United States after Gene Autry recorded a popular version in 1950. Its catchy bunny-trail refrain helped make it a seasonal standard for children’s records, radio, television, and school performances.
A frequent mistake is swapping the gifts for Tommy and Sue. Tommy receives jellybeans, while Sue receives the colored eggs. The eggs refer to decorated Easter eggs, a longstanding holiday tradition symbolizing new life and associated with springtime celebrations. The song’s wording is sometimes lightly adapted in performances, but “colored eggs” is the canonical answer in the familiar lyric.