Vanilla the Rabbit/Pre-SGW

Vanilla the Rabbit is Cream the Rabbit's mother. She and her daughter came under attack by Snively Robotnik when he thought he'd found a mystical energy source under their home. Vanilla sent out a distress signal and she and her daughter were saved by Amy Rose, but their home was destroyed in the process and they then went to live with Amy in New Mobotropolis.

Better Homes & Chao Gardens
Vanilla and her daughter lived in a mansion overlooking a Chao Garden in the Southern Baronies where Cream soon became friends with the resident Chao. When Vanilla saw Snively Robotnik on his way in a drilling mech, she radioed for help while Cream tried to get the Chao into the cellar of the manor. Snively came on the attack, but the rabbits were saved by Amy Rose. Amy said she needed to get on top of the mech and Cream volunteered to fly her up. Vanilla was initially reluctant to let Cream help Amy, but let her do so once Amy vowed to protect her daughter. The final blow, however, left their manor destroyed. Amy allowed them to move in to her place until NICOLE could create a new home for them. Vanilla thanked her for her hospitality, but noted that Cream refused to go as the Chao had no home now, either. Amy soon twisted her arm with the promise that NICOLE could make a new Chao Garden in New Mobotropolis and they all temporarily moved into Amy's house. (StH: #217)

Resettled and Unsettled
After moving to New Mobotropolis, Amy gave Vanilla and Cream a tour of Freedom HQ. While Cream was extremely enthusiastic, Vanilla's reaction was a little more reserved as she took in the hideout's "rustic" appearance. She also seemed a little taken aback when NICOLE spoke with Amy in the HQ's lab, not wanting to impose. When NICOLE reported a strange energy signal she'd located and Amy volunteered to investigate, Cream begged her mother to be allowed to go, too. Vanilla was a bit hesitant at first but Amy assured her it would just be a quick trip out to the Great Forest, and so Vanilla relented. She bade them goodbye outside the HQ, telling Cream to try not to "get mussed up." When the two returned at the end of the day, having gone through an unexpected adventure, Vanilla listened their tale over tea, trying to maintain her composure despite her shock. (SU: #21, #24)

Naugus and the Death Egg
Vanilla and Cream continued to adjust to their new lives, but trouble found them once again when Dr. Eggman launched the Death Egg Mark 2, whose shadow soon loomed over New Mobotropolis. Additionally, the wizard Ixis Naugus was causing unrest within the city itself, attempting to sway the populace into accepting him as a new king. When the Death Egg sent a massive robot known as Titan Metal Sonic towards the city, Vanilla and her daughter huddled in fear with Big the Cat. Both Bunnie "Rabbot" D'Coolette and Ixis Naugus attempted to fight off the robot, only for Naugus to go overboard; he launched a powerful blast of magic, transforming the robot into his special magical crystal. However, Bunnie was also caught in the blast. Cream and Vanilla found Bunnie where she had fallen, unconscious, and Vanilla examined her quickly before telling Big to bring her to Dr. Quack. Vanilla removed Bunnie's crystallized jacket and later stood by as Dr. Quack examined her; soon, Amy Rose arrived, wondering what had happened, and Vanilla, upset, attempted to fill her in. She showed further dismay when she realized that people were praising "that awful wizard" (Naugus) for having put a stop to the Titan Metal Sonic. (StH: #224, #231)

Despite being concerned for her daughter's safety, Vanilla allowed her to try out for Rotor Walrus' Team Freedom, admitting to her newfound friend Rosie that she trusted her daughter and her friends. Vanilla's trust was rewarded after Team Freedom saved her and other citizens from the collapse of a nearby building caused anonymously by Tails Doll, whom Vanilla was holding at the time. Vanilla was afterwards present when the Council of Acorn met to ratify the Republic of Acorn's new constitution, and learned from Dylan that the council were prevented from entering Military HQ by a broken lock. Afterwards, she attended a concert thrown by Mina Mongoose and the Forget Me Knots with her daughter. After being asked by Cream if she had seen the Tails Doll, Vanilla remarked that Cream had been taking great care of it and had probably left it at home. Cream insisted that she had brought it; in truth, the robot had crawled underneath the stage, which it destroyed, forcing Team Freedom to leap into action. (StH: #224, #241, SU: #44)



Later, after Cream had come to realisation that the Tails Doll was not as innocent as it appeared to be, Team Freedom formulated a plan to have Cream and Vanilla trick the doll into thinking it had been left alone to cause trouble, allowing the team to ambush it at the New Mobotropolis power plant. These events all took place moments before the activation of the second Genesis Wave... (StH: #247)

Personality
Vanilla is very demure and polite, and very well-versed in manners and proper etiquette. She hates to impose requests on people, never wanting to cause any trouble for anyone. However, she seems slightly uncomfortable when taken out of her element. She is very loving and kind, and is shown to be a very concerned parent, but will allow her daughter to go into dangerous situations if someone is there to hold her hand. She also seems fond of Chao, or merely appreciates how much her daughter cares for them.

Appearance
Vanilla is a cream-coloured rabbit with a white muzzle, brown eyes and a tuft of light brown/orange hair. She has light brown/orange markings around her eyes and on the ends of her lopped ears. She wears a long light pink/purple dress with a white trim and a fitted burgundy vest, an orange ascot, white gloves with gold cufflinks, and low-heeled burgundy shoes.

Background Information

 * Before debuting in Sonic the Hedgehog #217, Vanilla and her daughter co-starred in the Sonic X spin-off comic, based on the anime of the same name.
 * Vanilla is named after the flavour extracted from the vanilla bean, commonly used in desserts.
 * In a Free Comic Day Special issue linked to the events of the Genesis story arc, Bunnie was identified as being Cream's cousin, meaning that Vanilla would presumably have been Bunnie's aunt in that reality. However, head writer Ian Flynn revealed that this arrangement applies only to the Genesis reality, not to Mobius Prime.
 * Vanilla is the only parent to a Sega character in the series who actually originates from the video games (and by extension from Sega themselves) instead of being created for the comic. She is also the only known parent, along with King Acorn to survive the Super Genesis Wave.