White House Easter Egg Roll: 7 Kids Killing It on the South Lawn

From serious meltdowns to seriously awesome costumes.

ByABC News
April 5, 2015, 4:01 AM
A a pair of youngster get a hug from first lady Michelle Obama after she read to children during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, April 21, 2014, in Washington.
A a pair of youngster get a hug from first lady Michelle Obama after she read to children during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, April 21, 2014, in Washington.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

— -- The White House’s biggest public event began, improbably, with a couple of whiny kids.

In the spring of 1878, the story goes, a group of local schoolchildren, indignant that Easter egg hunting had been outlawed on the Capitol lawn, confronted President Rutherford B. Hayes while he was out for a stroll. The president promptly ordered the White House grounds flung open for the first annual Easter Egg Roll.

The event The Washington Post once called “the jolliest sort of gathering” ballooned into a 137-year tradition, with children from around the country converging on the South Lawn to decorate eggs and mingle with the leader of the free world.

This year’s celebration, slated for Monday, will feature actress Connie Britton, Washington Redskins player Robert Griffin III, chef Bobby Flay, and scores of other celebs. More than 35,000 guests will be treated to a yoga garden, an outdoor kitchen, and even an apiary tour.

So in honor of those 19th-century belly-aching young’uns who approached President Hayes, here are seven children totally #killingit at past Egg Rolls:

1. This kid, whose meltdown scored him an audience with the president. (Hey, it worked on Rutherford B. Hayes!)

PHOTO: President Barack Obama comforts crying 5 year old Donaivan Frazier during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House tennis court April 1, 2013 in Washington.
President Barack Obama comforts crying 5 year old Donaivan Frazier during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House tennis court April 1, 2013 in Washington.

When Obama spotted 5-year-old Donovan Frazier distraught after losing his egg roll in 2013, the president gave him a hug and advised him to “shake it off.”

2. This little boy, who in 1923 was overjoyed to win the bunny tchotchkes now cluttering up your great-grandmother’s china cabinet.

3. This girl in lady bug boots who impressed the commander-in-chief with her mad egg-rolling skillz in 2009.

PHOTO: President Barack Obama encourages participants at the start of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 13, 2009 in Washington.
President Barack Obama encourages participants at the start of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 13, 2009 in Washington.

4. This kid, who, during the Eisenhower administration, endured a semi-humiliating bunny costume in exchange for his own set of wheels -- and an awesome bow-tie.

5. This adorable “wild thing” gnashing his teeth with first daughter Jenna Bush during a reading of Maurice Sendak’s famous picture book in 2008.

PHOTO: School teacher and daughter of President George W. Bush, Jenna Bush reads from "Where the Wild Things Are" during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House March 24, 2008 in Washington.
School teacher and daughter of President George W. Bush, Jenna Bush reads from "Where the Wild Things Are" during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House March 24, 2008 in Washington.

6. These kids silently wondering why First Lady Grace Coolidge brought a pet raccoon to the 1927 Egg Roll.

7. Last but not least: whichever little egg roller garnered this reaction from First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1993.

PHOTO: First Lady Hillary Clinton reacts as President Bill Clinton blows a whistle to officially signal the start April 12, 1993 of the annual White House Easter egg hunt.
First Lady Hillary Clinton reacts as President Bill Clinton blows a whistle to officially signal the start April 12, 1993 of the annual White House Easter egg hunt.