Harlequin is not just a color. It's also a breed of rabbit. The Harlequin rabbit is recognized by both the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and the British Rabbit Council. The description Harlequin can be used in other breeds to describe color and markings. 

The Harlequin rabbit breed originated in France. This breed was first introduced and exhibited in 1887 in Paris, France under the breed name of Japanese. The breed quickly spread to England. They made an appearance in Germany 15 to 20 years later but did not become very popular and dropped out of sight. It has since reappeared and is gaining popularity. The Japanese club was formed in 1919 in England. The standard remained unchanged in guidebooks until the breed was dropped in 1939 to 1944 most likely due to its name and World War II. The breed reappeared with a new name and the Harlequin name finally made an appearance between 1966-1970. It came with a more detailed description taken from the British standard that was revised in 1946. This standard was the standard that the basis that the future American standards were based on. It was the first mention on 3 different coats types too and a second color group of Harlequins, the Magpie. The breed finally made an appearance in the United States in the 1940's. In the 1960's a few people started importing more and working with Harlequins. The Harlequin appeared in the ARBA's Standard of Perfection in 1966 to 1970. It has since been updated and changed numerous times over the years bringing us to where the breed is today. 

As of now, there are 2 groups of Harlequins. One is the Japanese and one is the Magpie. Each of these two groups comes in 4 color varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac. What's the difference between the Japanese and Magpie? The Japanese Harlequins are orange or fawn with the colored markings. The Magpie Harlequins are white with the colored markings. They are very unique looking and pretty rabbits and one is never marked the same as another. They are a medium sized breed weighing 6.5 pounds to no more than 9.5 pounds with the females typically being a little larger than the males. They have a life expectancy of 5 to 10 years.