Top Ten Bunnies in Pop Culture

For Easter, we figured a Top Ten list would be fairly appropriate. We really didn’t feel like doing a list of Top Ten Apostle Excuses, or Top Ten Things Overheard at the Crucifixion, so we’re left with something a bit lighter, Bunnies.

bushg2403_468x711

You’d be surprised how many Bunnies you can find in pop culture once you start thinking about it. Obviously the Easter Bunny would be pretty high on the list, but since that little bastard is the reason for the season, (What you thought it was Jesus? When was the last time he brought you candy?) We decided to concentrate on other famous rabbits. Once we started working on this, we realized there were far too many, so in the interest of being inclusive, we have split Rabbits from Movies into their own list. So before you go bitching that we forgot some hare, go check that list too.

The criteria here was basically our own judgment, but we tried to rank them by which we thought were most important to men since that’s our audience (sorry ladies, no Rabbit Sex Toys).

10. Jazz Jackrabbit

jazzJazz Jackrabbit was a popular side-scrolling 2D platform game developed by Epic Megagames in 1994. In this game you had to control Jazz, a green rabbit looking like a cross of Rambo and Bugs Bunny.

From Wikipedia :

Jazz Jackrabbit was created by Cliff Bleszinski and Arjan Brussee, and inspired by classic console games such as Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, and especially the fast-paced Sonic the Hedgehog. As a result, its console-style vibrant graphics and speedy gameplay made it somewhat novel as a PC game. PC Format magazine named Jazz Jackrabbit "Arcade Game of the Year", and it was popular enough to spawn two sequels, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 and the Game Boy Advance game Jazz Jackrabbit Advance. Three thousand years after the events of Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare", the enmity between tortoises and hares continues. Jazz Jackrabbit visits various planets to save Princess Eva Earlong and the rabbits' homeworld, Carrotus, from the megalomaniacal Devan Shell and his army of Turtle Terrorists. The eponymous hero is a bright green rabbit or hare with a red bandana.

9. Volkswagen Rabbit

1977-vw-rabbitThe next rabbit is only a rabbit in certain countries, but after 35 years on the market, it seems like a rabbit that has worked itself into pop culture.

From Wikipedia :

The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car / small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates -- prominently as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada (Mk1 and Mk5), and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico (Mk1). The front-wheel drive Golf was Volkswagen's first successful replacement for the air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. Historically, it is Volkswagen's best-selling model and the world's third best-selling model, with more than 25 million built by 2007.

Consider this a memorial entry in the Top Ten list, as Volkswagen announced that it will no longer be branding the Volkswagen Golf as the Rabbit in the United States in 2009. From Volksbloggin:

vw_rabbitGet this people, Volkswagen just announced that the Rabbit nameplate will be no more come this fall. It’s back to the Golf for all. Call it a cheap marketing gimmick that just didn’t pan out. It seems the heritage of the “Rabbit” namesake just didn’t do for Americans what Volkswagen marketing was hoping it would do. So, instead of leaving things be, they want to introduce even more confusion in the American VW market by going BACK to Golf again by year’s end.

Here is a commercial for the Rabbit that may seem familiar to Wardrivers:

Own a Rabbit, and want to commiserate with your fellow owners on that wonderful German engineering? Check out the VW Rabbit Owners Club.

8. Bucky O’Hare

bucky-o-hareBucky O'Hare is a character, created by comic writer Larry Hama between 1978 and 1979, who was the eponymous hero of a comic book series, as well as a number of spin-offs, including a TV series and various toys and games. The comic book was first published by Continuity Comics in comic book form in the mid-1980s, appearing in the anthology series Echo of Futurepast, with Hama writing and Michael Golden on pencils. The series was later collected into an oversized graphic novel. Hama wrote a second Bucky O'Hare arc, which was never published.

The comic book spawned an animated TV show between September 1991 & January 1992, along with a series of action figures. Here is the intro from the television show:

A Bucky O'Hare video game developed by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1992, and a Bucky O'Hare arcade game was also released.

In 2007, Vanguard reprinted the original Bucky O'Hare comic and two of the UK issues in a digest size collection, similar to a manga. The book is called Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace and is printed in black and white.

7. Childrens Literature Bunnies

peter-rabbitThere are so many of these, that I decided just to lump them all in together. None of them are particularly appealing to me, but I suppose they are some of the most well known bunnies that you will find in pop culture. They include Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit, Peter Cottontail, Br'er Rabbit, Runny Babbit and probably a ton more that I am forgetting. I'll even lump Little Bunny Foo Foo in here, because he's been scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head. My favorite bit of trivia to toss in here is this gem from WikiAnswers:

Q: Who is Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh?
A: His name is "Rabbit"

Duh! Follow the links if you really want to read about these lame excuses for rabbits, while I go wash my hands. Don't we all feel warm and fuzzy now?

6. Cadburry Bunny

cadburyThe famous Cadbury Bunny is a live bunny that is used in Easter commercials for Cadbury Creme Eggs. The premise is that this Bunny (which sounds like a chicken) lays special eggs for Easter. See the commercial, if you don't know what the hell I am talking about:

Here is an interesting note from Wikipedia:

bunny-henDuring an interview on the April 4th, 2007 episode of Late Night with Conan O' Brien, actor B. J. Novak drew attention to the fact that American market Cadbury Creme Eggs have decreased in size from previous years, despite the claim on the Cadbury's website FAQ that the eggs were not getting smaller, but rather, "you've just grown up!" The site has since been updated to clarify that only American eggs have altered in size.

For more than you ever cared to know about Cadbury Cream Eggs, check out X-Entertainment:

According to Hershey's commercial, which is still in rotation well over a decade later, these delicious monsters are birthed from the ass of the infamous Cadbury Bunny - a rabbit who bucks and clucks like a chicken while shitting out chocolate. Deny not the glory, friends: it's the only candy in the world with an original story.

I think that picture above clearly explains how these things are made.

5. Mr. Floppy

mrfloppy1No, this isn't Mr. Floppy from the Flophouse. This one may be a bit obscure to people, since Mr. Floppy was a character that appeared on a WB show, Unhappily Ever After, which aired 100 episodes from 1995 to 1999. The show, which was probably most notable for being the breakout role for Nikki Cox, was essentially a Married with Children clone. Mr. Floppy was a smoking, drinking, and perverted gray stuffed bunny who lived in the basement, and discussed his life in "the toy bin," his success stories with women, or ranted about cynical topics. He was voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait (who actually was engaged to Cox for a time) and could only be heard by the main character Jack.

From TV Acres:

Mr. Floppy's former friends included GI Joe, Barney and Wolverine of the X-Men. Mr. Floppy's love life has also been quite interesting. He has been married six times, but one of them doesn't count because it was not a doll but the "shoe" from the Monopoly game (he was really drunk that night). And he has dated Barbie (until GI Joe stole her), Barbie's friend Skipper and has obsessed over "getting it on" with actress Drew Barrymore.

Here is a sample speech from Mr. Floppy:

4. Trix Rabbit

trixmagnets1979-frontSilly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids. Who didn't grow up watching this Rabbit try to steal cereal on Saturday mornings? From Wikipedia:

Joe Harris created the Trix Rabbit, an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit character; in Trix animated television commercials, this rabbit would continually try to trick children into giving him a bowl of Trix cereal. He would be discovered every time, and the kids would say, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" After the success of the first commercial, the Trix brand soon became one of General Mills' best sellers. Much like Warner Brothers' Wile E. Coyote, the Trix Rabbit's constant struggle to obtain the unobtainable elicits a degree of sympathy from many viewers.

trix20rabbitsmGenerally, the commercials begin with the rabbit having successfully managed to snatch the cereal, only to have the kids confuse him long enough for them to take it back. In some commercials, the rabbit successfully gets the cereal and makes a getaway, leaving the kids to ask the viewer for help. The earliest known successful attempt of the Trix Rabbit to obtain the cereal was in 1969. A national vote was held with ballots distributed on the back of Trix boxes, allowing kids to vote on whether to let the Trix Rabbit have some Trix. According to this campaign, he had already consumed two spoonfuls before the kids caught him. Nonetheless, it continued to be part of the advertising that the Trix Rabbit never had Trix. In two commercials he successfully tricked the children again into giving him Trix, but they were apparently cross about it.

You knew eventually the rabbit would get his revenge. I only had room for one product spokesman on the list, so the Trix Rabbit beat out the Nesquick Bunny.

trix

3. Energizer Bunny

energizer-bunnyThis little Bunny has been walking across screens for two decades now, and Energizer still is utilizing him in their campaigns. From Wikipedia:

The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries. It is a pink rabbit wearing sunglasses and blue sandals that beats a bass drum. It has been appearing in television commercials since 1988. The Energizer Bunny does not appear in Europe and Australia where the rival Duracell Bunny is seen instead. In Australia and the UK the mascot for Energizer is a muscle-bound anthropomorphic battery.

The American Energizer commercials, produced by DDB Chicago Advertising, originally began as a parody of TV advertisements for rival Duracell. In the Duracell ads, a set of battery-powered drum-playing toy pink rabbits (Duracell Bunnies) gradually slow to a halt until only the toy powered by a copper-top battery remains active. In Energizer's parody, the Energizer Bunny then enters the screen beating a huge bass drum and swinging a mallet over his head. The criticism was that Duracell compared their batteries with carbon batteries, and not similar alkaline batteries like Energizer.

Original Energizer Bunny Commercial from 1989:

Energizer Bunny FloatAs the series progressed, realistic-looking commercials were aired for fictional products (such as "Sitagin Hemorrhoid Remedy") only to have the Bunny march through. To date, the Energizer Bunny has appeared in more than 115 television commercials. In these commercials, a voiceover would announce one of various slogans used throughout the years; all of them would relate the stalwartness of the Energizer Bunny to the long-lasting power of their batteries. The original slogan boasted that "...nothing outlasts the Energizer...", but it was eventually changed after a lawsuit filed by Duracell disputing Energizer's claim. In 1992 through 1994, Energizer ran a series of commercials featuring a fake rival battery, Supervolt (including a Supervolt weasel mascot), that was an obvious look alike of Duracell.

Star Wars Energizer Bunny Commercial from 1994:

2. Bugs Bunny

bugs-bunny-baseballI'd like to think that this Bunny needs no introduction. He has been a staple of television for more than 60 years, and is one of the most beloved cartoon characters of all time. Yeah, Wikipedia again, it's getting late, and why reinvent the wheel?

Bugs Bunny is a fictional character who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1945. He remains one of the most popular and recognizable cartoon characters in the world. In 2002, he was named by TV Guide as the greatest cartoon character of all time. Currently, he is the corporate mascot for Warner Brothers, especially its animated productions.

According to Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare, he was "born" in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, created by Tex Avery (who directed A Wild Hare, Bugs Bunny's debut) and Robert McKimson (who created the definitive Bugs Bunny character design), among many others. According to Mel Blanc, the character's original voice actor, Bugs Bunny has a Flatbush accent, an equal blend of the Bronx and Brooklyn dialects. His catchphrase is a casual "What's up, Doc?", usually said while chewing a carrot. His other popular phrases include "Of course you realize...this means war" and "Ain't I a stinker?"

Here is some older Bugs Bunny:

...and here is a more modern version:

1. Playboy Bunny

Seriously, what else did you expect? Of course the #1 Bunny in Pop Culture would have to be the playboy bunny. While this could refer to the logo, the ladies that dress up in the costumes are pretty fun too. Historically the term applied to the waitresses at the Playboy Club, but I think in modern times, all Girls associated with Playboy Magazine can be classified as Bunnies. From Wikipedia :

A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006. Bunnies wore a costume called a "bunny suit" inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot, consisting of a corset, bunny ears, a collar, cuffs and a fluffy cottontail. The Playboy Bunnies were waitresses who served drinks at Playboy Clubs. There were different types of Bunnies, including the Door Bunny, Cigarette Bunny, Floor Bunny, Playmate Bunny and the Jet Bunnies (waitresses that served on the Playboy Jet). To become a Bunny women were first carefully chosen and selected from auditions. Then they underwent thorough and strict training before officially becoming a Bunny. Bunnies were required to be able to identify 143 brands of liquor and know how to garnish 20 cocktail variations. Dating or mingling with customers was strictly forbidden. Customers were also not allowed to touch the Bunnies, and demerits were given if a Bunny's appearance was not properly organized. Only the C1, most important "Keyholders" (members of the Playboy Club), were allowed to date a Bunny.

Check out our gallery of Sexy Bunnies, from Playboy and otherwise.

Here are some of those classic bunnies :

...and the failed Television version :

sexy movies treats