Rabbit is one of the most popular animals. Not only as a pet but also as a mascot or fiction character! We can easily spot rabbit illustrations everywhere, especially during Easter: from merchandise, cards, cereal box, commercials, and even on the TV! So in this article, let’s talk about the rabbit as a cartoon’s character, rather than a living pet, and see how does it keep on getting popularity in nowadays pop culture. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Why Does the Rabbit Always Become The Most Favorite Cartoon’s Character?
The Easter Bunny
Talking about rabbit as cartoon’s character, which icon that popped in your mind first? We know that one of the most popular rabbit icons is The Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny is a symbol of Easter who is pictured as a rabbit that carrying colored easter eggs candies, and toys in his basket. Originally, it is called Easter Hare, and he plays the role of a judge who evaluates good or bad kid at the start of the Eastertide season. He kind of similar to Santa Claus who brings gifts to children before the holiday, so no wonder why kids love him!
The rabbit who lives on the moon
Meanwhile, in Japanese tradition, rabbits are also popular because of the story about rabbits that live on the moon, pounding mochi, a popular mashed sticky rice snack, on a mortar. This folklore comes from interpreting the dark side of the moon as a rabbit who stand while pounding its sticky rice. This story is also similar to Korean tradition, but instead of mochi, the rabbits are making tteok or traditional Korean rice cakes. Interesting, right?
Rabbit as an animated cartoon character
Well, nowadays, rabbits do not only appear in folklore but they are also featured in popular cultures, such as movies, televisions, cartoons, or video games. One of the newest rabbit characters is a brave bunny officer, Judy Hopps. She is the main character in a Disney movie titled Zootopia. The movie itself is so popular and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
But Judy Hopps is not the first popular animated rabbit. Looking back, we also have a list of famous rabbit cartoon stars. One of them is Bugs Bunny. Bet you have heard about the name before, right? It is the mascot of Warner Bros. Entertainment! If you love cartoons, Bugs Bunny is known to be one of the most lovable and recognizable cartoon characters. He is pictured as a clever rabbit and likes to outsmarting anyone who antagonizes him. Not only that, Bugs Bunny won an Oscar for his cartoon short in 1958 and got his star on Hollywood walk of fame in 1985!
Rabbit in children book
Another recognizable rabbit character of all time is The White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll’s children’s book, which is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Remember this one? The White Rabbit is pictured as rabbit with a waistcoat and pocket watch, who has an important appointment with the Duchess and also as the Queen of Heart’s herald.
You may also love Peter Rabbit as well. Remember him? Peter Rabbit may be one of your childhood memories because he appeared in a top children book written by Beatrix Potter, titled after his name: The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The book has a story about a rabbit family, and of the children is Peter, who is mischievous and disobedient. The book itself was a success. It has been translated into 36 languages and one of the best-selling books of all time. Since the debut, Peter Rabbit became so popular. He appeared as dolls, toys, clothing, foods, and even board games!
Rabbit in the advertisement as a mascot
Not only movies and books, but you may also notice rabbit appears in product packaging, such as cereal box! One of the most popular rabbits as a product mascot is Tricks the Trix Rabbit, from Trix Cereal. Tricks the Trix Rabbit is pictured as a cartoon rabbit who wants to trick the children into giving him the cereal. Once, there was a crossover between him and Bugs Bunny, when Bugs Bunny helped Tricks the Trix Rabbit to get the cereal!
Why rabbit is so popular and becomes the favorite cartoon character?
Most of us love rabbits. According to APPMA (American Pet Products Manufatures’ Association), rabbit ownership has increased dramatically over the past decade. We all know that rabbit can be a wonderful pet as well. They are adorable and have interesting personalities. Rabbit can be playful, fascinating, independent, loyal, and friendly toward humans just like any other popular pets such as dogs or cats.
Other reasons why rabbit is so lovable are:
- They are super active but also quite
Rabbit is one of the top choice animals as a pet, especially for those who live in apartments building and concern about animal sounds, because rabbit makes little to no noise, even though it likes to hop and play around!
- Rabbit is beaming with personalities
Rabbit can be charming and very interactive with is distinct personalities. One rabbit can have a different personality with another. Some of them are active and playful, while others can be more reserved and shy. But they are all lovable!
- Bond easily with the owners
As long as you interact regularly with your rabbit, it can be super loyal to you. Rabbit can recognize its owner by voice and sight so you can even train your rabbit with some easy commands.
- The main and important reason: rabbit is cute
Well, who can resist the cuteness of this little fluffy bunny? No need a lot of explanation because we already know that rabbit can be so lovable because of its looks. It might not a perfect pet for everyone, but if you consider having one because of the cuteness, don’t forget to consider the other factors about taking care of rabbit as well, okay?