Bionic Bunny
Encyclopedia
Bionic Bunny is a fictional rabbit
superhero
created by children's author and illustrator Marc Brown
. Although Bionic Bunny is most associated with the Arthur characters, he has appeared in his own book as well. Bionic Bunny is always fictional even within the context of the Arthur world, and is portrayed by fictional actor
Wilbur Rabbit. Bionic Bunny physically appears to be a tall, strong anthropomorphic white
rabbit who wears sneakers
and a red
-and-blue
superhero costume with a red cape
. Although in some ways a parody
of various superheroes, and of superheroes in general, Bionic Bunny is most directly a reference to Superman
. Like Superman's weakness to Kryptonite, Bionic Bunny's weakness is salt.
and Buster Baxter. In addition to being portrayed as a (live-action within the Arthur context) television series, he has also been the star of a movie series and a popular comic book. Bionic Bunny is also heavily merchandised in Arthur's world, with his poster hanging prominently in Arthur's room, as well as countless other references. Some viewers believe that Arthur wears Bionic Bunny slippers, but this is actually half of a larger joke: Arthur, the aardvark
, wears bunny slippers, while Buster, the bunny, wears aardvark slippers. Other notable Bionic Bunny merchandise includes Arthur's walkie-talkie
system and soup. Arthur is also revealed to wear Bionic Bunny underwear in the episode Arthur Goes to Camp (this piece of information was also one of the many quotes programmed into an Actimates
D.W.). Arthur also dresses up as Bionic Bunny for Halloween
is to Superman. In particular, Dark Bunny is in reference to the post-Frank Miller
Dark Knight Returns
version of Batman, and most of all to the Batman: The Animated Series
cartoon of the 1990s. The first episode mentioning Dark Bunny says he is Bionic Bunny's cousin, but "Happy Anniversary" reveals them to be brothers, separated at birth. Dark Bunny was taken by an evil-witch, and Bionic Bunny was taken by a robot. Arthur and his friends are at first fascinated with this more mature spin-off (except for D.W., who considers it scary), but soon become bored with it and watch the Teletubbies
-inspired "Love Ducks" show instead.
version of Bionic Bunny, and is roughly a literal translation as well. Seen in the episode "Arthur and Los Vecinos", Arthur's new Hispanic teenage neighbor has a stack of Conejitos Mechanicos comic books in Spanish, (except that they are called Conejo Bionico) which he gives to Arthur because he's outgrowing them and losing interest in the character. Arthur gladly accepts, but proceeds to pester his new friend by asking him to translate nearly every word. This is a realistic simulacrum of the real-world comic book industry, where heroes often have different names in non-English markets (Spider-Man
, for example, is El Hombre Araña in Spanish) and the stories are either translated or completely different.
series. One notable example is an episode entitled Buster's League of Champions and set in Virginia Beach in which Buster, disappointed after seeing a bad Bionic Bunny movie, writes a letter to the producers with suggestions for a sequel, which are acted out by various children Buster meets.
and, Laurene (Laurie) Krasny Brown. It was first published in 1984 by Little, Brown & Co, 12 years before the Arthur television cartoon first aired. Although fictional and drawn as a cartoon, the book attempts to show small children the concept of a television show from behind the scenes, introducing the concept of an actor, showing the steps involved in preparing and shooting an episode, and so forth. The main point of the book was to show children that while television shows may be entertaining, they aren't "real", and that television heroes are really just ordinary people. The book was featured in an episode of Reading Rainbow
in 1988. In addition to reading the book, host LeVar Burton
also expanded on the book's themes with a behind-the-scenes look at his other series, Star Trek: The Next Generation
. After the Reading Rainbow episode aired, a second edition was printed (ISBN 0-316-10992-4) which was even more popular than the first. The Reading Rainbow episode was also released on video, including as a set with the book. Later, the book was reissued yet again (ISBN 0-8085-3762-8) in 1999.
which wears a Bionic Bunny wristwatch, which plays games when pressed.
www.arthur.com
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
created by children's author and illustrator Marc Brown
Marc Brown (author)
Marc Tolon Brown is an American writer of children's books. He writes as well as illustrates his Arthur books, and is best known for that series and its spin-offs. He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts. The names of his two sons, Tolon Adam and Tucker Eliot, have been hidden in all of the...
. Although Bionic Bunny is most associated with the Arthur characters, he has appeared in his own book as well. Bionic Bunny is always fictional even within the context of the Arthur world, and is portrayed by fictional actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Wilbur Rabbit. Bionic Bunny physically appears to be a tall, strong anthropomorphic white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
rabbit who wears sneakers
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....
and a red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
-and-blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
superhero costume with a red cape
Cape
Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
. Although in some ways a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of various superheroes, and of superheroes in general, Bionic Bunny is most directly a reference to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Like Superman's weakness to Kryptonite, Bionic Bunny's weakness is salt.
Bionic Bunny in the Arthur world
In both the Arthur books and cartoon series, Bionic Bunny is the favorite superhero of most of the characters, especially Arthur ReadArthur Read
Arthur Timothy Read is the title character of both the book series and the PBS children's television show Arthur which was created by Marc Brown. On the show, he is eight years old, in Mr. Ratburn's third grade class, and lives in Elwood City...
and Buster Baxter. In addition to being portrayed as a (live-action within the Arthur context) television series, he has also been the star of a movie series and a popular comic book. Bionic Bunny is also heavily merchandised in Arthur's world, with his poster hanging prominently in Arthur's room, as well as countless other references. Some viewers believe that Arthur wears Bionic Bunny slippers, but this is actually half of a larger joke: Arthur, the aardvark
Aardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
, wears bunny slippers, while Buster, the bunny, wears aardvark slippers. Other notable Bionic Bunny merchandise includes Arthur's walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
system and soup. Arthur is also revealed to wear Bionic Bunny underwear in the episode Arthur Goes to Camp (this piece of information was also one of the many quotes programmed into an Actimates
Actimates
ActiMates were a series of interactive toys released by Microsoft in February, 1997, which were in the form of licensed dolls which could interact with certain episodes of their respective television series on VHS videocassette which were bundled with the dolls....
D.W.). Arthur also dresses up as Bionic Bunny for Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
Dark Bunny
In later episodes, Bionic Bunny's show had been spun off into a second series, Dark Bunny. Dark Bunny is a darker, scarier, and gloomier portrayal of the Bionic Bunny universe, and is comparable to Bionic Bunny in the same way that BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
is to Superman. In particular, Dark Bunny is in reference to the post-Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight in 1986. When the issues were released in a collected edition later that year, the story title for the first issue...
version of Batman, and most of all to the Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
cartoon of the 1990s. The first episode mentioning Dark Bunny says he is Bionic Bunny's cousin, but "Happy Anniversary" reveals them to be brothers, separated at birth. Dark Bunny was taken by an evil-witch, and Bionic Bunny was taken by a robot. Arthur and his friends are at first fascinated with this more mature spin-off (except for D.W., who considers it scary), but soon become bored with it and watch the Teletubbies
Teletubbies
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
-inspired "Love Ducks" show instead.
Conejitos Mechanicos
Conejitos Mechanicos is the SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of Bionic Bunny, and is roughly a literal translation as well. Seen in the episode "Arthur and Los Vecinos", Arthur's new Hispanic teenage neighbor has a stack of Conejitos Mechanicos comic books in Spanish, (except that they are called Conejo Bionico) which he gives to Arthur because he's outgrowing them and losing interest in the character. Arthur gladly accepts, but proceeds to pester his new friend by asking him to translate nearly every word. This is a realistic simulacrum of the real-world comic book industry, where heroes often have different names in non-English markets (Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, for example, is El Hombre Araña in Spanish) and the stories are either translated or completely different.
On "Postcards from Buster"
Bionic Bunny also features as a character in the Postcards from BusterPostcards from Buster
Postcards from Buster is a children's television series for children aged 6-12, containing both animation and live-action that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Service . It is a spin-off of the Arthur cartoon series. The show stars Arthur's best friend, 8-year-old rabbit Buster Baxter...
series. One notable example is an episode entitled Buster's League of Champions and set in Virginia Beach in which Buster, disappointed after seeing a bad Bionic Bunny movie, writes a letter to the producers with suggestions for a sequel, which are acted out by various children Buster meets.
The Bionic Bunny Show book
The Bionic Bunny Show (first ISBN 0-316-11120-1) is a children's book by Marc BrownMarc Brown (author)
Marc Tolon Brown is an American writer of children's books. He writes as well as illustrates his Arthur books, and is best known for that series and its spin-offs. He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts. The names of his two sons, Tolon Adam and Tucker Eliot, have been hidden in all of the...
and, Laurene (Laurie) Krasny Brown. It was first published in 1984 by Little, Brown & Co, 12 years before the Arthur television cartoon first aired. Although fictional and drawn as a cartoon, the book attempts to show small children the concept of a television show from behind the scenes, introducing the concept of an actor, showing the steps involved in preparing and shooting an episode, and so forth. The main point of the book was to show children that while television shows may be entertaining, they aren't "real", and that television heroes are really just ordinary people. The book was featured in an episode of Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...
in 1988. In addition to reading the book, host LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. , professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, producer and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley...
also expanded on the book's themes with a behind-the-scenes look at his other series, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. After the Reading Rainbow episode aired, a second edition was printed (ISBN 0-316-10992-4) which was even more popular than the first. The Reading Rainbow episode was also released on video, including as a set with the book. Later, the book was reissued yet again (ISBN 0-8085-3762-8) in 1999.
Bionic Bunny's real origin
Creator Marc Brown has revealed in interviews how the idea for Bionic Bunny came about. He and his wife Laurie were discussing aspects of superheroes while driving to an antique show in 1983, specifically how young children consider superheroes to be "real". Laurie was speaking from some experience, having studied superhero fiction at Harvard. They agreed to collaborate on a book about superheroes. Thus, Bionic Bunny was not created to be part of the Arthur world, but instead became part of it later. Bionic Bunny's mother is usually wearing an apron and glasses.Bionic Bunny and Dark Bunny villains
Bionic Bunny and Dark Bunny face off against a number of villains, many of which are parodies of known comic-book supervillains.- Bank robbers (as seen in the book, The Bionic Bunny Show) - possibly a reference to the normal villains Superman fought during WWII-era Superman cartoons.
- Doctopus - Described as an octopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
who went to college and became a doctor. A reference to Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
arch nemesis Doctor OctopusDoctor OctopusDoctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
in name at least, but Doctopus actually has the body of an octopus. - Icy MacFreeze - (from a PBS Kids newsletter) A Scottish inventor who faced Bionic Bunny with a freeze ray in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Chilled. A reference to BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain Mr. FreezeMr. FreezeMr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....
. - Professor Origami-A professor who uses origamiOrigamiis the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
as his weapons. - Hothead-A little girl that tricks Bionic Bunny in "April 9th". She is Bionic Bunny's old arch-villain
Bionic Bunny merchandise
Although Marc Brown has traditionally avoided heavily marketing his characters to avoid overexposure, there has been some Bionic Bunny merchandise, such as a ten-inch stuffed doll (a similar Mary Moo Cow doll was also made). Bionic Bunny makes cameo appearances in many other Arthur items as well: for example, a talking Arthur doll from MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
which wears a Bionic Bunny wristwatch, which plays games when pressed.
Bionic Bunny movie
A feature-length Arthur-related movie has been in development for several years, and for a time official sources indicated that the movie would center around Bionic Bunny, and possibly even be called The Bionic Bunny Movie. As of 2005, it was revealed that the first Arthur feature would be a CGI movie called Arthur's Missing Pal,was released in 2006 by Lion's Gate Entertainment.www.arthur.com
See also
- For another example of a bionic rabbit character in popular culture, see Bunnie Rabbot.
- For other examples of rabbit superheroes and comic characters, see Captain CarrotCaptain CarrotCaptain Carrot is a fictional anthropomorphic superhero published by DC Comics. His first appearance was in a special insert in The New Teen Titans #16...
, American RabbitThe Adventures of the American RabbitThe Adventures of the American Rabbit is an animated film released in 1986 by Clubhouse Pictures, and subsequently on DVD by MGM.-Plot:The story begins just after the birth of Robert Rabbit...
, Hoppy the Marvel BunnyHoppy the Marvel BunnyHoppy the Marvel Bunny is a fictional comic book superhero and funny animal originally published by Fawcett Comics as a spin-off of Captain Marvel. He was created by Chad Grothkopf , and debuted in Fawcett's Funny Animals #1...
, Usagi YojimboUsagi Yojimbois a comic book series created by Stan Sakai in 1987. In 2011 IGN ranked Miyamoto Usagi 92nd in the top 100 comic books heroes.-Concept:Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period of Japan , with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, the series features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, whom...
and Bucky O'HareBucky O'HareBucky O'Hare is a fictional character and the hero of an eponymous comic book series as well as spin-off media including an animated TV series and various toys and video games...
. - For other examples of fictional rabbits in general, see List of fictional rabbits.