Rabbid

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Bunnies playing with their own game on the Wii.

Rabbids (often simply called "bunnies") are a species of maniac anthropomorphic bunnies, who serve as the primary antagonists in the video game Rayman Raving Rabbids. They are rather limited intellectually, but very aggressive.

The earliest Rayman 4 trailers depicted the bunnies as rather menacing and zombie-like, simply appearing from underground with a blank stare in various shapes and forms. As the game concept evolved (from one of a central objective to minigames), the rabbid figures became much more conscious and amusing, changing from cliched computer game cannon fodder into a series of memorable characters with various traits and quirks, akin to Worms. Creator Michel Ancel described the bunnies as "vicious, but at the same time [...] totally stupid" ^[1]

1 Reception
2 Types of Rabbids
3 Characteristics
4 Teasers
5 References
6 External links
- 6.1 Videos
- 6.2 Other Links

[edit] Reception

The bunnies became massively popular both through the teaser trailers and the game itself. IGN has stated that the Rabbids have "more personality and charisma than 10 of the most popular videogame mascots combined" ^[2], and that the bunnies have literally "upstaged Rayman himself" ^[3]. GameSpot has noted that "The rabbids themselves are almost exclusively responsible for [selling the game's humor], as they are, without a doubt, hysterical. They're adorably designed, with their dumb stares, high-pitched shrieks, and a penchant for taking comedic bumps." ^[4]

There has been speculation by both the reviewers ^[5] and fans alike that the success of the rabbid character will probably inspire the developers to create more games of the franchise, possibly even without Rayman.

[edit] Types of Rabbids

This is the information taken directly from the Rayman Raving Rabbids handbook that is packed with the games.

Pink: Pink is mute and timid. Yet with just a little patience, you can easily learn his basic method of communication. For example, "Hey mate!!! What's up?" translates, in his language, to firing a heat-seeking missle. (It is true, that, in general, all he knows how to say is "Hey mate!!! What's up?").

Serguei: Serguei is a big softy. Out of pure coquetry, he wears a delightful, finely worked metal muzzle. His joie de vivre and his strong sense of repartee make him a very pleasant companion. He's always ready to keep things light and lively with little tricks, such as cracking his knuckles or playing "this little piggy" with your toes.

Professor Barranco: Proffesor Barranco is a scientist. He is currently writing a very complex thesis on thermodynamics and the resistances of certain materials.For the moment, he is accumulating certain experimental data - firstly, on the resistance of cranial bones to the impact of a bludgeon, and secondly, on the resistance to high temperatures generated by the explosion of booby-trapped gifts.

The Frog Rabbids: The frog-Rabbids are part of the elite commando team. they are formidable combatants. They are systematically sent out on the most dangerous mission, such as assaulting carrot juice bars, infiltrating a popular chorus, or even maintaining the peace in front of toilets.

Clark: Clark is not a Rabbid like the others. His Super-powers enable him to accomplish feats that gain him respect and admiration from everyone. He is the inventor and undisputed champion of a new kind of biathlon (the consecutive combo: Descending Flight+Vertical Subterranean Race). His personal record: 2300 meters DF+47 cm VSR. (DF+VSR means going up and coming staight back down)

[edit] Characteristics

As examplified by the teaser videos, "Bunnies never close doors".

Rabbids tend to be somewhat mentally unstable, and often experience strange adrenaline rushes, where their eyes turn red and they emit a loud yell. This is also often a precursor of the bunny smashing something with his tool of choice.

Rabbids have an interesting choice in weaponry; trailer videos show that bunnies have a high preference of carrying around various household items as melee weapons. Choices include feather dusters, plungers, ladles, toilet brushes, toy shovels, and other objects. The toilet plunger, being the central weapon of the game, is a main example of the bunnies' sense for toilet humor.

They are also known to come in two main varieties: the white kind seen in the teasers and the more resilient (and larger) blue kind.

Rabbids also have a penchant for dressing up. These outfits include, but are not limited to, French maid outfits, snorkels with duckie-shaped swim rings or swim trunks with assorted huge swimfins and swimming goggles, ninja suits, cowboy hats with bandanas, Superman costumes and Splinter Cells style night-vision goggles.

[edit] Teasers

Rabbids earned their own share of the spotlight through the teaser trailers of the game, including a series of videos entitled Bunnies - Very Useful Scientific Facts, which showcases the bunnies' own unorthodox approaches to such complex problems as milking cows, playing soccer and even infiltrating games conventions Metal Gear Solid style; each video is presented as a camcorder documentary recording a rabbid being puzzled with some kind of everyday activity, suddenly wielding various objects and punctuated by their trademark yell. The trailers, however, are also quick to point out that regardless their antics, bunnies "can dance" - a reference to the various rhythm mini-games.

The official E3 teaser video shows creator Michel Ancel being ambushed by a group of bunnies (perhaps as a retaliation for his above quote), who ultimately smash the camera with a toilet brush.