16 of Our Favorite Rabbits

The Lunar New Year begins on February 3rd. According to the Chinese zodiac, we will welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Rabbits are an attractive animal: they are adorably cute, relatively unthreatening, full of energy, and have those ridiculous long ears we can laugh at. Plus they seem to live for sex. Let's take a look at some of our most beloved pop culture lagomorphs.

1. Thumper

Thumper is the adorable baby rabbit who befriends Bambi in the 1942 Disney movie Bambi. Thumper has little ability to self-censor, but is cute enough to get away with saying whatever is on his mind. He famously repeated his father's advice, "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all."

2. That Silly Trix Rabbit

The Trix rabbit is an advertising icon for Trix cereal in TV ads that date back to 1959, usually ending with a kid voicing the slogan, "Silly rabbit -Trix are for kids!" But the rabbit actually got to eat Trix twice -in 1976 and 1980. Both times the decision was made by a box top voting promotion.

3. Jackalope

The jackalope (Lagomorpha fantasticus) is a rarely-sighted creature determined to be a cross between a wild rabbit and a deer. It resembles a rabbit with the exception of its long, sharp antlers. The best way to capture a jackalope is to lure it closer with whiskey. Most people who have survived an encounter with a jackalope had plenty of whiskey with them. The jackalope presents a particular threat to tourists, and is most commonly seen displayed taxidermy-style. The legend of the jackalope most likely arose from sightings of ordinary wild rabbits suffering from the effects of the Shope papilloma virus, which causes hard tumors to grow on the animal's head.

4. Bunnicula

, the vampire rabbit of children's literature, made an appearance in the list

8 Rabbits to Avoid

, but many commenters told of how they loved Bunnicula. How can anyone be scared of a vegetarian vampire rabbit, anyway?

5. The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit led Alice down the rabbit hole in the Lewis Carroll story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He reappears as a herald for the King and Queen of Hearts, which may give us a clue as to what he was late for when he hurried so in the first scene. Pictured is a White Rabbit from the 1951 Disney movie.

6. Roger Rabbit

Roger Rabbit was the protagonist of the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The movie was notable for being the first blockbuster hit to mix animation and live action footage. Disney produced the movie and released it as a Touchstone film because of the sexual innuendo, particularly in the character of Roger's wife Jessica Rabbit -who would be on this list herself if she were really a rabbit instead of a human 'toon who married a rabbit.

7. The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit is a toy from the 1922 children's book by Margery Williams. The story tells us how a toy rabbit can become real if it is loved enough, and the heartbreak that love can bring. I tear up every time I even think of the story, although my children are not so affected.

8. The Playboy Bunny

9. Hazel

Hazel is the leader of several rabbits we love from the 1972 book Watership Down by Richard Adams and the 1978 film of the story. The group of rabbits go on a quest for a new and safer place to settle and build a rabbit colony, leaving readers in tears periodically along the way.

10. The Energizer Bunny

The little pink rabbit toy that just kept going and going and going sold a lot of batteries for Energizer. The Energizer Bunny debuted in 1988 and caught on quickly. Many folks don't realize that the first Energizer Bunny ad was a response to a long-lived Duracell battery ad campaign.

11. The Tortoise and the Hare

One of Aesop's most famous fables, The Tortoise and the Hare explains how being in a hurry won't help at all if you can't stay focused on the goal. Although the hare in the story is strictly a loser, we can identify with him in his imperfections.

12. The Easter Bunny

Many pre-Christian symbols were appropriated for use in Christian holidays, no matter how pagan. The Easter Bunny is a symbol of springtime and fertility, first mentioned in literature in Germany around the year 1500. He appears to have taken a page from Santa Claus in that he magically delivers eggs (another fertility symbol) and candy while children sleep on Easter eve. You don't see the Easter Bunny deliver his goods, but he is often honored in the shape of your chocolates.

13. Harvey

Imaginary rabbits come in two varieties: we prefer pleasant, as in Harvey, the rabbit-shaped pooka that befriends Elwood P. Dowd in the play Harvey and the 1950 film of the same name. Harvey is never seen by the audience except in a portrait commissioned by Dowd, but he is gentle, loyal, and wise, according to what Dowd tells of him. In contrast, the 2001 movie Donnie Darko features a terrifying imaginary man-in-a-bunny suit named Frank.

14. The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog

The Killer Rabbit that guards the entrance to the cave of Caerbannog in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail also made the list of Rabbits to Avoid, but those of us who haven't been attacked can't get enough of the bunny. He also appears in the Broadway musical Spamalot.

15. Oolong the Pancake Bunny

Oolong is the name of the rabbit in the picture captioned “I have no idea what you’re talking about… so here’s a bunny with a pancake on its head.” Beginning in 1999, photographer Hironori Akutagawa trained Oolong to balance objects on his head and took pictures, which he posted on his website. He became an internet sensation in 2001 and built a fan base until his death in 2003. He was eight years old. Urban Dictionary defines “pancake bunny” as the patron saint of silence.

16. Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny gives real-life heroes a run for their money in popularity contests. He is second only to Mickey Mouse as the best-known cartoon character ever. Bugs has one Oscar, three Oscar nominations, and has appeared in over 175 films. Bugs is the smart alec, carrot-chewing, wise-cracking trickster rabbit we would all like to be -at least for a while.

Honorable mentions: Peter Rabbit, Peter Cottontail, the Cadbury Bunny, Rabbit, Buster Bunny, Ricochet Rabbit, It's Happy Bunny, and Brer Rabbit.