Rabbids

Overview

A rabbid is a type of bunny that first appeared in the 2006 title Rayman Raving Rabbids as the primary antagonists. Their name comes from mixing the word "rabbit" with the word "rabid." In the first Raving Rabbids title, they attempt to take over Rayman's world, and succeed in capturing Rayman only to have him compete in gladiatorial events ( minigames) for their amusement. In Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, the rabbids turn their attention toward Earth. As the series has progressed, Rayman's actual presence has lessened in order to put more focus on the rabbids.

Despite their ambitions of conquest, rabbids are, for lack of a better word, extraordinarily stupid. With limited ability to comprehend the basics behind the most mundane tasks, they make up for their lack of knowledge by screaming and brandishing blunt instruments. They also take a remarkable level of physical abuse, usually as a result of their collective incompetence.

In French, the native language of the rabbids' creators at Ubisoft, the rabbids are called "Lapins Cretins," which literally means "stupid rabbits."

Physical Traits

Rabbids are bipedal bunnies that are mostly identical to one another. The average rabbid has white fur, though some are blue, pink, yellow, or green. There are also larger rabbids with darker fur that are about twice the size of the average rabbid. Due to these physical similarities, most rabbids are distinguished by their attire. They frequently dress in costume as everything from video game characters from other franchises to characters from popular anime and American comic books. Rabbids may also dress in uniforms appropriate to an activity they're participating in, such as American football.

Personality

As stated before, Rabbids are highly incompetent creatures similar to Minions that take a great deal of comic physical abuse, sometimes willingly. They also inflict a great deal of abuse as well, though most of it tends to be directed at other rabbids. Their spoken language is not understood, but they are also able to communicate using pantomime gestures.

The rabbids' most distinctive trademark is the sound and manner of their scream. When prompted, they let loose a manic, high-pitched shout accompanied by an equally manic facial expression. There is no single reason for when or why they scream. It could be prompted by anything ranging from a celebration of victory to annoyance to being in pain.

Rabbids Go Home

After three iterations on the Raving Rabbids party game series, Ubisoft saw fit to give the manic bunnies their own full-fledged adventure in Rabbids Go Home. This Wii title puts the player in control of a pair of rabbids piloting a shopping cart with the intent to collect as much random junk as possible so that they can build a trash heap tall enough to take them to the moon. In the process, they cause chaos in a number of locations such as a shopping mall, hospital, and airport and terrorize the locals. The player can also customize the look of their rabbids by sucking them into the Wii Remote and subjecting them to all manners of abuse, such as squeezing their heads in a vice or inflating their eyeballs.

Other Appearances

The increasing popularity of the rabbids has led Ubisoft to include appearances from them in games outside the Rabbids franchise. The game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up included thee Rabbids as unlockable characters.