Yesterday may have been Groundhog Day, but today belongs to a different woodland critter entirely. Chinese New Year falls on February 3rd in 2011, which means the year of the tiger is over (sorry, Amy Chua) and the rabbit’s reign has begun. Characterized in the Chinese zodiac as friendly, sensitive, and creative, they’re better known in Western culture as, well, horny. Whatever you associate with them, they’re incredibly well represented in pop culture, from highbrow literature to Saturday morning cartoons. After the jump, we ring in the new year with 40 of the most culturally relevant rabbits of all time.
1. Bugs Bunny
2. Donnie Darko
3. White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland
4. “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
5. White Rabbits (the band)
6. Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh
7. Nanabozho
8. “Who Could Win a Rabbit?” by Animal Collective
9. Trix rabbit
10. Bunny, The Secret History
11. Greg the Bunny
12. Easter Bunny
13. “Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits” by The Magnetic Fields
16. Mr. Floppy, Unhappily Ever After
17. Br’er Rabbit
18. The Rabbit vibrator
19. Frightened Rabbit
20. Bunny Lebowski, The Big Lebowski
21. “Peter Cottontail” by Gene Autry
22. “Rabbit in Your Headlights” by UNKLE
23. Roger Rabbit
24. March Hare, Alice in Wonderland
25. Eddie Rabbit
26. “Litte Bunny Foo-Foo”
27. Cadbury Bunny
28. The rabbits in Watership Down
29. Echo & the Bunnymen
30. Were-Rabbit, Wallace & Grommit
31. “Rabbits Dying” by Throwing Muses
32. Jackalope
33. Nailbunny, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
34. “Bunny Hop” by Ray Anthony
35. Rabbit Angstrom
36. Playboy bunny
37. Peter Rabbit
38. Energizer Bunny
39. The Velveteen Rabbit
40. Buster Bunny
