The Book of Bunny Suicides
Encyclopedia
The Book of Bunny Suicides: Little Fluffy Rabbits Who Just Don't Want to Live Any More (2003) is a bestselling collection of mostly one-image black comedy
cartoons drawn by author Andy Riley
.
shows one or more white rabbit
s in their creative attempts to end their lives using a variety of items. Revolving doors, a toaster, a cricket ball, a boomerang, a hand-grenade, the shining sun, a magnifying glass, smoking of several cigarettes, bowling balls and any combination of these are all featured as suicidal tools. The book also features a few cultural references, most notably a parody of a scene from The Wicker Man, where the rabbit
is atop the burning figure. A reference to the Terminator
movies is also included, as well as a reference to the scene from Stanley Kubrick
's Dr. Strangelove where the captain of the bomber rides the atomic bomb as it drops and explodes. Noah's Ark
is also featured. While all the other animals are boarding the ark, two bunnies stay behind suntanning on the beach. There are also several references to Lord of the Rings, including a bunny shaking pepper into the eye of Sauron
, and a bunny tied between a nail and Gollum
reaching for a ring.
The cartoons are often drawn in such a way that the bunny's exact method is not immediately obvious, leaving the reader to work out exactly how the bunnies plan to end their lives.
In 2004 a sequel was published, under the title Return of the Bunny Suicides
. The book proved so popular that pirate scans started to circulate heavily online as "Bunnies Suicide" or "Bunny Suicide", facilitating DMCA notices of cease and desist
. Cartoonist Liu Gang was inspired by the book to create his Suicide Rabbit
.
A special edition, The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, was released in the UK in 2007. It contains every bunny suicide ever.
The book drew controversy in 2008 at an Oregon
, USA, high school when a mother refused to return the copy to her son's library, saying she was going to burn
it instead.
The Bunny suicides cartoons from the book have also been converted into a calendar (2011 Bunny suicides calendar) and Bunny Suicides Notecards, all published by teNeues
.
In September 2010 Andy released Bunnycides app, the official iPhone app of the Bunny Suicides series, available only for iPhone and iPod Touch devices with iOS 3 or later.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
cartoons drawn by author Andy Riley
Andy Riley
Andy Riley is a British author, cartoonist, comics scriptwriter, and television screenwriter.Riley has written several best-selling cartoon books, The Book of Bunny Suicides , Return of the Bunny Suicides, The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, Dawn of the Bunny Suicides, Great Lies To Tell Small...
.
Overview
Each cartoonCartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
shows one or more white rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s in their creative attempts to end their lives using a variety of items. Revolving doors, a toaster, a cricket ball, a boomerang, a hand-grenade, the shining sun, a magnifying glass, smoking of several cigarettes, bowling balls and any combination of these are all featured as suicidal tools. The book also features a few cultural references, most notably a parody of a scene from The Wicker Man, where the rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
is atop the burning figure. A reference to the Terminator
Terminator
-Science:*Terminator , the line between the day and night sides of a planetary body*Terminator , the end of a gene for transcription-Technology:*Terminator , a resistor at the end of a transmission line to prevent signal reflection...
movies is also included, as well as a reference to the scene from Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's Dr. Strangelove where the captain of the bomber rides the atomic bomb as it drops and explodes. Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
is also featured. While all the other animals are boarding the ark, two bunnies stay behind suntanning on the beach. There are also several references to Lord of the Rings, including a bunny shaking pepper into the eye of Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
, and a bunny tied between a nail and Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
reaching for a ring.
The cartoons are often drawn in such a way that the bunny's exact method is not immediately obvious, leaving the reader to work out exactly how the bunnies plan to end their lives.
In 2004 a sequel was published, under the title Return of the Bunny Suicides
Return of the Bunny Suicides
Return of the Bunny Suicides is the second bestselling book of black comedy cartoons by Andy Riley that depict the various ways bunnies attempt to kill themselves.-Overview:...
. The book proved so popular that pirate scans started to circulate heavily online as "Bunnies Suicide" or "Bunny Suicide", facilitating DMCA notices of cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
. Cartoonist Liu Gang was inspired by the book to create his Suicide Rabbit
Suicide Rabbit
Suicide Rabbit is a Chinese internet cartoon by Liu Gang introduced in August 2006. His rabbit protagonist, inspired by Andy Riley's The Book of Bunny Suicides, is well-meaning but suffers at every turn. The cartoon reflects modern social ills and avoids overtly political ones.-Source:* ]]...
.
A special edition, The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides, was released in the UK in 2007. It contains every bunny suicide ever.
The book drew controversy in 2008 at an Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, USA, high school when a mother refused to return the copy to her son's library, saying she was going to burn
Book burning
Book burning, biblioclasm or libricide is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded...
it instead.
The Bunny suicides cartoons from the book have also been converted into a calendar (2011 Bunny suicides calendar) and Bunny Suicides Notecards, all published by teNeues
TeNeues
teNeues is a publishing company founded by Dr. Heinz teNeues in Krefeld, Germany, in 1931. It is a third generation family firm and one of the leading book publishers in the areas of photography, design, lifestyle, and travel...
.
In September 2010 Andy released Bunnycides app, the official iPhone app of the Bunny Suicides series, available only for iPhone and iPod Touch devices with iOS 3 or later.