Rabbids are a fictional species of maniacal anthropomorphic rabbits, that serve as the primary antagonists in the video games Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 and Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party. Their most well known traits feature various slapstick comedy elements; running around wielding various household objects, dressing up as various other fictional characters, and most of all, constant screaming. Although essentially the "villain" in the game, they have gained a considerable popularity and fanbase through viral videos and media appearances. Many people even suspect them to overshadow Rayman, despite hints that there could be a Rayman 4. They even went to "create" their own band, The Raving Rabbids.

Conception and creation

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, smaller eyes and furry. At this point, trailers showed the game as an adventure game with fight stages, where Rayman would need to punch himself through a horde of zombie-bunnies. As the game concept evolved (from one of a central objective to minigames) and viral videos were created, however, the Rabbid figures became much more conscious and amusing, changing from clichéd computer game cannon fodder into a series of memorable characters with various traits and quirks, akin to Worms. Rayman creator Michel Ancel described the bunnies as "vicious, but at the same time 1 totally stupid".

Characteristics

The rabbids appear as anthropomorphic, stout rabbits with big round eyes and a large mouth. Their irises appear bigger in gameplay than cutscenes. They stand around 2 feet tall, with their ears adding an additional foot to their height. They have two large incisors, but are never shown with any other visible teeth with the exception of the "Bunnies Don't Use Toothpaste" minigame, in which they are depicted with a full set of (grossly unhygienic) ones.

Rabbids tend to be somewhat mentally unstable, and often experience strange adrenaline rushes, where their eyes turn red and they emit a loud yell of DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (often spelt BWAHHH! in various media and graffiti). This is also often a precursor of the bunny smashing something or attacking someone with its 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, tennis rackets, sausages and other objects. The toilet plunger, the central weapon of the game, is a main example of the bunnies' sense of toilet humor. Some Rabbids carry oversized spiked clubs.

Rabbids have a penchant for dressing up. These outfits include, but are not limited to, French maid outfits, snorkels with duck-shaped swim rings or swim trunks with assorted huge swimfins and swimming goggles, ninja suits, pirate outfits, cowboy hats with bandanas, Superman costumes, gladiator outfits made out of pans and other kitchen utensils, Sam Fisher-style night-vision goggles, and Metal Gear's cardboard boxes.