Dumb Bunnies facts for kids

The Dumb Bunnies are a funny series of books created by Dav Pilkey. He is also the author of the popular Captain Underpants books. For The Dumb Bunnies, Pilkey used a funny pen name, "Sue Denim." These books tell the silly adventures of a family of bunnies who do everything backward. For example, they sleep under their beds and put flowers upside down in vases!

The series is known for making fun of or "parodying" other famous children's books. These include Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and The Stupids Step Out by Harry G. Allard.

The Dumb Bunnies Books and TV Show

About the Books

The Dumb Bunnies books are known for their silly stories. They often show the bunnies doing everyday things in the most absurd ways. This makes the books very entertaining and humorous for young readers.

The TV Series

The Dumb Bunnies books were also made into a television series. This animated show was created in Canada and Australia. It first aired in 1998 on CBS in the United States. The show was made by Nelvana and Yoram Gross. It ran for 26 episodes from October 3, 1998, to September 26, 1999. In Australia, the show was broadcast on the Seven Network.

Book Adventures

The Dumb Bunnies family appeared in several books, each with a new, silly adventure.

The First Book: The Dumb Bunnies

In their first book, The Dumb Bunnies, the family is eating porridge. They decide to go for a walk. They visit a place called Kentucky Fried Carrots, which is a funny version of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Then, they have a picnic inside a car wash! Meanwhile, a character named Little Red Goldilocks enters their home. When the Dumb Bunnies return, they are very excited to see her.

But then, funny misunderstandings happen. Poppa Bunny is confused because he thinks someone slept on his porridge. Momma Bunny is upset because she thinks someone ate her bed. Baby Bunny cries because he believes someone used his pimple cream. To cheer up, Papa Bunny dances, Mama Bunny sings, and Baby Bunny flushes Little Red Goldilocks down the toilet! The book ends with a picture of her coming out of a sewer pipe and landing in a lake.

A fun fact: The original cover of this book had the word "spam" on the porridge bowl. Dav Pilkey meant it as a joke. However, the Hormel Foods Corporation, which makes Spam, was not happy. They threatened legal action. Because of this, the book was either recalled, or a golden sticker was placed over the word. Later versions were printed without the word. These original "Spam" covers are now very rare to find!

The Dumb Bunnies Easter

The Dumb Bunnies' second adventure was in The Dumb Bunnies Easter. The family gets ready for Easter, but they do it in their own silly way. They put their "Easter Tree" upside down. They also spray-paint fried eggs, thinking they are "painting Easter Eggs." They watch a small football game on top of their television. When they go to hang their stockings, they realize they are already wearing them! They end up sleeping upside down in front of the fireplace.

The Easter Bunny soon arrives and drops all the eggs down the chimney. The next morning, the Dumb Bunnies are thrilled to see the eggs. Even though they are all cracked with shells everywhere, the bunnies are happy.

Make Way for Dumb Bunnies

Their third book was Make Way for Dumb Bunnies. The Dumb Bunnies are relaxing at home when it starts to rain. They think it's the perfect weather for the beach and head there. But then the sun comes out, and they think the weather is bad. So, they go to the movie theater, accidentally stealing a car on the way!

During the movie, the Dumb Bunnies think the projector is the screen. This makes them temporarily blind. They return home on a steamroller, thinking it's their car. Once home, their vision returns.

The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo

The latest book in the series is The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo. First, they go outside to pick things in their garden using pickaxes. Then, they drive to the zoo. They mistake a small bird on the "Elephant" sign for the actual elephant. They also think a butterfly on the "Lion" sign is the lion.

When the butterfly flies off the sign, they believe the lion has escaped! They go wild, letting all the animals loose, including the "real" lion. S.W.A.T. police officers arrive to catch the lion. But the Dumb Bunnies tell them it flew away. As they leave the zoo (because the zookeeper kicked them out), they see two giant apes. They think these apes are "Free Kitties"! The box they saw actually had real kittens, but the apes scared them away. Baby Bunny decides to keep the apes. As they drive off, the apes fall off the car. They return home and fall asleep in their new waterbed, which has hoses spraying water on it.

Challenges and Discussions

Sometimes, books face "challenges," meaning people try to have them removed from libraries or schools. In 2010, The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo was on a list of "Most Challenged Books." This list was published by the Canadian Library Association.

Later, this same book was challenged in Oregon. Someone was worried that reading it might make children "confused and stupid." However, the book was kept in the library.

Because of its "sarcastic view of humor," the series was also challenged in Summit County. It was moved from the main children's library to a section for older children.

Books

• The Dumb Bunnies (1994, Blue Sky Press)
• The Dumb Bunnies' Easter (1995, Blue Sky Press)
• Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (1996, Blue Sky Press)
• The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo (1997, Blue Sky Press)