Rabbits: symbolism, significance and references

Sherlock’s dog Redbeard and some rabbits

I saw your post about Redbeard in the other thread truthseeker . I didn’t know about this. What a coincidence! And here is another one:

“Gatiss: To be honest, I put [an explanation of Redbeard] into the first draft of episode two, and actually explained it – the reason that Sherlock was behaving like a child was because he’d once upon a time fallen for that story that your bunny rabbit has gone to live on a farm somewhere. And then we thought, ‘No, let’s hold it back because we can tease it a bit…the truth is that when he was little – and obviously Mycroft tormented him about it – is that his dog died, and he totally fell for the idea that Redbeard had gone to live in a happy valley somewhere.’”

www.empireonline.com/movies/features/sherlock-series-3-secrets/

The Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, red hair, rabbit, royal family coincidences and connections are fascinating. I want to take another look at it all.

In the meantime, here is a quote from Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s 2009 film:

“My journey took me somewhat further down the rabbit-hole than I'd intended and, though I dirtied my fluffy white tail, I've emerged … enlightened.”

In the first of the series with Benedict Cumberbatch, Holmes gets an e-mail from a child who asks him to find her "luminous rabbit" named Bluebell.

Interesting choice of words there. And it is interesting that they have used purple for the merchandise:

Run Rabbit Run Rabbit Run Run Run!

Run Rabbit Run is the title of a very popular song from 1939. It is said to be Winston Churchill’s favourite song. It is largely forgotten now.

I remembered it because of all the rabbit investigations, and found that it was revived for two films.

It is featured in Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror film Get Out and the 2015 film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I wonder why they used this particular song.

This homely and comforting song can be heard here:

I can see the attraction of rabbits, but when it comes to pets I prefer hamsters and guinea-pigs! These animals develop personalities if you give them a lot of attention. It is very sad when something happens to them.

I used to see a very tame rabbit when I visited a family. She used to sweep all the ornaments and papers from the lower shelf of the TV stand with her paw and settle down under the TV. She died recently so I will never see her again.

Ed Sheeran and another rabbit connection

Tenuous, but worth mentioning.

“Sheeran revealed that he's been working on a movie based on his enormously interesting back story, and decided to compare his cosy musical trajectory of gigging in small-town pubs and sofa-surfing to a sort-of biopic of a certain world-famous rapper.

‘I want to have an 8 Mile moment," he said. "But 8 Mile meets Notting Hill. Not gritty like Detroit but, like, Ipswich. I've got loads of songs about Ipswich that haven't come out so I could make a soundtrack.’

The comparison makes a lot of sense. While 8 Mile's protagonist Rabbit grew up in a trailer park, Sheeran was raised in leafy Suffolk. Whereas Rabbit's mother was an unemployed alcoholic with an abusive boyfriend, Sheeran's mum turned her back on the horrifying world of culture publicity to move into jewellery design. While Rabbit never knew his father, Sheeran's was an art curator. It's practically the exact same movie.”

www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/social-media-mocks-ed-sheerans-ambitions-8-mile-meets-notting/

I like the irony in this article. Basing a film of his life story on a biopic of someone with a completely different life and background seems a stupid idea. Was it the name Rabbit that caught his attention?

Ed Sheeran and two rabbit pictures

A cute yellow one and a rather sinister black, red and white one

Benedict Cumberbatch and the chocolate Cumberbunnies

From March 2016:

“If you’re one of the many people on this planet that think that Benedict Cumberbatch is good enough to eat, you’re in luck, as die-hard fans of the actor can now nibble on his handsome face.

A Brighton-based chocolatier has created a 400g ‘Cumberbunny’ which features the 39-year-old Sherlock star’s recognisable face, complete with two bunny ears and placed on a rabbit torso. Available in white, milk and dark chocolate each 'Cumberbunny' comes complete with an edible 22 carat gold bow-tie and lustre dust.“



www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/foodanddrink/these-chocolate-cumberbunnies-will-let-you-eat-benedict-cumberbatch-s-face-a3194496.html

This sounds gruesome. I wouldn’t want to eat a replica of someone. They cost £50 each too!

Rosie Kay’s dance show MK Ultra

This goes much further than the Alice in Wonderland ballets we have posted about. The work features conspiracy theories and the Illuminati but the post is going here because of the rabbit.



Choreographer Rosie Kay has a lot to say about MK Ultra and conspiracy theories. Here is an extract:

“And like our pop stars, our programming is starting to dysfunction, we are starting to see through our dream, and waking up from the sleepwalk that has taken us into the harsh reality of where we are now. As one young person put it succinctly; “we used to believe, we used to be told what was real by our leaders, but since recent events, we’ve been let down. Now we fend for ourselves’.

In this new world reality, it’s not just the New World Order we need to be afraid of, it’s our lack of leadership and the forces that fill this vacuum as we stumble along, half awake, half asleep. Or maybe we are just about to wake up, and realise that there is a new reality, just around the corner, or is it ‘over the rainbow’?”

trinitylaban.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/rosie-kay-on-conspiracy-theory-and-the-illuminati/

Nick Cave and some rabbit connections

Nick Cave has his own thread in the Celebrity section, but these pictures of him with a rabbit and the cover of his second novel belong here:

More images from Criss Angel’s Believe show





The rabbit in the art piece above right looks sinister, rather like a vampire!

Carrot Top and some rabbits

Carrot Top is the stage name of an American stand-up comedian. He has performed with Criss Angel at the Luxor hotel.

Thomas Markle Junior and a rabbit reference

The word on the T-shirt just under Meghan’s arm is conejo, the Spanish word for rabbit.

First posted on the Royal Façade thread and added here for completion:

Welshman with a rabbit obsession

People dressed as giant rabbits always seem a little sinister to me, but maybe this is just harmless fun:

“A 29-year-old from Pembrokeshire, Wales, is so obsessed with rabbits that he’s spent the past ten years dressing as a giant bunny in his spare time. Adrian James regularly becomes his alter ego Keel, which involves wearing a six foot rabbit bodysuit. He has spent £10,000 on suits and rabbit merchandise.

Working full-time as a vehicle electrical engineer, Adrian, who has been obsessed with rabbits since he was a child, typically wears jeans and t-shirts at work. But on his days off, he transforms into a furry rabbit and also spends time with his real rabbit, Pop Junior. Despite others giving him criticism, Adrian claims that he is happiest when he’s living as a rabbit, as it allows him to ‘escape’ from everyday troubles.”

Killer rabbit from Monty Python

The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional character in the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The rabbit is the antagonist in a major set piece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie.

The German Grey giant rabbit

I was looking for giants in Bavaria and found giant rabbits instead. We have had some big British bunnies on here, but these ones from Germany look even bigger: