20 Best Muppet Christmas Carol Moments

(Image via Walt Disney Pictures/Jim Henson Productions)

19. That one Rabbit Muppet – Cute or Creepy?

Actually, his name is “Bean Bunny”, and he’s yet another Muppet with something of a history. He first appeared in 1986 in the TV special, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. In it, a dog attacks his lettuce patch, but the nervous, adorable rabbit saves the day through compassion (it is a kids’ TV special, after all).

However, the pure, unfiltered cuteness of Bean Bunny doesn’t quite jive with what the rest of the Muppets are serving. And he really is almost too cute. “That’s his job,” says Scooter in The Muppets at Walt Disney World. “You see, the rest of us got sick of being cute, so we hired him to do it.”

Bean Bunny is actually kind of a polarizing figure. Some people see his furry, shivering figure in The Muppet Christmas Carol and practically burst into tears. Others – including, apparently, puppeteers, writers, and actors – take some joy in making fun of Bean Bunny.

Yes, yes, Bean Bunny is cute. But I definitely fall into the camp of “too cute” or, even, “menacingly cute”. It appears as if he’s stuffed full of weaponized cuteness, waiting only until we let our guard down before he finally, fatally pounces. Those all-black eyes don’t help, either.