History Literature / Bunnicula

** ''The Celery Stalks at Midnight'' mentions the time Chester tried to drive a steak through Bunnicula's heart from book 1.

* {{Pun}}s:
** Howie enjoys making punny remarks, much to Chester's exasperation.
** An absolutely dreadful one happens when Chester mistakes "driving a stake through a vampire's heart" with a ''steak'', and winds up pounding some meat on Bunnicula's chest while the rabbit sleeps.

* SmellySkunk: The pets have a run-in with one (which they initially mistake for Bunnicula's mother) in ''Bunnicula Strikes Again!'', and Harold and Howie get sprayed by it. Chester, fortunately, gets out of range in time.

* AgentMulder: Chester

* AmateurSleuth: Chester fancies himself one

** Played with in ''The Celery Stalks at Midnight''; Harold tries to save Mr. Monroe from drowning, but it turns out he's misinterpreted the situation - Mr. Monroe was participating in a dunking booth and was never in any actual danger.

* ShowWithinAShow: Or rather, Book Within A Book - the ''Tales From The House of Bunnicula'' books are Howie's novels and writing journal entries from the main series.
* TheyDo: After several books of being good (if argumentative) friends, Howie and Delilah make the change to OfficialCouple at the end of ''The Odorous Adventures of Stinky Dog.''

* DarkerAndEdgier: While still very much a children's book, ''Howliday Inn'' does qualify somewhat when compared to its predecessor. Whereas ''Bunnicula'' merely dealt with Chester madcap theories regarding the titular rabbit, ''Howliday Inn'' features an honest to goodness mystery involving [[spoiler:petnapping and the implied - but false - death of one of the characters.]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: M.T. Graves is an AffectionateParody of Creator/StephenKing and R.L. Stine.

!!The franchise provides examples of:

* BigFriendlyDog: Harold is a more laid-back version, but definitely qualifies. Especially when the Munroe kids have junk food.
* [[ShowWithinAShow Book Within A Book]]: The spin-off series ''Tales From The House of Bunnicula'' are Howie's novels and writing journal entries.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In ''Howliday Inn'', Louise calls Georgette [[Literature/TheScarletLetter "Hester Prynne"]]. It's an obscure reference that [[ParentalBonus hardly any kid would get]], but she's essentially calling Georgette a slut.

* HeroicDog: Harold is single-handedly responsible for thwarting Chester's attempt to starve Bunnicula.
* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight:
** Inverted in ''The Celery Stalks at Midnight'':

** It was implied that it was in the first chapter, "The Arrival", in the first book.

!!The ''Bunnicula'' series provides additional examples of:

* BreakingTheFourthWall: In ''Bunnicula Strikes Again!'', Harold reminds the audience that he, like the books he writes, is a work of fiction.
* TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: In ''Howliday Inn'', Chester determinedly thinks something horrible is going to happen, and is proven right when Louise goes missing, believing it to be foul play. While not murder, the poodle did not vanish of her own will.
* CreepyCrows: Horror writer M.T. Graves has a bird who he calls Edgar Allan Crow. Chester, of course, thinks that both of them are up to no good. However, it ultimately turns out to be a subversion; Edgar Allan Crow is just an ordinary crow and not at all scary (except in Chester's runaway imagination).
* HellHotel: Chateau Bow-Wow in ''Howliday Inn'' and ''Return To Howliday Inn''
* HeroicDog: Played with in ''The Celery Stalks at Midnight''; Harold tries to save Mr. Monroe from drowning, but it turns out he's misinterpreted the situation; Mr. Monroe was participating in a dunking booth and was never in any actual danger.
* MadScientist: Parodied (and ultimately subverted) with Dr. Greenbriar. Jill could even be seen as his [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter beautiful daughter]], and Harrison as his [[TheIgor Igor]].
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: M.T. Graves is an AffectionateParody of Creator/StephenKing and R.L. Stine.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Bud and Spud, who come across as dumb hicks, but are actually [[SouthernFriedGenius well educated]]. Of course, most of the obfuscation comes from Chester's overactive imagination.
* PoundsAreAnimalPrisons: ...So are the kennels in ''Howliday Inn''.
* PunBasedTitle: One of the chapters in the later books is titled "Gruel and Unusual Punishment", a reference to the phrase "cruel and unusual punishment". It receives a title drop from [[PungeonMaster Howie]].
* PunnyName:
** Edgar Allan Crow, who was named after horror writer Creator/EdgarAllanPoe.
** Pete's favorite horror writer, M.T. Graves, has another pun for a pseudonym ("empty graves").
* ShoutOut: M.T. Graves and the ''Fleshcrawlers'' series are clearly a reference to R.L. Stine and ''Goosebumps.''
* TenLittleMurderVictims: Parodied in ''Howliday Inn''.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: In the book ''Howliday Inn'', Harold is introduced to a member of the kennel's staff. Cue the following lines:
-->'''Harold''' (thinking): Harrison... what a weird name for a person.
-->'''Harrison''' (out loud): "Harold... what a weird name for a dog."

----

* NoodleIncident:
** Chester never lets Harold forget about the thing with the geranium. Or the thing with Mr. Monroe's electric shaver. Though unlike most examples, we DO get some details - Harold apparently ate Mrs. Monroe's favorite geranium, and thought Mr. Monroe's electric shaver was a giant bumblebee that was attacking him, so he grabbed it and threw it in the toilet.
** In ''Howliday Inn'', Chester remarks that he read the other animal's personal files while being held hostage. On the subject of Lyle (another cat who's [[CloudCuckoolander more than a little off-kilter]]), he'll only say Lyle has "had a rough life".

* PredatorTurnedProtector: Chester ultimately becomes much friendlier toward Bunnicula, although he chooses to spin it as protecting Bunnicula against his own dark nature.
* {{Pun}}s: Howie enjoys these. An absolutely dreadful one happens when Chester mistakes "driving a stake through a vampire's heart" with a ''steak'', and winds up pounding some meat on Bunnicula's chest while the rabbit sleeps.

* OnlySaneMan: Harold, the viewpoint character and in-universe narrator. While not very well-read, he certainly has a better grip on reality than Chester, and tries to keep the cat's wild notions in line- emphasis on "Tries". Chester, meanwhile, ''thinks'' he's one of these, but his imagination and cynicism tends to stir things up.

* CloudcuckoolanderWasRight: In ''Howliday Inn'', Chester determinedly thinks something horrible is going to happen, and is proven right when Louise goes missing, believing it to be foul play. While not murder, the poodle did not vanish of her own will.

* HairRaisingHare. Possibly. Certainly Bunnicula scares Chester.
* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: Inverted:

* KillerRabbit: or so Chester assumes

* MeaningfulName: Harold mentions that Chester was named after G. K. Chesteron.

* NoodleIncident: Chester never lets Harold forget about the thing with the geranium. Or the thing with Mr. Monroe's electric shaver. Though unlike most examples, we DO get some details - Harold apparently ate Mrs. Monroe's favorite geranium, and thought Mr. Monroe's electric shaver was a giant bumblebee that was attacking him, so he grabbed it and threw it in the toilet.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Chester sees himself as Van Helsing to Bunnicula's {{Dracula}}, when the truth is a lot more [[DefangedHorrors benign]].

* AffectionateParody: Both series are a parody of horror novels. Also, the ''Fleshcrawler'' books Howie reads are clearly parodies of R.L. Stine's ''Goosebumps''.

* ObliviouslyEvil: So far in the cartoon's first episode, Bunnicula has been shown to be pretty nice but don't really seem to understand how dangerous and wrong his actions are such as raising the dead which he immediately understood when told seeing zombies could have scared Mina.

* ShoutOut:
** Mina is shown watching a cartoon that looks like ''WesternAnimation/{{Breadwinners}}'' at the beginning of "Alligator Tears".
** M.T. Graves and the ''Fleshcrawlers'' series are clearly a reference to R.L. Stine and ''Goosebumps.''

* ShoutOut: Mina is shown watching a cartoon that looks like ''WesternAnimation/{{Breadwinners}}'' at the beginning of "Alligator Tears".

* AnimalSuperhero: Howie is a wire-haired dachshund puppy (and Dean is a sparrow) so Stinky Dog and Little D are an animal superhero and animal sidekick.
* AuthorAvatar: Howie's books star himself and his friend.

In 2016, Creator/WarnerBros. Animation produced a ''Bunnicula'' [[WesternAnimation/{{Bunnicula}} animated series]], adapted fairly loosely from the original novels, which premiered on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Saturday morning block.

In 2016, Creator/WarnerBros. Animation produced a ''Bunnicula'' animated series, adapted fairly loosely from the original novels, which premiered on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Saturday morning block.

In 2016, Warner Bros. Animation produced a ''Bunnicula'' animated series, adapted fairly loosely from the original novels, which premiered on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Saturday morning block.

----

!!Tropes specific to the ''Bunnicula'' 2016 animated series:

* AdaptationalBadass: Bunnicula [[DownplayedTrope to an extent.]] In the books, Bunnicula's vampire traits, apart from his eating habits, were largely an InformedAttribute and left up to the reader's imagination. This show pretty much outright states that Bunnicula is a vampire and suitably gives him some powers such as turning his ears into wings for {{Flight}}, detaching his limbs and having them move on their own, and moderate SuperStrength.
* AdaptationDistillation: Lots to go around, such as the fact that Bunnicula is a real vampire bunny whose ears can transform into bat wings (whereas in the books his vampiric nature is only vaguely implied), but as so far only the first episode has aired, whether it's a bad thing remains to be seen.
* AdaptationDyeJob: In the original books Chester is a tabby cat. Here he's designed to look like a Siamese.
* BadassAdorable: Bunnicula, a vampire rabbit who is usually the one to correct the problems in the episode, all while still looking cute as a button.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The titular Spiderlamb.
* ButtMonkey: Poor, POOR Chester. He's basically this show's [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Squidward Tentacles]].
* TheChosenOne: Mina seems to be this, as when Chester steals her key it awakens a Monkey Mummy who only goes back to sleep after the key is returned to her.ish
* DarkIsNotEvil: Bunnicula is a very mischievous little rabbit and can cause his share of trouble, but it's out of childish innocence and he's usually the one to set it right. He also genuinely loves Mina, Harold and even tolerates Chester.
* {{Flanderization}}[=/=]TookALevelInDumbass: The Harold in this adaptation retains his laid-back nature, but is reduced to nothing more than a bungling, cheery comic relief. That said, [[DogsAreDumb he's not exactly dumb]], just unconcerned about the supernatural goings-on Bunnicula instigates.
* GiantFootOfStomping: In "Spiderlamb", Bunnicula eats a squash to make his foot big enough to [[{{Pun}} squash]] the Spiderlamb. Doesn't work.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Harold and Chester are shown to be this in ''Alligator Tears''.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Chester. Much like his book counterpart, he's a snarky and rude little cat, but he does care about the others.
** Bunnicula really enjoys messing with people with his powers, especially Chester, who is the only one fazed by all of it. But as mentioned, he genuinely cares for the others and is quick to fix his mistakes.
* MonsterOfTheWeek: Many of whom tend to be based on animals.
* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: The episode "Alligator Tears" features a crying Alligator ghost whose tears instill sadness in everyone near her except for Bunnicula, who is immune to it for some reason. But the ghost is not malicious and is merely looking for her missing earring.
* NightmareFace: Bunnicula is prone to these. In the episode "Alligator Tears", Bunnicula is confronted by two raccoons after Chester accidentally rolls away with their trash can. Bunnicula's response? To peel back his skin and reveal his skull. They promptly run for it.
* NightmareFetishist: If it's creepy and weird, you can bet Mina loves it.
* OnlySaneMan: Between Harold's laid-back nature and Bunnicula's mischievousness, Chester is always the voice of reason.
* PerkyGoth: Mina.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Chester being unable to understand Bunnicula sometimes leads to Chester misinterpreting Bunnicula's actions as more malicious than they really are.
* ProperlyParanoid: Chester.
* SarcasmBlind: At one point, Bunnicula makes an idea, to which Chester sarcastically says it's a great idea. When it works, Harold is impressed at how it worked, and Chester angrily says he was being sarcastic. Cue [[KindheartedSimpleton Harold]] asking "What's a sarcasm?"
* ShoutOut: This Bunnicula is adopted by a girl called Mina, named after the protagonist in the original Literature/{{Dracula}} novel.
* SuddenlyVoiced / SpeakingSimlish: Unlike the mute original, this Bunnicula actually talks, but in [[IntelligibleUnintelligible a sort of garbled Latinesque language]] only [[GeniusDitz Harold]] seems to understand.
* TakeThat: The episode ''Alligator Tears'' serves as this to ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Breadwinners}} Breadwinners]].''
* ThoseTwoGuys: Bunnicula and Harold are the Spongebob and Patrick to Chester's Squidward.
* VampiricDraining: Like in the books, Bunnicula eats by draining the fluids from vegetables. Though the show is more overt than the book and different vegetables have different effects on Bunnicula, such as a squash making his foot big.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Bunnicula and Chester. Bunnicula loves to mess with Chester and Chester cannot stand Bunnicula, but the two are capable of working together when needed and genuinely respect each other.
* WeakenedByTheLight: Like most vampires, Bunnicula is nocturnal and hates sunlight.
* WeirdnessMagnet: Chester accuses Bunnicula of being this in the first episode, and the plot is caused by him locking Bunnicula in his tomb in hopes that the monsters would go away... Only to accidentally summon a mummy monkey when he steals Mina's key. This implies that it is actually Mina who is the Magnet, but she just doesn't notice.

* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: The episode "Alligator Tears" features a crying Alligator ghost whose tears instill sadness in everyone near her except for Bunnicula, who is immune to it for some reason.