Herky Jerky Drunken Rube Rabbit by Mattel!

Submitted by Douglas Wood August 20th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner

I wish all of you could see how this pathetic “Rube Rhythm Rabbit” looks when you turn the knob on this vintage 1950’s Mattel toy music box. The steel rod that’s up his ass moves up and down, causing the lifeless bunny to bend his limp legs and flap his limp arms, groin thrust forward. It’s truly one of the most perverse kids’ toy I’ve ever seen and his clueless, drunken expression only makes it funnier. He’s a rube, yes, but rhythm? Not so much.

16 Responses to “Herky Jerky Drunken Rube Rabbit by Mattel!”

  1. Allee Willis

    This is my kind of toy!! It’s so amazingly out there, that poor little limp rabbit who looks like his limbs are made out of taffy. And he has rhythm no less! I love the patriotic colors on the box itself which has nothing at all to do with the rabbit himself. I really love the rabbits gonormous feet. I wonder why he only merited pipe cleaner ears?

    • Douglas Wood

      Good point about the pipe cleaner ears. I hadn’t thought about it until you mentioned it, but I now have a sneaking suspicion that the rabbit at one point had cloth ears that probably got ripped off and someone just added the pipe cleaners.

    • Douglas Wood

      Actually it was a present from my wife who (rightfully) knew I would love it. Believe it or not, it was an anniversary present– romantic, huh? It was for our “wood” anniversary and she felt it qualified as wood because of the fake wood platform and the little wood tip of the crank/handle (which I gave her a hard time about.)

        • Douglas Wood

          Thank you– re: taste and my wife: she loves John Waters and once taught a Film course at the Art Center School of Design on appreciating bad movies, so she’s one of us. She’s also from Detroit (or rather the suburbs) and loved your recent article– she knew a lot of the references. (I still have to read it– been hoping for a chunk of time when I won’t be interrupted.)

            • Douglas Wood

              She’s from Bloomfield Hills. Her favorite bad movie is CREEPING TERROR. She likes pretty much the same bad movies as I– I know I mentioned a bunch of them to you on one of our posts, but can’t remember which one.

              By the way, I did check out POINT OF TERROR based on your recommendation and it was absolutely as awful as you described, but I’m pissed because the bootlegged version I got started with the film already in progress so I missed the opening scene, which, you mentioned was to die for. I did, however, LOVE the scene at the pool where the rich socialite does bull-fighting moves while trying to kill her drunk husband who’s in a wheelchair. Doesn’t get much better than that!

              • Allee Willis

                The Creeping Terror was one of the earliest films I saw that made me WILD about bad movies. It’s perfect in every way.

                I can’t believe that you missed the opening of Point of Terror. Do you remember what scene it started on? Did he walk up to the gal on the beach? Maybe it was just missing the titles (one of the high points of the film)?

                • Douglas Wood

                  Yeah, I think you might be right– I think I just missed the titles. There was no beach scene– the first scene on my DVD is of the the guy coming out and doing his lounge act on that incredibly cheesy set. I wish I could remember the name of the club– it was something great like maybe, “The Lobster House.” I’m going to have to track down another copy so I can see the title sequence.

                  By the way– do you remember the flashback sequence where someone is chasing the leading character when he was a kid? It’s the most ludicrously long chase sequence EVER with absolutely no tension at all, scored with mind-numbing music. It goes on and on and on and on and on until it becomes downright avante garde, like bad performance art.

  3. k2dtw

    He’s great….love his suspender…
    It sounds like some of Buddy Ebsen’s dance moves….smile

  4. Douglas Wood

    Yes, maybe Buddy Ebsen when he was breaking out in an allergic reaction to his Tin Woodsman make-up and had to forfeit the role to Jack Haley Jr!