History
Hoppy is a pink bunny rabbit who lives in the town of Funny Animalville, along with an assortment of other funny animal characters. As revealed in the origin story from Fawcett's Funny Animals #1, Hoppy is a fan of Captain Marvel. One day he decides to emulate his hero and speaks the magic word "Shazam!" Surprisingly, the magic word transforms Hoppy into Captain Marvel Bunny.
In "Fawcett's Funny Animals" #30 (July 1945), an explanation for Hoppy's powers is revealed. In the story "Hoppy Meets the Wizard Bunny", Hoppy is hit on the head and develops amnesia. The mysterious Wizard Bunny (or Bunny Wizard, both versions are used) is watching, and he flies down to help Hoppy regain his memory. A panel in this story states "Because it was he who bestowed the magic word and power upon Hoppy, the Bunny Wizard flies down to Earth to help Hoppy". Eventually the Wizard gets Hoppy to say "Shazam!" and his memory is restored, along with his abilities. This is the Bunny Wizard's only known appearance.
The word "Shazam!" has a slightly different meaning for Hoppy. According to the E. Nelson Bridwell scripted story, The Oz-Wonderland Wars #2, Captain Marvel Bunny has the wisdom of Salamander, the strength of Hogules, the stamina of Antlers, the power of Zebreus, the courage of Abalone, and the speed of Monkury.
Hoppy's stories occasionally feature his girlfriend Millie, who (like Lois Lane) despises the meek Hoppy but worships the heroic Captain Marvel Bunny. Millie has no idea that Hoppy could become the Marvel Bunny.
Hoppy has very few recurring enemies, with one notable exception. In Fawcett's Funny Animals #22 (1944), Captain Marvel Bunny battles the villainous Storm King, a magical foe responsible for creating storms, who lives on a black storm cloud high in the sky. Hoppy never encounters the Storm King again, but eleven years later he returned to face Charlton Comics' Atomic Mouse in Atomic Mouse Vol. 1 #15 (1955)
Another noteworthy foe appeared in Fawcett's Funny Animals #32 (Oct-Nov 1945). In the lead story of that issue, Hoppy faces Captain Black Bunny, who is based on Captain Marvel's foe Black Adam. Captain Black Bunny wears a black costume similiar to Black Adam's, though the bad bunny wears a cape like Hoppy and instead of a lightning bolt he has a yellow flame on his chest. Captain Black Bunny comes from deep within the earth's core and is aided by a gang of imps.
In Hoppy's first appearance in DC Comics (in DC Comics Presents #34), Hoppy and Millie find themselves magically transported to Earth-S, the home of the Marvel Family in the Pre-Crisis DC Universe. He aids the Marvel Family and Superman against Mr. Mind, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and King Kull. In this story both Hoppy and Millie were depicted as white bunnies, instead of their usual pink.
Hoppy also appears in The Oz-Wonderland Wars #2, where he fights alongide Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew.
Related
- 27 Appearances of Hoppy (Earth-C-Plus)
- 4 Images featuring Hoppy (Earth-C-Plus)
- Quotations by or about Hoppy (Earth-C-Plus)
- Character Gallery: Hoppy (Earth-C-Plus)
Footnotes
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