The jackalope is a mythical animal hybrid of North American folklore. The animals are described as a hare/jackrabbit with antelope horns or, more commonly, deer-like antlers.
Legends of horned rabbits date as far back as the Huichol myth, where they were described as mysterious creatures that gave the deer their horns.
The creation of the jackalope is credited to Douglas Herrick of Douglas, Wyoming. It is believed that after he returned from a successful rabbit hunt, he entered a taxidermy shop and happened to set the carcasses down beside a pair of antlers, which gave him the idea to create a fake, joke mount of a rabbit head with deer antlers, which sold for ten dollars.
But the idea of a horned rabbit spiraled out of control, they became a popular urban legend and an example of a Fearsome Critter, where they were described as virile, but hostile creatures that could mimic human voices and sing along in campfire songs. They would attack humans by goring their legs with their antlers, causing lumberjacks to wear stovepipes on their legs as protection. The legend stated the only way to calm an angry jackalope was to offer it whiskey to drink.
Research suggests that at least some of the tales of horned hares were inspired by sightings of rabbits infected with the Shope papillomavirus.
In popular culture[]
One very well known depiction of the jackalope in pop culture is the 2004 Pixar short directed by Bud Luckey, Boundin'.
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