Thumper is a rabbit who is best friends with Bambi and Flower. He first appeared in Bambi.
Background[]
Thumper is a fun-loving rabbit and best friend of Bambi, who tries to help in any way can. He can also be a bit of a smart aleck.
Biography[]
Thumper was born, possibly on August 28,[2] to Papa Bunny and Mama Bunny. He was one of at least nine children, most of whom were sisters. His real name is unknown. What is known is that he was given his nickname from his habit of "thumping," which is when he rapidly stomps his foot against the ground, a habit which he would retain throughout his life.
As a bunny, on either December 22 or sometime in March or April[4], he, his mother, and four of his sisters visited a young doe and her newborn son, Bambi. Thumper quickly became friends with the young fawn while trying to help him learn to walk and talk.
He and Bambi would continue to be friends throughout life. As the older of the pair, Thumper would be a teacher to him. He either taught or attempted to teach him many things, including the difference between birds and butterflies, the difference between butterflies and flowers, what clover is, how to walk and run on ice, and how to be brave.
In addition to his sisters and Bambi, his childhood circle of friends also included Flower and Faline.
As an adult, he fell in love with Miss Bunny. The two became the parents to several daughters and two sons.
He and his daughters later visited Faline and her newborn fawns, Geno and Gurri. His two sons would eventually become close friends of Geno and Gurri, mirroring Thumper's own friendship with their father, Bambi.
Quotes[]
"I'm thumpin'. That's why they call me Thumper."[1]
"The trick is to be scarier than whatever's scaring you."[5]
Relationships[]
Papa Bunny[]
Papa Bunny is Thumper's father. The two seem to have had a generally close relationship, though Papa Bunny was sometimes strict with his son and would chide him for not always remembering and heeding his advice.[6] As a child, Thumper would get very excited whenever he got to spend time with his father and would imagine them going on great adventures together. While Papa Bunny was more work-focused than his playful son, he would still manage to make time for he and his son to have together while also trying to instill his son with a work ethic.[7]
Bambi[]
During their childhood, Thumper was Bambi's self-declared "bestest friend",[5] and the friendship between the two has stood the test of time, continuing into their adulthood. Bambi and Thumper first met shortly after Bambi's birth. Thumper was the elder of the two and took on a teacher role in Bambi's life. He was instrumental in teaching him how to walk and talk, and jump over logs, tell the difference between a bird and a butterfly, and tell the difference between a butterfly and a flower, among other things. The two quickly became best friends as Thumper consistently taught his younger friend new things about the world, which Bambi greatly appreciated.
Thumper was the first one to tell Bambi that there were other deer in the forest besides him and his mother. He also helped explain clover to him and explain to him what ice was.
After Bambi's mother's death, their friendship continued to grow as Thumper provided support for Bambi, encouraging him to actively seek out a strong relationship with his father. He gave him advice on how to build relationships with words of wisdom such as: "Parents like it when you ask them questions." When Bambi revealed his desire to be brave like his father, Thumper and friend, Flower taught the Young Prince how to growl and how to be "scarier than whatever's scaring you."
At some unknown point, Bambi and Thumper apparently fell out of contact with each other, not reuniting until adulthood. Their reunion only lasted a short time as Thumper quickly left Bambi to spend time with Miss Bunny. Despite their relationship not being as close as it once was, the two would still interact occasionally, with Thumper's two sons becoming friends with Bambi's children, Geno and Gurri.
Other relationships[]
- Mama Bunny - Mother
- Trixie - Sister
- Daisy - Sister
- Ria - Sister
- Tessie - Sister
- Milly - Sister
- Frilly - Sister
- Violet - Sister
- Blossom
- Flower - friend
- Friend Owl - Friend
- Faline - Friend
- The Seven Dwarfs - Friends
- Chip 'n' Dale - Friends
- Bongo - Friend
- Lulubelle - Friend
- Dumbo - Friend
- Thumper's mate - Mate
- Thumper's Daughters - Daughters
- Hopper - Son
- Patter - Son
Gallery[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Thumper was created for the 1942 film, Bambi. He seems to have been inspired by Friend Hare from Felix Salten's Bambi: A Life in the Woods. In the 2000's, Thumper would receive his own spin-off series with the Disney Bunnies franchise.
Notes and References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bambi
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Disneystrology associates this day with Thumper, though it is unclear if it supposed to his in-universe birthday or not.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bambi's Children
- ↑ December 22 and March/April are the possible birthdays for Bambi. For more info, see Bambi (Character)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bambi II
- ↑ Thumper's Little Sisters
- ↑ A Day with Papa