# Origin: "Not a happy bunny..."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-not-a-happy-bunny/134868>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 1, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-not-a-happy-bunny/134868 "2002-11-01T17:33:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-not-a-happy-bunny/134868/1 "2002-11-01T17:33:44Z")

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Watching Junkyard Wars last night, one of the contestants suffered a minor aquatic mishap and was walking ashore. The commentator said, “and he’s not a happy bunny right now”.

I’ve heard the phrase before, but can’t remember if it’s from a children’s story or a dirty joke masquarading as a children’s story or what.

Searching on Google revealed a bunch of people claiming to be happy bunnies or unhappy bunnies but nothing on the origin. Seaching the Master’s columns revealed only a reference to early pregnancy tests.

So what’s the origin of “I’m not a happy bunny” or a phrase something like that.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-not-a-happy-bunny/134868/2 "2002-11-01T18:30:49Z")

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I thought it was, “I’m a sad, sad panda.” 😃

Actually, I thought the phrase was “not a happy camper”. I don’t know the first usage of this, but I think it comes from summer camps where the camp staff try to make the young campers happy all of the time – and in the process become characatures of happiness. When a child isn’t having a good time, he isn’t a “happy camper”. When an adult is said to be “not a happy camper”, I think the implication was that he was being a grumpy child. Through use, the phrase came to mean that someone is upset; possibly without the overtones of childishness.

Of course, this is all just a WAG and I could be completely wrong.