The first installment was written by James and Deborah Howe, and introduced a vampire rabbit named Bunnicula who sucks the juice out of vegetables.
[1] After the sudden death of his wife in June 1978, months before the first book saw print, Howe continued the project alone.
Bunnicula is the name of the family's pet rabbit which the Monroes found at a theater during a showing of the film Dracula.
There is also a series called Bunnicula and Friends: Ready to Read, which consists of six picture books about the adventures of the characters from the story.
The titular character is a harmless rabbit with unusual eating habits and minor vampiric qualities.
Toby, a member of the Monroe family, found the rabbit in a theater while the film Dracula was screening.
When the Monroe family returns from their vacation, they reveal that they are adopting the runt of the Dachshund litter, who they name Howie.
He believes that the vegetables that Bunnicula sucks dry could return as the rabbit's vampire slaves to use as an army to take over the town.
They witness Toby and Pete wearing dark robes and holding a group of frightened children prisoner.
[3] Mr. Monroe has a mid-life crisis and wants to do something exciting while he is at his lakeside retreat of Boggy Lake while fishing with Harold, Chester, and Howie.
That night, they go out for a walk, and Dawg leads Harold, Chester, and Howie away from his masters and the Monroes to show them something "neat", getting them lost in the woods.
Chester begins to suspect that Bud and Spud are planning to murder the Monroes and that Dawg is luring them away to keep them from interfering.
Once they reach a house right in the middle of the woods, Chester tells a story about Bunnicula's origin in an attempt to lull Dawg to sleep and allow himself, Harold, and Howie to escape.
While the plan is successful, Harold, Howie, and Chester fall asleep along with Dawg, and awaken shortly before dawn.
[5][6] A stage adaptation based on the books was written by Jon Klein and performed by the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California.
[8] In 2022, Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel, an adaptation of the first book in the series by Andrew Donkin and art by Stephen Gilpin was released.