Bunny Boiler
Encyclopedia
Bunny boiler is a pejorative term for an obsessive and dangerous person, referring to a former lover who stalks the person who spurned them. The term is normally used for a woman who stalks
a former male lover or his new female partner.
where a scorned woman (played by Glenn Close
), seeking revenge on her ex-lover (Michael Douglas
), kills his daughter's beloved pet rabbit and places the deceased animal in a pot of boiling water when he is away from home. The scene concludes with the family returning to the house with the daughter in the garden searching for her rabbit, and the mother (Anne Archer
) taking the lid off a boiling over pot to reveal her deceased pet (parts of the scene were cut from syndicated broadcasts.)
Its first known appearance in print was on December 6, 1990, when The Dallas Morning News
reported on a Ladies' Home Journal
interview with Close, referring to her erstwhile character as a "bunny-boiler". The phrase appeared in print with increasing frequency beginning in 1994.
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
a former male lover or his new female partner.
Etymology
The term derives from a scene in the 1987 film Fatal AttractionFatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller blended with horror, directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers around a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking...
where a scorned woman (played by Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
), seeking revenge on her ex-lover (Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
), kills his daughter's beloved pet rabbit and places the deceased animal in a pot of boiling water when he is away from home. The scene concludes with the family returning to the house with the daughter in the garden searching for her rabbit, and the mother (Anne Archer
Anne Archer
Anne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
) taking the lid off a boiling over pot to reveal her deceased pet (parts of the scene were cut from syndicated broadcasts.)
Its first known appearance in print was on December 6, 1990, when The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
reported on a Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
interview with Close, referring to her erstwhile character as a "bunny-boiler". The phrase appeared in print with increasing frequency beginning in 1994.
Uses in popular culture
- In the British detective TV series The Last DetectiveThe Last DetectiveThe Last Detective is an ITV drama starring Peter Davison as Dangerous Davies. The first series aired in 2003 with three more seasons succeeding this...
(season 1, episode 3, "Tricia"), the obsessive supposed-victim, Tricia Lloyd, is referred to as a "bunny boiler." - 'Bunny Boiler' is also the name of one of the characters on the UK television show Balls of SteelBalls of Steel (TV series)Balls of Steel is a Channel 4 comedy series developed by Objective Productions and hosted by Mark Dolan, his special guests would perform stunts and hold their nerve during hidden camera set-ups in the presence of celebrities or the British public....
, played by Thaila ZucchiThaila ZucchiThaila Lucia Zucchi is a British singer and actress, trained at The Arts Educational School, London. She began her career as a member of the British band allSTARS* before transitioning into acting, appearing in Big Brother 8 in the UK, where she played the part of fake Australian housemate...
. - The scene from Fatal AttractionFatal AttractionFatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller blended with horror, directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers around a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking...
where Glenn Close boils the rabbit was parodied in the last episode of the second series of the UK television show SpacedSpacedSpaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
, in which the collectible Fisher Price Freddy TeddyFreddy TeddyFreddy Teddy is a children's teddy bear which was manufactured by Fisher-Price between 1975 and 1982. The Fisher-Price model number is 418.Freddy bears are orange in colour with contrasting fur in beige...
bear played the role of the bunny. - In the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Chef AidChef Aid"Chef Aid" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the animated television series South Park, 27th episode of the series overall. "Chef Aid" originally aired in the United States on October 7, 1998 on Comedy Central...
", Mr. GarrisonHerbert GarrisonMr. Herbert Garrison is a recurring character in the American animated television series South Park. He is voiced by Trey Parker. For the first eight seasons of the series, the character was known as Mr. Garrison but underwent sex reassignment surgery in the season 9 episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy...
finds Mr. Twig in a pot being boiled, in the same way as the bunny in Fatal Attraction. The act was done by the recently returned Mr. Hat. - In the SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
season four episode "Pariah," Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
says the police are interested in Alicia in a "bunny-boiler" sort of way. - The Only Fools & Horses Christmas special episode "Fatal ExtractionFatal Extraction"Fatal Extraction" is the twelfth Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1993.-Synopsis:...
" is a parody of the film, including a direct take-off of the bunny boiling scene. Instead of a rabbit, however, Del BoyDel BoyDerek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
discovers that Uncle AlbertUncle AlbertAlbert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
is 'boiling his pants again'. - In UK TV series SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
, season 2, the character SketchSketch (Skins character)Lucy is a fictional character in British teen drama series Skins. She is portrayed by Aimee-Ffion Edwards.-Characterization:Sketch is portrayed as an obsessive and somewhat delusional Welsh girl...
is referred to as a "bunny boiler". - An episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, where Will has to deal with a controlling woman, says "I tell you man, if we owned a rabbit, the dude would be on the stove by now."
- A 1988 issue of MAD Magazine had a Mort Drucker spoof of Fatal Attraction, showing a cartoonized Anne ArcherAnne ArcherAnne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
shocked over a dead Bugs BunnyBugs BunnyBugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
on the stove and a dog thinking "What's this dame (Glenn CloseGlenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
) got against rabbits? The first one she killed was during her pregnancy testRabbit testThe rabbit test was an early pregnancy test developed in 1927 by Bernhard Zondek and Selmar Aschheim. The original test actually used mice. The test consisted of injecting the tested woman's urine into a female rabbit, then examining the rabbit's ovaries a few days later, which would change in...
!" - In Emily Giffin'sEmily GiffinEmily Giffin is an American author of several novels commonly categorized as chick lit.- Early life :Emily Giffin was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 20, 1972. She attended high school in Naperville, Illinois , where she was a member of a creative writing club and served as editor-in-chief...
novel "Something Borrowed," Rachel tells Ethan about an argument she had with her lover Dex (who is engaged to her best friend Darcy), after she finds out Dex had sex with Darcy earlier in the day. Ethan responds, "Aah. The bunny-in-the-pot-routine." - In NCISNCIS (TV series)NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
episode "Frame-Up", whilst going through suspects who would frame agent Anthony DiNozzoAnthony DiNozzoAnthony "Tony" D. DiNozzo Jr. is a fictional character from the CBS TV series NCIS. He is portrayed by Michael Weatherly.-Background:Tony comes from a wealthy family from Long Island, New York. He is an only child, but has been cut off from his family's fortune. His mother, maiden name Paddington,...
for murder, McGeeTimothy McGeeTimothy "Tim" McGee is a fictional character from the CBS television series NCIS. He is portrayed by Sean Murray. Timothy McGee is a special agent investigating crime in this police procedural show...
brings up a woman who posted his picture on a herpes alert website. AbbyAbby SciutoAbigail "Abby" Sciuto is a fictional character from the NCIS television series by CBS Television, and is portrayed by Pauley Perrette. Like Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo and Donald Mallard, Abby was first introduced in the episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" in the television show JAG, and has...
states, "She so went Fatal Attraction on you," to which Tony replies: "Boiled the bunny." - In Paul Howard's novels about the South Dublin elite, the main character Ross O'Carroll-KellyRoss O'Carroll-KellyRoss O'Carroll-Kelly is a fictional wealthy "D4" rugby union player created by journalist Paul Howard.The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the Sunday Tribune newspaper and later transferred to The Irish Times...
frequently refers to any woman that is not gone by breakfast after a one night stand, as being a bunny boiler. - In an episode of River CityRiver CityRiver City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...
, "Ruth" was called it by the daughter of the man she was supposed to have the boiling towards. - The Norwegian rap group Klovner i KampKlovner I KampKlovner I Kamp is a Norwegian hip-hop group. Formed in 1994, at the time as a duo with Ali and Dr. S . Shortly after the band got a new member, "Dane" or "Danish" . Klovner I Kamp had this trio for several years, but in 2000, Finger'n or Goldfinger joined as the last and fourth man on the team...
has a song called "Kaninkoker" which translates to bunny boiler. - In a 2010 episode of the American soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, the jealous ex-girlfriend Dr. Lisa NilesLisa NilesDr. Lisa Niles is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character first appeared in November 2009 being portrayed by actress, Julie Mond on contract status. However, just a month after Mond debuted on the show, ABC announced that Lisa would be recast with actress...
leaves a child's stuffed rabbit boiling in a Bunsen burnerBunsen burnerA Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion.- Operation:...
for the child's mother to find. - In an episode of the British soap opera Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, broadcast on the 15th October 2010, Fiz BrownFiz BrownFiona "Fiz" Stape is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jennie McAlpine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 April 2001. Initially appearing for five episodes, McAlpine's contract was soon extended and Fiz became a regular character...
talks about Julie CarpJulie CarpJulie Carp is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actress Katy Cavanagh...
as a bunny boiler. - The Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
character Charlotte HoyleCharlotte HoyleCharlotte Hoyle is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 9 April 2010 and departed on 10 December 2010 after being murdered by John Stape...
is considered a bunny boiler. - In episode 3 of series 1 of Green WingGreen WingGreen Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
, Martin says that Guy places dead rats around his house to get rid of bunny boilers. - In FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
Phoebe makes fun of Ross's girlfriend by asking, "How are things going with Crazy? She cooked your rabbit yet?" - In the television show Necessary RoughnessNecessary RoughnessNecessary Roughness may refer to:* Necessary Roughness , starring Scott Bakula and Sinbad* Necessary Roughness , by author Marie G. Lee* Necessary Roughness , released by The Lady of Rage...
when TK returns home to find his stalker in his bathroom he calls the team's head of security and yells into the phone, "She came to boil my bunny!"
See also
- Narcissistic personality disorderNarcissistic personality disorderNarcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
- Borderline personality disorderBorderline personality disorderBorderline personality disorder is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person , characterized by depth and variability of moods.The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the...
- Psychopathic personality