#max and Ruby

[squidsprinkles]

Max's fed up face is everything to me.

[lovertm]

character keychains, part 4 by winterrkatt

[rosefinchie]

moomin the cat 🤝 max the rabbit

judgmental side-eye

(drawn for @novaandmali paw prints charity risograph zine!!)

[pimmecore]

made some silly memes

[pigeonagere]

Max & Ruby

Season 1 Episode 1 - Ruby's Piano Practice / Max's Bath / Max's Bedtime

[tumblydovereviews]

In Defense of Max and Ruby

Max and Ruby is a Canadian preschool cartoon focusing on the lives of two bunny siblings- seven-year-old Ruby and three-year-old Max. In each episode, hilarity ensues as Ruby attempts to restore order in the house while Max, in his attempts to get the thing that he wants or needs, causes chaos. The show debuted in 2002 and aired new episodes until 2020, albeit with many hiatuses along the way. While the show has been over for over four years now, its reputation has yet to vanish. To this day, people still discuss it, especially in the case of Ruby's treatment of Max.

In order to examine Ruby as a character, we first must get to the root of the issue: where in God's name are their parents?

The reason that we never see the parents in the show (at least until Season 6) is simple: Max and Ruby is a show that encourages kids to solve problems on their own and grow in their independence. Adults serve little-to-no purpose in the grand scheme of things, hence why they never appear. The adult that we see the most in this show, Grandma Bunny, doesn't even live with the kids. Max and Ruby live by themselves the vast majority of the show's run, and as a result, Ruby is forced to act as a parent towards Max, and thus seeks control in her already-hectic life. Yes, she does come off as bossy at times in the way she treat Max, but that's to be expected of a seven year old, especially one who hasn't been properly sat down and taught how to relax a little.

The stereotype against Ruby defenders (Ruby rangers) is that they have a hatred for Max. If anything, I feel bad for Max; a lot of these scenarios that he is forced into could be prevented if he had the ability to speak up for himself. Unfortunately, Max clearly has some sort of developmental disability that limits his ability to function in that regard (some theories suggest Max as being autistic.) The lack of structure in the household also acts as a detriment to both kids. Ruby's rule fluctuate in weird ways. In one episode, she sent Max out to the store by himself to get groceries, yet at the same time he cannot be trusted with scissors and isn't allowed to stay at home alone when Ruby wants to go out.

A quality of Ruby's that I don't think is talked about much is how patient she is with Max. Sure, her ways of managing him aren't always the most thoughtful, but she barely yells at him or shows a excessive amount of negativity in his escapade. Ruby's controlling behavior doesn't come out of malice; it's a coping skill she came up with.

Ruby isn't a narcissist or a brat; she's a kid who hasn't been able to be a kid. Ruby desires control and structure over her life because the world she lives in is so unpredictable that she feels the need to mold things to be her way in order to gain that sense of predictability. Her target? Max. His neurodivergent, nonverbal tendencies lead him to be the perfect "guinea pig" for her.

But, how does this dynamic change when Max does learn how to talk in full, legible sentences?

Well, Max's impulsivity clearly still clashes with Ruby's need for control. However, most of the time, he tends to agree with her thoughts. Max has become so accustomed to following Riby's rule that letting her down is one of his greatest fears. But, simultaneously, he wants to be himself and act is his own, quirkily way. There's a tension of opposites bothering Max, and it shows.

Max and Ruby both need family therapy, clearly. Max may benefit from working with a speech therapist to further expand his vocabulary, or an occupational therapist to help with his impulsivity and expression issues. Ruby needs to be given more choices in her life; it's been proven that giving kids choice helps give them that sense of control without needing to resort to bossy behavior.

And, most of all, the bunny parents need to start parenting. It's great to let kids learn by themselves, but it only works to an extent. I'm not going to learn how to do calculus by making a PB/J sandwich; somebody needs to teach me actively, and the same thing applies to social-emotional learning.

Max and Ruby isn't just about two bunny kids doing cute, bunny things. It's a show about the effects of neglect on a young age. It's a show about growing up neurodivergent and feeling unheard and misunderstood. It's a show about growing up in a world that is ever changing, a world that you yearn to stay the same.

But hey, that's just a theory- a PRESCHOOL SHOW THEORY.

[diospore]

White rabbit named Max?

Same guy.

[mrsarnold]

me if i wad a bunny

[goobersplat]

🧸Flocked Friends 🧸

1. Timpo Toys 1950z Flocked Borzoi Figure

2. Bandai Flocked Gamera Mascot Figure

3. Eden Toys Max and Ruby 1998 Max Toy

4. Shopkins Fuzzy Bun Bun Slipper Special Edition

[babygatinhalove-blog]

🐰🐇 fofo

[darlingdespairstims]

╭─────ೋღ 🧸 ღೋ────╮

Max and Ruby Stimboard

Made for someone in a server with!

Note ; the theme song is fire tbe

🐇-🧸-🐇

🌳-🎀-🌳

🐇-🧸-🐇

╰─────ೋღ 🧸 ღೋ─────╯

[pecuchoo]

[little-pup-pip]

Max and Ruby!!

[sandytrish008]

Happy Easter 2025 my friends! May everybody have a blessed Easter 🐰🥚

[birdthebanana]

For the last few days I've been drawing rabbits. A lot of them. It might not be in time for Easter, but at least the spirit is there!

I've been including mostly characters I thought off the top of my head, but I also got a few suggestions from friends. There's absolutely quite a few big figures missing, but I decided to both keep the franchises varied as well as just... finishing the image, maybe some other time I will draw more iconic and obscure big eared friends!

If you notice a certain bias towards Vibri, that's because I AM biased towards Vibri.

(From 03/04/2024)

[thes-hitoverlord]

The official Nick Jr. Facebook