It's 1984, I'm 8 years old, and my parents have pulled out all the stops for my birthday party. We've got Funyuns, Kool-Aid in every flavor, and a spaceship-shaped cake. But the real surprise is a guy dressed as Bugs Bunny, meant to be the highlight of the day. When he appeared, I felt my excitement turn to dread. This wasn't the Bugs Bunny I knew from TV. The costume was horrifying—matted fur, lopsided eyes, and a creepy smile that sent shivers down my spine. And then he spoke, not in Bugs' cheerful voice, but in a raspy, smoker's growl that reeked of cigarettes. "Happy birthday, kid," he muttered, his breath cutting through the sugary air.
If this sounds familiar to you - you were probably also a kid in the 80s. where Horrifying mascots were everywhere! In fact, I'm pretty sure the reason GenX are the way they are - is mostly due to childhood driven trauma, caused by scenes like these:
