Although the use of anthropomorphic animals in storytelling has been common throughout human history, I would like to give credit where it is due.  The Johnny Rabbit avatar is a successor to a long line of rabbit rascals, including Brer Rabbit, a trickster figure originating in African folklore  and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, where it acquired attributes of similar native American tricksters . Brer, or Brother, Rabbit was popularized in the United States in the stories of Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908). The character’s adventures embody an idea considered to be a universal creation among oppressed peoples—that a small, weak, but ingenious force can overcome a larger, stronger, but dull-witted power

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brer-Rabbit

When I was a child, one of my favorite “funnies” (as we called the newspaper comic strips) was Pogo.  This long running strip, drawn and written by Walt Kelly, did not have a major rabbit character, although a trickster role was played by an alligator, who was sidekick to a philosophical and amiable possum named Pogo.  Although Doc Possum could be compared to Pogo in some regards, Rabbit Reckoning recognizes that we are amateurs compared to the genius of Kelly, and his creations, in using anthropomorphic animals living in a swamp, to comment  on human affairs. I highly encourage readers to explore the world of Pogo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_(comic_strip)