One Of Bob's Burgers Biggest Mysteries Might Soon Have An Answer

With the release of the heavily anticipated "Bob's Burgers Movie" finally upon us, now seems as good a time as ever to dig into the questions that have been plaguing viewers over the series' impressive 12-season run. Several nagging thoughts continue to bewilder fans: What's the deal with Bob's mom? Will Teddy ever find love? And perhaps most perplexing of them all: What drives Louise to don her signature pink bunny ears day in and day out?

As it turns out, there's a pretty good chance we'll finally get an answer to the last of those probing curiosities in "The Bob's Burgers Movie." But what do we know about what drives the youngest of the Belcher kids to accessorize the way she does? We'll discuss fan theories, creator insights, and even a little bit of commentary from Louise's voice actor, Kristen Schaal. After we're done digging into this particular query, it'll be high time to watch the 10 perfect episodes of the beloved series before you head to the theater to catch it this Memorial Day weekend. 

While Louise's reasoning for wearing the pink bunny hat has been a well-kept series secret, the absence of clear-cut answers hasn't stopped fans from putting their own theories forth. A lot has been speculated heavily on the good ol' internet: Is Louise sporting devil horns under there, making her an unassuming manifestation of Satan? Is it a nod from creator Loren Bouchard to the similar hat worn by a troubled kid in "Gummo"? Or is it an overt homage to Matt Groening's original desire to have Marge Simpson sport bunny ears under her enormous hairdo?

Well, according to Bouchard, none of these theories hold much water. In a 2017 interview regarding the release of "The Bob's Burgers Music Album," the creator gave his two cents on Louise's hat, careful not to reveal exactly why she insists on wearing the signature pink ears:

"I will say this — she doesn't have horns. Early on there was a lot of chitter chatter about what's under the hat. My feeling was always there is a head under that hat, it's just a little girl with a hat on. More recently, people have started asking why and I can answer part of it: I like the fact that she seems like the toughest member of the family, but a kid that wears a hat everyday is using a security blanket. She's clearly someone who actually has a lot of vulnerability, so I like that she seems tough but the hat tells you that there is something else there. As to why the pink ears and when exactly she started wearing it, I'm not saying anything."

So, I guess we can definitely rule out Louise sprouting horns from under her bunny ears. But one other fan theory remains the most likely — one that's actually rooted in the show's established family dynamic. It's been a recurring issue that Louise doesn't really relate to her mom, Linda, finding that she has much more in common with her dad. She's expressed interest in one day taking over her father's restaurant; she loves the same material arts film series "Hawk & Chick"; and she even detests that her farts smell more like her mom's than her dad's. But what's the reason for this hangup, exactly?

According to one popular fan theory, Louise wears the hat to distinguish herself from her mother on a genetic level. Out of all the Belcher children, Louise bears the most striking resemblance to her mother — in fact, in a season 3 episode that revolves around a bully stealing her coveted hat, we can even see that the mother and daughter share the same hairstyle. It really could be that it's not enough for Louise to distance herself from her mother in terms of her personality and interests, but in her appearance as well.

Honestly, it would likely be a big, beautiful moment for the film if Louise's resentment for her mother was unpacked and resolved using the show's signature tenderness. Whether or not this ends up being the reason for Louise's boldest of fashion choices, Kristen Schaal promises we'll finally get our answer:

"You're gonna discover the reason why she has the ears, and some things in the movie are going to challenge whether or not she should continue to wear them."