Skip To Content

    These People Tried To Figure Out Where Max And Ruby's Parents Are

    Like, seriously. Where are they?

    If you've ever watched Max & Ruby you've undoubtedly asked yourself: "Where the heck are their parents?"

    The answer may not be immediately clear, but there are theories. Lots and lots of theories. For example:

    1. Many think the parents are dead, and that this urn proves it.

    2. If they are dead, how did they die? Possibly by wolf attack.

    If it were a wolf attack, though, it would lend a hauntingly dark subtext to the episode where the siblings play acted "Little Red Riding Hood."

    3. Another theory posits the killer was much closer to home — Max himself!

    4. It's just as possible Ruby did it — she had a motive, too!

    5. These armchair psychologists go all in on the "Ruby as killer" theory, saying Ruby did it in "some sort of OCD rage."

    6. They also make a strong case that Grandma did it so she could have Max and Ruby all to herself.

    7. Another theory is that the parents killed themselves.

    8. This "the parents are dead" theory may or may not have been dreamed up under the influence:

    9. And then there's this tragic interpretation — falsely attributed to the show's producers — which has made it's way around the 'net.

    10. Not everyone thinks the parents are dead, though. Some point to this family portrait on the wall as proof.

    Of course, it's possible the parents died after that photo was taken, and Max and Ruby have just gone on living alone in the home. This page from the book The Big Picture suggests that may be the case:

    But back to the theories where the parents are still alive...

    11. Some think the parents both have substance abuse problems.

    12. This theory's explanation for the parents' absence is pretty brilliantly simple.

    13. This juicy theory is straight out of a soap opera — Ruby is actually Max's mother!

    14. This theory says the answer has been right before our eyes all this time — It's because they're rabbits and rabbits are self-sufficient a lot sooner than humans.

    15. This last theory isn't a theory at all. It's the actual explanation from the creator of Max & Ruby herself, Rosemary Wells.

    That's interesting and all, Rosemary, but I think I'm going to go with the post-apocalyptic world theory.