▁pre gn ant ", ▁and ▁in ▁fact ▁their ▁re product ive ▁rate ▁was ▁exceed ingly ▁slow . ▁A ▁Star f le et ▁scient ist , ▁Edward ▁L ark in , ▁gen et ically ▁engine ered ▁them ▁into ▁their ▁current ▁form , ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁solve ▁a ▁planet ary ▁food ▁short age . ▁The ▁experiment ▁went ▁dis astr ously ▁wrong , ▁resulting ▁in ▁L ark in ' s ▁death , ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁his ▁ship ▁( over run ▁by ▁trib bles ), ▁and ▁the ▁subsequent ▁ev acu ation ▁of ▁the ▁planet ▁they ▁were ▁trying ▁to ▁save . ▁Also , ▁some ▁trib bles ▁managed ▁to ▁reach ▁K ling on ▁space , ▁also ▁with ▁dis astr ous ▁results . ▁ ▁Origin ▁David ▁Ger ro ld ▁has ▁written ▁that ▁his ▁original ▁idea ▁for ▁trib bles ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁well - known ▁parts ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁over pop ulation ▁of ▁rabb its ▁in ▁Australia . ▁ ▁He ▁wanted ▁a ▁creature ▁prop ▁that ▁would ▁be ▁cheap ▁to ▁produce ▁and ▁took ▁insp iration ▁from ▁a ▁ball ▁of ▁p ink ▁f uzz ▁attached ▁to ▁a ▁key ▁ring . ▁ ▁The ▁name ▁for ▁trib bles ▁was ▁originally ▁" f uzz ies ," ▁but ▁to ▁avoid ▁confusion ▁with ▁the ▁H . ▁Be am ▁Pi per ▁novel ▁Little ▁F uz zy , ▁Ger ro ld ▁bra inst orm ed ▁some ▁n ons ense ▁words , ▁arriv ing ▁at ▁" t rib ble ". ▁ ▁Short ly ▁before ▁the ▁episode ▁was ▁produced ▁K ell am ▁de ▁Forest ▁Research ▁pointed ▁out ▁the ▁similar ities