Research on wikipedia.com shows revealing information about this question. I found that the Red Bull character in The Last Unicorn came before the character representing red bull energy drinks. In fact, wikideia states that The Last Unicorn was a, “fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968.” The novel describes the red bull as the character constantly trying to destroy the unicorn and the makers of Red Bull market the drink as something that gives you energy and longevity but do not promote violence of any kind. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
The book by Peter S. Beagle was written in 1968. The movie was made in 1982. Both are before the energy drink came to market, although the movie is close. Red Bull the energy drink was introduced in 1987. Based on the excerpt from Wikipedia below, I’d say there are no similarities other than the name. ———————————– Red Bull was inspired by an energy drink from Thailand called Krating Daeng. Red Bull is the literal translation of Krating Daeng in Thai. (Krating = Bull, Daeng = Red) The logo of redbull is even the same as logo of Krating Daeng. Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian entrepreneur developed the Red Bull Energy Drink brand. Mateschitz was the international marketing director for Blendax, a toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag. Between 1984 and 1987, Mateschitz worked with TC Pharmaceutical (a Blendax licensee) to adapt Krating Daeng for the European market. At the same time Mateschi