Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' and ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

. He is an adversary of

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

. He is commonly depicted as an extremely aggressive, gunslinging

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill th ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

with a hair-trigger temper and an intense hatred of rabbits, Bugs in particular. In cartoons with non-Western themes, he uses various aliases, including "Chilkoot Sam" (named for the Chilkoot Trail; Sam pronounces it "Chilli-koot") and "Square-deal Sam" in '' 14 Carrot Rabbit'', "Riff Raff Sam" in ''

Sahara Hare ''Sahara Hare'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 26, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Plot This is another classic battle between Bugs Bunny an ...

'', "Sam Schultz" in '' Big House Bunny'', "Seagoin' Sam" in '' Buccaneer Bunny'', "Shanghai Sam" in '' Mutiny on the Bunny'', "Von Schamm the Hessian" in ''

Bunker Hill Bunny ''Bunker Hill Bunny'' is a 1950 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on September 23, 1950 and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam as a Hessian mercen ...

'', "Baron Sam von Schpamm" in '' Dumb Patrol'', and

many others Many may refer to: * grammatically plural in number *an English quantifier used with count nouns indicating a large but indefinite number of; at any rate, more than a few ;Place names * Many, Moselle, a commune of the Moselle department in Franc ...

. During the

golden age of American animation The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the ...

, Yosemite Sam appeared in 33 shorts made between 1945 and 1964.

History

Animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...

introduced the character in the 1945 cartoon ''

Hare Trigger ''Hare Trigger'' is a 1945 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 5, 1945, and features Bugs Bunny. The short featured the first appearance of Yosemite Sam, as well as the first short to credit (alm ...

''. With his grumpy demeanor, fiery temper, strident voice, and short stature (in two early gags in ''Hare Trigger'', a train he is attempting to rob passes right over top of him and he has to use a set of portable stairs to get on his horse; in '' Bugs Bunny Rides Again'', he rides a miniature horse), along with his fiery red hair, Sam was in some ways a caricature of Freleng. While he often denied any intentional resemblance, in the '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection'', surviving members of his production crew assert, and the late director's daughter acknowledges, that Sam definitely was inspired by Freleng. Freleng himself even said in an interview with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

that "I have the same temperament, I'm small, and I used to have a red mustache." Other influences were the

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

character Sheriff Deadeye and the

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

cartoon '' Dangerous Dan McFoo''. When he does a "slow burn" and cries "Oooooh!" he borrows a bit from such comedic character actors as

Jimmy Finlayson James Henderson Finlayson (27 August 1887 – 9 October 1953) was a Scottish actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is known for his squinting, outraged ...

(a frequent foil to

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

) and Frank Nelson (one of Mel Blanc's costars on '' The Jack Benny Program''). Freleng also cited the Terrible-Tempered Mr. Bang, a character in the ''

Toonerville Trolley Toonerville may refer to: * Toonerville Folks ''Toonerville Folks'' ( ''The Toonerville Trolley That Meets All the Trains'') was a popular newspaper cartoon feature by Fontaine Fox, which ran from 1908 to 1955. It began in 1908 in the ''Chicago ...

'' comic strip, as an influence. In his memoir '' Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist'', Chuck Jones says that a great-uncle who occasionally visited his family was a retired

Texas Ranger Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

who was short, had

red hair Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

, a large mustache, and a hair-trigger temper (but no beard, unlike Sam).

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...

originally considered calling the character Texas Tiny, Wyoming Willie, or Denver Dan, but then settled on the final name. 20th Intelligence Squadron

Other characters with Sam-like features appear in several ''Looney Tunes'' shorts. The Bugs Bunny entry ''

Super-Rabbit ''Super-Rabbit'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon starring Bugs Bunny. The cartoon is a parody of the popular comic book and radio character Superman by DC. ''Super-Rabbit'' was the 16th Bugs Bunny entry, and the 47th directed by Chuck Jones. ...

'' (1943) features the cowboy character "Cottontail Smith", whose voice is similar to Sam's. ''

Stage Door Cartoon ''Stage Door Cartoon'' is a 1944 '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Plot Elmer Fudd attempts to catch Bugs Bunny with a carrot on a fish h ...

'' (1944), however, features a southern sheriff character that looks and sounds similar to Sam, except for a more defined Southern stereotype to his voice. In a

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

cartoon called '' Along Came Daffy'' (1947), Daffy has to contend with ''two'' Yosemite Sams, one with Sam's red hair and one with black hair. Finally, ''Pancho's Hideaway'' (1964) features a Mexican villain who is designed much like Sam but has a different accent. In addition, in the 1949

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

-directed cartoon ''

Mississippi Hare ''Mississippi Hare'' is a 1949 ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on February 26, 1949, and features Bugs Bunny. Plot Bugs Bunny, asleep in a cotton field, is picked up ...

'', Bugs Bunny battles with an old, pistol-toting gambler called

Colonel Shuffle Colonel Shuffle is a fictional character in the ''Looney Tunes'' stable, based in the Southern United States. History He has been shown as fiercely loyal to this region and deeply offended by anything that he feels reminds him of the Northern Uni ...

, one whose role could have easily been portrayed by Sam. (The Colonel reappears in "Dog Gone South", this time pitted against

Charlie Dog Charlie Dog (also known as Rover, Charlie, and sometimes Charles the Dog) is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers ''Looney Tunes'' series of cartoons. The character was featured in nine cartoons between 1941 and 1958. Development ...

, and accompanied by a bulldog named Belvedere, who resembles Hector the Bulldog). Freleng created Yosemite Sam to be a more formidable adversary for Bugs Bunny. Until then, Bugs's major foe had been

Elmer Fudd Elmer J.'' Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon panthe ...

, a man so mild-mannered and good-natured that Freleng thought Bugs actually came off as a bully by duping him. Sam, on the other hand, was extremely violent and belligerent, not at all a pushover like Fudd. Freleng compacted into a tiny body and 11-gallon hat the largest voice and the largest ego "north, south, east, aaaaand west of the Pecos". For over 19 years, except for one cartoon (''

Hare-Abian Nights ''Hare-abian Nights'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Ken Harris of Chuck Jones' unit. The short was released on February 28, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny. The cartoon was animated by Harris and Ben Washam and recycles ...

'' in 1959) Freleng's unit had exclusive usage of Sam at the Warner studio. Though officially a

, Freleng put Sam in a different costume in almost every film: a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republ ...

, a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, a royal

cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

, a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

guard, a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

(Duke of Yosemite, no less), a Hessian mercenary, a Confederate soldier, a mountain climber (climbing the 'Shmadderhorn' mountain in Switzerland), a hen-pecked house husband and even a space alien. The humor of the cartoons inevitably springs from the odd miscasting of the hot-tempered cowboy. However, some countries seem to prefer his pirate incarnation, as "Sam the Pirate" is his official name in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and a frequent alternative name in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. While Sam's basic character is that of a cowboy, he usually wears a black Domino mask (or just a wide black outline on the outer sides of his eyes) to show that he is an outlaw. This is so associated with his persona that he wears the mask even when dressed as a duke, a riff, a pirate, or a Viking. Sam is significantly tougher and more aggressive than Elmer Fudd when challenging Bugs Bunny. He is also quicker to learn from his mistakes and never falls for the same ploy twice. But despite Sam's bluster, he does not prove much brighter than Elmer in his encounters with Bugs. His noise contrasts to the calmly cocky rabbit. Sam's own cockiness always gets the best of him; Bugs can see he is incapable of turning down a challenge. Every time Bugs dares Sam to "step across that line", he cannot help but do so, even if he steps off into empty space or down a mine shaft. Yosemite Sam was depicted without six-gun pistols in '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' on the streaming service,

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

. The series'

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

and

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

Peter Browngardt Peter Browngardt is an American animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, writer and producer currently working as executive producer and creative director behind ''Looney Tunes Cartoons''. He is perhaps best known for being the creator of Carto ...

, said the character could still continue to use cartoon violence, such as

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...

and

Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ακμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fictional ...

-related paraphernalia. However, this change appears to have been reversed, as he is once again depicted using his pistols in '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021).

Personality

Yosemite Sam is one of Bugs's toughest antagonists, proudly calling himself the meanest, toughest hombre in the West. Yosemite Sam is a character more aggressive than Bugs's other regular antagonist,

, given that Sam has a tougher accent, a higher, fiercer voice, and a more violent spirit, although he is portrayed as a bumbling fool in most of his appearances. Yosemite Sam has had several occupations in his life that Bugs has gotten in the way of. Among his occupations are: *

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

Soldier: In '' Southern Fried Rabbit'', Sam is a Confederate soldier who attempts to prevent Bugs from crossing the Mason–Dixon line. The skit does not take place in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. In fact, Bugs tells Sam the war ended over 90 years ago. Sam insists, "I'm no clock-watcher!" and refuses to leave his post unless he receives orders from

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

. The gag was likely inspired by the actual discovery of Japanese soldiers still manning their posts, long after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

had ended. *

Prison Guard A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have bee ...

: In '' Big House Bunny'', Yosemite Sam arrests and imprisons Bugs for a false accusation (escaping prison) and gives him 99 years in jail. However, he gets infuriated and lets Bugs out of prison after Bugs annoys him including briefly getting Sam beaten up and locked up in jail himself. However, when letting Bugs out, he is jailed by the

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

(who gets infuriated with the antics that causes Bugs to get Yosemite Sam in trouble with him) for Bugs' doings and for letting a prisoner (Bugs) escape. Yosemite Sam then vows to get even with the stool pigeon who squealed on him. It then cuts to Bugs on a stool making the sounds of a pigeon. *

Pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

: In '' Buccaneer Bunny'', Yosemite Sam is known as "Sea-Goin' Sam", who is trying to bury his treasure, only for Bugs Bunny to foil his attempt. In ''

Captain Hareblower ''Captain Hareblower'' is a 1954 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on January 16, 1954, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. This is the third ...

'', Yosemite Sam is a pirate captain who is able to intimidate and scare sailors and other pirates. Captain Sam encounters a trading ship led by Bugs Bunny and decides to take it for himself. With all of Bugs' fellow sailors too cowardly to face Sam or have drowned in the ocean, Bugs challenges Sam to a fight. Captain Sam and Bugs Bunny battle each other's ships with Bugs on the verge of winning. The battle ends up with Sam being forced to abandon ship to escape an inevitable explosion on his own pirate ship. Captain Yosemite Sam then unknowingly triumphs over Bugs by lighting Bugs' "powder room" (filled with make-up, not gunpowder) into exploding and escaping by himself, but not before giving a warning for Bugs to get the match (an order Bugs Bunny does not follow, believing that ''" Talcum powder doesn't explode."''). And in ''

From Hare to Eternity ''From Hare to Eternity'' is a 1997 Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, directed by Chuck Jones (in his last role as director and his only role as director of a Bugs Bunny short since '' Transylvania 6-5000'' in 1963, a ...

'', Sam, a.k.a. "Buccaneer Sam", tries to find treasure, only to find Bugs Bunny protecting it. * Riff-Raffer/

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

: In ''

'', Yosemite Sam is a proud intimidating North African version of a cowboy: a Riff-Raffer who owns the Sahara Desert. When Bugs ends up in the desert when trying to find

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

, he sees the rabbit trespassing and chases him into a deserted castle. Yosemite Sam sees Bugs using the castle for protection and tries several unsuccessful attempts at breaking into the castle, eventually ending with Bugs escaping after causing a booby trap that Sam falls for: an armed bomb-coated door that will explode if Sam opens the door to the castle. * Guard Captain: In ''

Roman Legion-Hare Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

'', Yosemite Sam is the captain of the Roman Imperial Guard, and he is ordered by Grand Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

to find a victim for the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

s at once, or else he will be their prey. He then heads out to look for a victim with a small band of

Imperial Guards An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

when Bugs shows up. When asked if it was a convention of the legion, Sam replies he's looking for victims to feed the lions and is shocked to learn that no other victimssave Bugsare present. He then chases the crafty cottontail into the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world ...

, where the lions await. Try as he might to keep the big cats quiet, they always tear his golden armor to shreds or ruffle the fuzz on his helmet. And when he does present Bugs to Nero, the lions surge directly toward them, leaving Bugs unscathed. *

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

: In '' Prince Violent'', Sam is a Viking grunt who attempts to raid the archduchy castle, which happens to be under Bugs Bunny's protection. Bugs teasingly tells him that it's too early for

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

and then kicks Sam out of the castle. He even hires an Asian elephant to first ram what Sam thinks to be a door, but it is really a painting imitating a door, so the elephant is reduced to the shape of an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

- before smashing his master into the same shape. Next, the elephant tries to demolish the castle walls with large boulders, but Bugs still remains persistent in defending the castle by sprinkling pepper over the elephant's trunk, which causes the pachyderm to sneeze and launch a bolder into Sam. Next, Bugs signals for the bridge to lower, at which point, the elephant charges onto it with Sam riding, but the elephant's weight proves to be too much for the bridge. Next, he suggests attacking the castle from the rear, but Bugs (defensive as always) cleverly places a champagne cork in the elephant's trunk, causing him to swim back to land in his struggle to breathe, leaving Sam in the water. This drives Sam to permanently evict the elephant, chasing him away: "''AND DON'T COME BACK!!!!!'' I'll handle that Prince Varmint myself!". His attempts to raid the castle are cut short when the same elephant joins Bugs in kicking him out of the kingdom for good. *

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

: In ''

Horse Hare ''Horse Hare'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 13, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. It was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon released in the 1960s. Plot In 188 ...

'', Yosemite Sam is the chief of an Indian tribe during the Indian-American wars in 1886. One day, Yosemite Sam sees a USA fort and decides to steal it for his tribe. He sees that Sergeant Bugs Bunny is guarding the fort and challenges him to war. Chief Sam has his men attack through various means such as launching himself into the fort, firing guns, etcetera, but Sam is put on probation when he is accused of firing at one of his soldiers (it was actually Bugs). Eventually, the USA cavalry returns, and it helps Bugs defeat Sam and his army of Indians. * Hessian soldier in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

: In ''

'', Yosemite Sam is Sam von Schamm, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

soldier defending a fort who attacks Bugs Bunny's fort. After being defeated, he concedes "I'm a Hessian without no aggression." * German Pilot: In '' Dumb Patrol'', Yosemite Sam is Baron Sam Von Schpamm, a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as ...

pilot who tries to shoot down Bugs Bunny, but who fails and ends up as a Hell's Angel. * Duke: In ''

From Hare to Heir ''From Hare to Heir'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoon short directed and written by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 3, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Plot In Bedlam Manor, Sam, Duke o ...

'', Yosemite Sam is the Duke of Yosemite. Bugs arrives at Sam's door with the promise to give him a million pounds if Sam keeps his temper. Bugs makes requests, annoys Sam at night, and stays in the bathroom in the morning, prompting Sam to lose his temper and shout unintelligible gibberish, cutting pounds off the offer in the process. When Sam comes up to Bugs saying that he does not get mad anymore, and has his assistants kick him in the rear end, throw a pie in his face and hit him on the head with a rolling pin to prove this, Bugs says "I haven't got the heart to tell him he's used up all the money." * Legendary Mountain Climber: A legendary mountain climber in ''

Piker's Peak ''Piker's Peak'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 25, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny. The title is a pun on Pike's Peak, although that respected mountain summit is in North ...

'', Sam hears of a contest where whoever hikes up and reaches the deadly highest mountain in the world, will receive money equaled to trillions of dollars in today's money; 50,000 Cronkites (named after television host

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...

). ("Cronkite" is also a jest on "Klondike", the location of a great Gold Rush.) Yosemite Sam takes up the contest, and he decides to climb up the mountain which is based on Pike's Peak. However, when he reaches the basecamp at thousands of feet, he encounters Bugs Bunny, who hears about the contest, too. With both of them wanting the prize, Yosemite Sam then must race and defeat Bugs along the way up to Piker's Peak to get the money. *

: In ''

Wild and Woolly Hare ''Wild and Woolly Hare'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 1, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Plot The short opens in the town of Canasta Flats in 1889 ...

'', Yosemite Sam is a legendary cowboy gangster who dominates much of the wild west through intimidation. One day, he comes to take over a cafe in an Old Western town and is insulted by Bugs Bunny. Angered by the insult, Yosemite Sam challenges Bugs Bunny to a fight to the death. With Bugs on the verge of winning through trickery and deception, Yosemite Sam decides to try one last time to intimidate the town; to rob a train. But Bugs Bunny hijacks the train to save it. Yosemite Sam tries to follow it by horse and orders Bugs to get off by the time he counts to a specific number. However, just before he reaches his final number, he always runs into some form of large obstacle, like a telephone pole or a tunnel wall and then falls off a bridge. A frustrated Yosemite Sam tries to get on another train and force Bugs to surrender by preparing to ram head-on into Bugs' train. However, Bugs foils him by switching the railroad tracks causing Sam's train engine to crash hundreds of feet into a gorge's river. *

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

: In ''

Lighter Than Hare ''Lighter Than Hare'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short written and directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 17, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny. The title is a play on the phrase ''lighter than air''. It was ...

'', Yosemite Sam of Outer Space is an alien from a foreign planet. Inside a

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has ...

spaceship, Yosemite Sam reveals his mission to find an earth creature to take back to his planet for uses such as slaves, producing on their planet Etcetera. Yosemite Sam detects Bugs Bunny and has his army of robots to attack Bugs' hideout. After a long struggle, Yosemite Sam's robots are blown to pieces. Finally, an exasperated Yosemite Sam uses an incinerating laser cannon to threaten Bugs into surrendering and boarding his space ship. Yosemite Sam then flies out of earth to his planet, unaware that he has actually captured a decoy of Bugs filled with bombs. When Yosemite Sam presents the dummy to his leader, the bombs explode. *

Sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

: In ''

Rabbitson Crusoe ''Rabbitson Crusoe'' is a 1956 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 28, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny. The name and part of the story is a direct parody of ''Robinson Crusoe''. A shark characte ...

'', Yosemite Sam is a sailor whose boat is irreparably damaged, and lives as a

castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade captors or the world in general. A person may also be left as ...

. ("A low tide and a high rock caused my predicament.") Yosemite Sam jumps across rocks to a deserted island and spends many years there being targeted as a meal by a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

named Dopey Dick. After some time, Yosemite Sam grows tired of eating coconuts and finds Bugs Bunny. He decides to cook up Bugs for dinner. After a long battle, eventually, the island is reclaimed by the seas and Yosemite Sam ends up being chased by Dopey Dick. Yosemite Sam is then forced to make a deal with Bugs where Bugs will not let Dopey Dick eat Sam and take Yosemite in his boat (the cooking pot) back to civilization ... but only if Yosemite Sam is the one that does all the work in paddling 2,736 miles to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, California, USA. *

Chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...

: In '' Shishkabugs'', Yosemite Sam has one of his rare performances where his goal is not for evil purposes and where he is not the aggressor. In this episode, Sam is a very kind, generous chef for a very rude, spoiled

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

who has Sam enslaved through blackmail. One day, Sam makes the king a usual buffet only for the King to rudely kick it away and demand something new. "Every day, it's the same thing: ''variety''!" he complains. "I want something different!" That something new is Hasenpfeffer whose base is cooked

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

. Sam captures Bugs and puts Bugs in the meal, but Bugs outsmarts Sam twice and the King blames it all on Sam. Eventually, the King loses his patience and has guards arrest Sam and installs Bugs as his new chef. The King claims to have set up Sam's death. But since Sam is seen alive in more episodes, it is presumed that either he was found not guilty by the kingdom court, the citizens demanded Sam's release, or Sam escaped. *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

: In ''

Knighty Knight Bugs ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, The short was released on August 23, 1958, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win an ...

'', Sam is the Black Knight and has stolen the Singing Sword.

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

hires

court jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

Bugs Bunny to retrieve the sword. After retrieving it, Bugs escapes Sam and manages to lock Sam out of his castle. Sam attempts to break back in, but each attempt backfires. Eventually, Bugs leads Sam and his fire-breathing

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

into the

storage facility. The dragon sneezes, blowing the two of them to the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. * Trolley Conductor: In '' Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'', Sam drives a trolley in

. The trolley is hijacked by Sylvester, who is hoping to use it to chase Tweety. Instead, he breaks the throttle which is used as a brake, rendering the trolley out of control. It speeds all over San Francisco, ending up on

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

. During this, Sam attests to Sylvester's idiocy, eventually chasing Sylvester all over Alcatraz with his hat. He also chases Sylvester on a train to Las Vegas, only to be locked on another train heading out of the city.

Later years

Yosemite Sam made appearances in several television specials in the 1970s and 1980s, and in three of the ''Looney Tunes'' feature-film compilations. Sam was the star of his own

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series from 1970 to 1984, for a total of 81 issues. Published by Gold Key / Whitman Comics, the official title of the series was ''Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny''. Yosemite Sam was the main basis for the character of The Grump from DePatie-Freleng Enterprises's TV series ''

Here Comes the Grump ''Here Comes the Grump'' is an animated cartoon series produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970. It was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel's Cartoon Quest. Structured as a battle between good and evil, the ...

''. The Grump's dragon was similar to Sam's in ''

'', right down to the fiery nasal explosions upon its master. He also made a cameo appearance in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

/ Amblin's ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

'', where he is blasted out of Toontown. In the film, he is the only Looney Tunes character to not be voiced by Mel Blanc, with Joe Alaskey taking the role. Yosemite Sam was one of the classic Looney Tunes characters who appeared as faculty members of Acme Looniversity in the 1990s

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

''. Sam was shown teaching classes in Firearms and Anvilology (the study of falling anvils, a staple joke in the Looney Tunes genre), and was sometimes portrayed as the school principal (though at least one episode identified Bugs Bunny as the principal, and

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, ...

was Dean of Acme Loo). As with all the main Looney Tunes characters, Sam had a student counterpart at Acme Loo in Montana Max. In "K-Acme TV", Yosemite Sam was seen as the

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of "Toon Court" (a parody of ''

The People's Court ''The People's Court'' is an American arbitration-based reality court show, featuring an arbitrator handling small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom set. Within the court show genre, it is the first of all arbitration-based reality sty ...

'') where he proceeded over a trial where Calamity Coyote issues a complaint against the ACME Corporation for negligence and faulty workmanship. The ACME Corporation's representative Bobbo ACME claims that the devices made by the ACME Corporation work if they are used right as he demonstrates the catapult on Calamity Coyote. Judge Yosemite Sam finds in favor of the ACME Corporation. In the same episode, Yosemite Sam appeared as a prospector in a documentary detailing about the sightings of a furry creature called Bigbutt (a spoof of

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

). Yosemite Sam also appeared along with Bugs Bunny in a number of

Mirinda Mirinda is a brand of soft drink originally created in Spain in 1959 and now owned by PepsiCo with global distribution. Its name comes from the Esperanto translation of "admirable" or "amazing". It is available in many fruit varieties, like ...

commercials in early 90s, most probably due to direct competition to

Fanta Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...

, being advertised with

characters at that time. He also appears in the movie ''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'' as a player for the Tune Squad. In a memorable scene, he and Elmer Fudd shoot off the teeth of one of the Monstars while clad in '' Pulp Fiction''-esque attire, complete with

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known a ...

's "

Misirlou "Misirlou" ( el, Μισιρλού < tr, Mısırlı 'Egyptian' < ar, مصر ''Miṣr'' 'Egypt') is a folk song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The original author of the song is not known, but Arabic, Greek, and Jewish musicians wer ...

" playing. In an earlier scene, when the Nerdlucks hold all the toons hostage, he confronts the Nerdlucks, pointing his pistols at them, and orders them to release all the toons ... only to have the lead Nerdluck fire a laser pistol back at him, which leaves Sam smoldering naked and beardless as the phasers burned off his mustache. Sam also appeared in ''The Warners 65th Anniversary Special'' and two episodes of 1995's '' The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries''. In the 2003 movie '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', Yosemite Sam is a

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

employed by the Acme Corporation who was hired to finish off DJ Drake and

. In this film, he owns a casino in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

, which he calls Yosemite Sam's Wooden Nickel, and is accompanied by

Nasty Canasta Nasty Canasta is a cartoon character and antagonist of the ''Merrie Melodies'' and ''Looney Tunes'' series who made appearances in three cartoons. Created by animator Chuck Jones, Canasta is depicted as a tough, hulking, and brutish-looking out ...

and Cottontail Smith from ''

'' (who may be originally employed as his security guards). He goes as far as betting a large sack of money to get the card, stealing

Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...

's car, and even using a stick of Dynamite to beat DJ and Daffy. In 2004, a possible numbers station in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

using the character's voice began transmitting, taking a piece of audio from the 1950 ''

'' cartoon ''

'', days after it was discovered and its location was tracked, the station ceased broadcasting but returned for a short time again in 2005, but hasn't been heard since. This was referred to as the '' Yosemite Sam transmission.'' This was also believed to have a reference to the ''

'' quote "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." Sam also plays the role of minor villain K'Chutha Sa'am (a parody of the

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...

) in the '' Duck Dodgers'' animated TV series. He also appears in the video games '' Loons: The Fight for Fame'', '' Taz: Wanted'', '' Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle'', '' The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2'', '' Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 3'', '' The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'', '' Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage'', '' Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble'', '' Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time'', '' Bugs Bunny and Taz: Time Busters'', ''

Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf ''Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf'' (released as ''Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider'' in North America) is a puzzle-platformer stealth video game developed by Infogrames Lyon House and published by Infogrames for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. The game is ...

'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', '' Daffy Duck in Hollywood'' and the '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' video game. In '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', Yosemite Sam makes an appearance riding a railway cart on the Wild West level. Yosemite Sam appears in multiple episodes of '' The Looney Tunes Show'', voiced by Maurice LaMarche. Sam is depicted as being well meaning, but suffering anger problems. He first appeared in the show in three ''Merrie Melodies'' segments called "Blow My Stack", "Moostache" and "Stick to My Guns". Yosemite Sam is one of Bugs and Daffy's neighbors. In the episode "Daffy Duck, Esq.", it is revealed that his full name is Samuel Rosenbaum and thus established him as being

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

(both his creator Friz Freleng and original voice actor Mel Blanc were also Jewish, though there is no evidence that Freleng had ever explicitly intended Sam to have been a Jew). In "Ridiculous Journey", it is revealed that Yosemite Sam has a cousin in

Blacque Jacque Shellacque The ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated shorts released by Warner Bros. feature a range of characters which are listed and briefly detailed here. Major characters from the franchise include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fud ...

who Yosemite Sam enlisted to recover Sylvester, Tweety, and Tasmanian Devil after they were accidentally shipped to Alaska. It was through Yosemite Sam that Bugs Bunny and Granny enlisted Blacque Jacque Shellacque's help. In "You've Got Hate Mail" after accidentally being sent an angry email by Daffy, Sam decides to change his ways and proceeds to shave, sell his cowboy clothes, and become a normal suburbanite. However, after a particularly annoying book club meeting, he reverts to his old ways. Yosemite Sam appears in the 2015 DTV movie '' Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run'' voiced by Maurice LaMarche. He appears in ''

New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'', originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the US and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season, is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from ''Loo ...

'' (originally Wabbit) voiced by Maurice LaMarche in season one and by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...

in season two. His appearance has him depicted to having a larger moustache, a stout body and a different hat. Yosemite Sam is often shown trying to commit crimes or obtain items where Bugs Bunny always thwarts him. He is also shown to own a lot of cats at his house.

Voice actors

Mel Blanc

The role of Yosemite Sam was originated by Warners Bros' principal voice man,

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

. In his autobiography, Blanc said he had a difficult time coming up with the voice when he played a similar character called Tex on

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

's radio show. He tried giving Sam a small voice but did not feel that it worked. One day, he decided to simply yell at the top of his voice, which was inspired by a fit of

road rage Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by motorists. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats or dangerous driving methods targeted at other drivers, pedestrians or cyclists in an effort to intimid ...

he had that day. It fit perfectly with the blustery character but was also a strain on Blanc's throat, thus he always did Yosemite Sam's lines at the end of a recording session so he could rest himself overnight. As he got into his 70s, the voice became too rough on his throat; the role of Sam was taken over by future Looney Tunes voice actor

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...

in ''

'' while Blanc played all his other Looney Tunes roles in the film. This makes Sam one of the few voices created by Blanc to be voiced by someone else during his lifetime. Blanc used the same voice to depict Bob and Doug McKenzie's father (portrayed by Dave Thomas, but dubbed with Blanc's voice) in the film ''Strange Brew'' (1983). Blanc voiced the character for the last time in his lifetime in the 1989 TV special ''Bugs Bunny's Wild World of Sports''. Archive recordings of Blanc as Yosemite Sam (along with

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented ...

and The Tasmanian Devil) were used in the 1990

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

game, '' Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'' (a year after Blanc's death). Archived recordings of Blanc for Yosemite Sam were also used in the 1999

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

video game, '' Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time'' (a decade after Blanc's death). Blanc used a voice similar to Yosemite Sam's for

Mr. Spacely The following is a list of major characters in ''The Jetsons'', an American animated comic science fiction sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first broadcast in prime-time on ABC as part of the 1962–63 United States network tele ...

on '' The Jetsons''.

Others

* Gilbert Mack ( Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') * Richard Andrews (''Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album'') *

(''

'', ''

'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing the Beatles'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis'', ''Looney Tunes'' webtoons,

TomTom TomTom N.V. is a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom released its first generation of satellite navigation devices to market in 2004 ...

''Looney Tunes'' GPS, ''Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics'') *

Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with '' Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to rep ...

( 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''

(Blooper) Bunny ''(Blooper) Bunny'' is a ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short film directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, with music by George Daugherty, produced in 1991 by Warner Bros. Animation. Featuring the voice talents of Jeff Bergman and Gordon Hunt, th ...

'', ''

Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

'',

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

bumpers, ''

Looney Tunes Dash ''Looney Tunes Dash'' was an endless running video game developed and published by Zynga and Eat Sleep Play, under the oversight of John vanSuchtelen. The game was released on December 17, 2014. Gameplay The gameplay is an endless running pl ...

'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'') * Noel Blanc (''You Rang?'' answering machine messages) *

Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on '' Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on '' Aaahh!!! Real Mon ...

(''Tiny Toon Adventures'') * Keith Scott ('' Looney Tunes Musical Revue'', '' Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza'', Tazos ''Looney Tunes'' commercial, KFC commercial, ''The Looney Tunes Radio Show'', ''Looney Rock'')"Keith Scott-"The One-Man Crowd""
Retrieved 15 September 2020. *

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained b ...

(''

Looney Tunes River Ride Looney Tunes River Ride (formerly known as the Looney Tunes Studio Tour) was a dark boat ride at the amusement park Warner Bros. Movie World at Gold Coast, Australia. The ride was unveiled on 3 June 1991, the same time as the park, and was ...

'', '' Animaniacs'', '' Warner Bros. Kids Club'') * J. J. Sedelmaier (

presentation pitch)Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
* Maurice LaMarche ('' Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', '' Taz-Mania'', '' Carrotblanca'', '' The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries'', ''Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Quest for Camelot'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Looney Tunes'', '' Duck Dodgers'', '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'', '' The Looney Tunes Show'', '' Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run'', '' Wabbit (Season 1)'', various video games, webtoons, and commercials)Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
*

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as t ...

('' The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries'', ''Animaniacs'', '' Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'', ''Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe: Adventure'') * Bill Farmer (''

'') *

Frank Gorshin Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on '' The Ed Sullivan Show'' and '' Tonight Starring Steve Allen''. As an actor, he played the Riddler on ...

(''

'') * Will Ryan (''You Don't Know Doc! ACME Wise-Guy Edition'', ''You Don't Know Doc! Coast-to-Coast Edition'') *

Jeff Bennett Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in '' Gargoyles'' and Kowalski in the '' Penguins of Madagasca ...

('' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', ''

Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas ''Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas'' is a 2004 Bugs Bunny cartoon short, which co-starred Yosemite Sam. It was directed by Peter Shin and Bill Kopp, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was never released theatrically (due to the ...

'',

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

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Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...

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Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...

'') * Gary Martin (actor), Gary Martin (''Boomerang (British and Irish TV channel), Looney Tunes Take-Over Weekend'' promotion) * Seth Green (''Robot Chicken'') *

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(Season 2-3)'', Converse (shoe company), Converse commercials, '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'') * Eric Bauza (''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem'')

References

{{Authority control Animated human characters Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils Fictional cowboys and cowgirls Fictional gunfighters Fictional mining engineers Western (genre) outlaws Film characters introduced in 1945 Looney Tunes characters Male characters in animation