Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger Productions) and

voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refe ...

originally by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 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 come ...

. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' and ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

'' series of animated

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s, produced by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in

Ben Hardaway Joseph Benson Hardaway (May 21, 1895 – February 5, 1957) was an American storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer and director for several American animation studios during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was sometim ...

's '' Porky's Hare Hunt'' (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in

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

's '' A Wild Hare'' (1940). Bob Givens,

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

, and

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePa ...

are credited for defining Bugs's design. Bugs is an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

gray-and-white rabbit or hare who is characterized by his flippant, insouciant personality. He is also characterized by a

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

accent, his portrayal as a

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

, and his

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"Eh... What's up, doc?". Through his popularity during the

golden age of American animation The golden age of American animation was a period that began with the popularization of Sound film, sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts started to lose popularity to the newer medi ...

, Bugs became an American

cultural icon A cultural icon is a person or an cultural artifact, artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen ...

and Warner Bros.' official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

. Bugs starred in more than 160 short films produced between 1940 and 1964. He has since appeared in feature films, television shows, comics, and other media. He has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character, is the ninth most-portrayed film personality in the world and has his own star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

Development

According to Chase Craig, who wrote and drew the first Bugs Bunny comic Sunday pages and the first Bugs

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

, "Bugs was not the creation of any one man; however, he rather represented the creative talents of perhaps five or six directors and many cartoon writers including Charlie Thorson. In those days, the stories were often the work of a group who suggested various gags, bounced them around and finalized them in a joint story conference." A prototype Bugs rabbit with some of the personality of a finalized Bugs, though looking very different, was originally featured in the film '' Porky's Hare Hunt'', released on April 30, 1938. It was co-directed by Ben "Bugs" Hardaway and an uncredited director Cal Dalton (who was responsible for the initial design of the rabbit). This cartoon has an almost identical plot to Avery's '' Porky's Duck Hunt'' (1937), which had introduced

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

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...

is again cast as a hunter tracking a silly prey who is more interested in driving his pursuer insane and less interested in escaping. ''Hare Hunt'' replaces the little black duck with a small white rabbit. According to

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

, Hardaway and Dalton had decided to "dress the duck in a rabbit suit". The white rabbit had an oval head and a shapeless body. In characterization, he was "a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

buffoon".

gave the character a voice and laugh much like those he later used for

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studios, Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures sinc ...

. He was loud, zany with a goofy,

guttural Guttural Phone (phonetics), speech sounds are those with a primary place of articulation near the back of the oral cavity, where it is difficult to distinguish a sound's place of articulation and its phonation. In popular usage it is an imprecise t ...

laugh.Barrier (2003), p. 359-362 The rabbit character was popular enough with audiences that the

Termite Terrace Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it w ...

staff decided to use it again. The rabbit comes back in '' Prest-O Change-O'' (1939), directed by

, where he is the pet rabbit of

unseen character An unseen character in theatre, comics, film or television, or a silent character in radio or literature, is a character who is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...

Sham-Fu the Magician. Two dogs, fleeing the local dogcatcher, enter the rabbit's absent master's house. The rabbit harasses them but is ultimately bested by the bigger of the two dogs. This version of the rabbit was cool, graceful, and controlled. He retained the guttural laugh but was otherwise silent. The rabbit's third appearance comes in '' Hare-um Scare-um'' (1939), directed again by Dalton and Hardaway. This cartoon—the first in which he is depicted as a gray bunny instead of a white one—is also notable as the rabbit's first singing role. Charlie Thorson, lead animator on the film, gave the character a name. He had written "Bug's Bunny" on the model sheet that he drew for Hardaway. In promotional material for the cartoon, including a surviving 1939 presskit, the name on the model sheet was altered to become the rabbit's own name: "Bugs" Bunny (quotation marks only used, on and off, until 1944). In his autobiography, Blanc claimed that another proposed name for the character was "Happy Rabbit." In the actual cartoons and publicity, however, the name "Happy" only seems to have been used in reference to Bugs Hardaway. In ''Hare-um Scare-um'', a newspaper headline reads, "Happy Hardaway." Animation historian David Gerstein disputes that "Happy Rabbit" was ever used as an official name, arguing that the only usage of the term came from

himself in humorous and fanciful tales he told about the character's development in the 1970s and 1980s; the name "Bugs Bunny" was used as early as August 1939, in the

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' (MPH) was an American film industry trade paper first published as the ''Exhibitors Herald'' in 1915, and MPH from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals ...

, in a review for the short ''Hare-um Scare-um''. Thorson had been approached by Tedd Pierce, head of the story department, and asked to design a better look for the rabbit. The decision was influenced by Thorson's experience in designing hares. He had designed Max Hare in '' Toby Tortoise Returns'' (Disney, 1936). For Hardaway, Thorson created the model sheet previously mentioned, with six different rabbit poses. Thorson's model sheet is "a comic rendition of the stereotypical fuzzy bunny". He had a pear-shaped body with a protruding rear end. His face was flat and had large expressive eyes. He had an exaggerated long neck, gloved hands with three fingers, oversized feet, and a "smart aleck" grin. The result was influenced by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

' tendency to draw animals in the style of cute infants. He had an obvious Disney influence, but looked like an awkward merger of the lean and streamlined Max Hare from ''

The Tortoise and the Hare "The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 226 in the Perry Index. The account of a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting interpretations. The fable itself is a variant of a common folktale theme in w ...

'' (1935) and the round, soft bunnies from '' Little Hiawatha'' (1937). In Jones' ''

Elmer's Candid Camera ''Elmer's Candid Camera'' is a 1940 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on March 2, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and an early Bugs Bunny prototype. Plot Elmer is reading a book on h ...

'' (1940), the rabbit first meets

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

. This time the rabbit looks more like the present-day Bugs, taller and with a similar face—but retaining the more primitive voice. ''Candid Cameras Elmer character design is also different: taller and chubbier in the face than the modern model, though Arthur Q. Bryan's character voice is already established.

Official debut

While '' Porky's Hare Hunt'' was the first Warner Bros. cartoon to feature what would become Bugs Bunny, '' A Wild Hare'', directed by

and released on July 27, 1940, is widely considered to be the first official Bugs Bunny cartoon. It is the first film where both Elmer Fudd and Bugs, both redesigned by Bob Givens, are shown in their fully developed forms as hunter and tormentor, respectively; the first in which

uses what became Bugs' standard voice; and the first in which Bugs uses his catchphrase, "What's up, Doc?" ''A Wild Hare'' was a huge success in theaters and received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Cartoon Short Subject. For the film, Avery asked Givens to remodel the rabbit. The result had a closer resemblance to Max Hare. He had a more elongated body, stood more erect, and looked more poised. If Thorson's rabbit looked like an infant, Givens' version looked like an adolescent.Walz (1998), p. 49-67 Blanc gave Bugs the voice of a city slicker. The rabbit was as audacious as he had been in ''Hare-um Scare-um'' and as cool and collected as in ''Prest-O Change-O''. Immediately following on ''A Wild Hare'',

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...

's '' Patient Porky'' (1940) features a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

by Bugs, announcing to the audience that 750 rabbits have been born. The gag uses Bugs' ''Wild Hare'' visual design, but his goofier pre-''Wild Hare'' voice characterization. The second full-fledged role for the mature Bugs,

' ''

Elmer's Pet Rabbit ''Elmer's Pet Rabbit'' is a 1941 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on January 4, 1941, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Plot Elmer Fudd buys Bugs Bunny from a pet store and builds ...

'' (1941), is the first to use Bugs' name on-screen: it appears in a title card, "featuring Bugs Bunny," at the start of the film (which was edited in following the success of ''A Wild Hare''). However, Bugs' voice and personality in this cartoon is noticeably different, and his design was slightly altered as well; Bugs' visual design is based on the earlier version in ''Candid Camera'' and ''A Wild Hare'', but with yellow gloves, as seen in ''Hare-Um Scare-Um'', and no buck teeth, has a lower-pitched voice and a more aggressive, arrogant and thuggish personality instead of a fun-loving personality. After ''Pet Rabbit'', however, subsequent Bugs appearances returned to normal: the ''Wild Hare'' visual design and personality returned, and Blanc re-used the ''Wild Hare'' voice characterization. '' Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' (1941), directed by

, became the second Bugs Bunny cartoon to receive an Academy Award nomination. The fact that it did not win the award was later spoofed somewhat in '' What's Cookin' Doc?'' (1944), in which Bugs demands a recount (claiming to be a victim of " sa-bo-TAH-gee") after losing the Oscar to

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

and presents a clip from ''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' to prove his point.

World War II

By 1942, Bugs had become the number one star of ''Merrie Melodies''. The series was originally intended only for one-shot characters in films after several early attempts to introduce characters ( Foxy, Goopy Geer, and Piggy) failed under Harman– Ising. By the mid-1930s, under

Leon Schlesinger Leonardo Schlesinger ( ; May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation The gold ...

, ''Merrie Melodies'' started introducing newer characters. '' Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid'' (1942) shows a slight redesign of Bugs, with less-prominent front teeth and a rounder head. The character was later reworked by

, then an animator in Clampett's unit, for '' Tortoise Wins by a Hare'' (1943), with more slanted eyes, longer teeth and a much larger mouth. The redesign at first was only used in the films created by Clampett's unit, but in time it was taken up by the other directors, with Freleng and

Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...

the first. McKimson would use another version of the rabbit by Jean Blanchard until 1949 (as did Art Davis for the one Bugs Bunny film he directed, '' Bowery Bugs'') when he started using the version he had designed for Clampett. Jones came up with his own slight modification, and the voice had slight variations between the units. Bugs also made cameos in Avery's final Warner Bros. cartoon, '' Crazy Cruise''. Since Bugs' fifth appearance in ''A Wild Hare'', he appeared in color ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' films (making him one of the few recurring characters created for the series in the Schlesinger era prior to the full conversion to color), alongside Egghead, Inki, Sniffles, and

(who actually co-existed in 1937 along with Egghead as a separate character). While Bugs made a cameo in ''

Porky Pig's Feat ''Porky Pig's Feat'' is a 1943 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. It was released on July 17, 1943, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, with a cameo by Bugs Bunny at the end. Directed by Frank Tashlin with ...

'' (1943), this was his only appearance in a black-and-white ''Looney Tunes'' film. He did not star in a ''Looney Tunes'' film until that series made its complete conversion to only color cartoons beginning in 1944. '' Buckaroo Bugs'' was Bugs' first film in the ''Looney Tunes'' series and was also the last Warner Bros. cartoon to credit Schlesinger (as he had retired and sold his studio to Warner Bros. that year). Bugs' popularity soared during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

because of his free and easy attitude, and he began receiving special star billing in his cartoons by 1943. By that time, Warner Bros. had become the most profitable cartoon studio in the United States. In company with cartoon studios such as Disney and

Famous Studios Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was established as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contr ...

, Warners pitted its characters against

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, and the Japanese. '' Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips'' (1944) features Bugs at odds with a group of Japanese soldiers. This cartoon has since been pulled from distribution due to its depiction of Japanese people. One

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

film saved from destruction features the voice of Mel Blanc in "Tokyo Woes" (1945) about the propaganda radio host

Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific ...

. He also faces off against

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

and Hitler in '' Herr Meets Hare'' (1945), which introduced his well-known reference to

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

as he mistakenly winds up in the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

of 'Joimany' instead of

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Bugs also appeared in the 1942 two-minute U.S.

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...

s commercial film '' Any Bonds Today?'', along with Porky and Elmer. At the end of '' Super-Rabbit'' (1943), Bugs appears wearing a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

dress blue uniform. As a result, the Marine Corps made Bugs an honorary Marine

master sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

. From 1943 to 1946, Bugs was the official mascot of Kingman Army Airfield,

Kingman, Arizona Kingman is a city in and the county seat of Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is named after Lewis Kingman, an engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The population was 32,693 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hi ...

, where thousands of aerial gunners were trained during World War II. Some notable trainees included

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

and

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

. Bugs also served as the mascot for 530 Squadron of the 380th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, U.S. Air Force, which was attached to the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

and operated out of Australia's

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

from 1943 to 1945, flying

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

bombers. Bugs riding an air delivered torpedo served as the squadron logo for Marine Torpedo/Bomber Squadron 242 in the Second World War. Additionally, Bugs appeared on the nose of B-24J #42-110157, in both the 855th Bomb Squadron of the 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) and later in the 786th BS of the 466th BG(H), both being part of the 8th Air Force operating out of England. In 1944, Bugs Bunny made a cameo appearance in '' Jasper Goes Hunting'', a Puppetoons film produced by rival studio

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. In this cameo (animated by McKimson, with Blanc providing the usual voice), Bugs (after being threatened at gunpoint) pops out of a rabbit hole, saying his usual catchphrase; after hearing the orchestra play the wrong theme song, he realizes "Hey, I'm in the wrong picture!" and then goes back in the hole. Bugs also made a cameo in the Private Snafu short ''

Gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

'', in which he is found stowed away in the titular private's belongings; his only spoken line is his usual catchphrase. Although it was usually Porky Pig who brought the ''Looney Tunes'' films to a close with his stuttering, "That's all, folks!", Bugs replaced him at the end of '' Hare Tonic'' and '' Baseball Bugs'', bursting through a drum just as Porky did, but munching on a carrot and saying, in his Bronx/Brooklyn accent, "And that's the end!"

Post-World War II era

After World War II, Bugs continued to appear in numerous Warner Bros. cartoons, making his last "Golden Age" appearance in '' False Hare'' (1964). He starred in over 167 theatrical short films, most of which were directed by Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, and Chuck Jones. Freleng's '' Knighty Knight Bugs'' (1958), in which a medieval Bugs trades blows with Yosemite Sam and his fire-breathing dragon (which has a cold), won an Academy Award for Best Cartoon Short Subject (becoming the first and only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win said award). Three of Jones' films—'' Rabbit Fire'', '' Rabbit Seasoning'' and '' Duck! Rabbit, Duck!''—compose what is often referred to as the "Rabbit Season/Duck Season" trilogy and were the origins of the rivalry between Bugs and Daffy Duck. Jones' classic '' What's Opera, Doc?'' (1957), casts Bugs and Elmer Fudd in a parody of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

''. It was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

and selected for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

in 1992, becoming the first cartoon short to receive this honor. In the fall of 1960, ABC debuted the prime-time television program ''

The Bugs Bunny Show ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that is mainly composed of theatrical ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 196 ...

''. This show packaged many of the post-1948 Warners cartoons with newly animated wraparounds. Throughout its run, the series was highly successful, and helped cement

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

as a mainstay of

Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...

s. After two seasons, it was moved from its evening slot to reruns on Saturday mornings. ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' changed format and exact title frequently but remained on network television for 40 years. The packaging was later completely different, with each cartoon simply presented on its own, title and all, though some clips from the new bridging material were sometimes used as filler.

Later years

Bugs did not appear in any of the post-1964 ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' films produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises or

Seven Arts Productions Seven Arts Productions was a production company which made films for release by other studios. It was founded in 1957 by Eliot Hyman, Ray Stark, and Norman Katz. Formation The company was formed in 1957. It came out of the company, Associa ...

, nor did he appear in

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company founded by Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, before closing by Group W Productions on February 3, 1989. Located in Reseda, California, Filmation produced animated ...

's '' Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies''. He did, however, have two cameo appearances in the 1974 Joe Adamson short '' A Political Cartoon''; one at the beginning of the short where he campaigns on behalf of equal rights for cartoon characters everywhere, and another in which he is interviewed at a pet store, where he is on sale as an " Easter Rabbit". Bugs was animated in this short by Mark Kausler. He did not appear in new material on-screen again until '' Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals'' aired in 1976. From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, Bugs was featured in various animated specials for network television, such as '' Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet'', '' Bugs Bunny's Easter Special'', '' Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales'', and '' Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over''. Bugs also starred in several theatrical compilation features during this time, including the

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

distributed documentary '' Bugs Bunny: Superstar'' (1975) and Warner Bros.' own releases: '' The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'' (1979), '' The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'' (1981), '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' (1982), and '' Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'' (1988). In the 1988 live-action/animated comedy ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. It is loosely based on the 1981 novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wol ...

'', Bugs appeared as one of the inhabitants of Toontown. However, since the film was being produced by

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

, Warner Bros. would only allow the use of their biggest star if he got an equal amount of screen time as Disney's biggest star,

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

. Because of this, both characters are always together in frame when onscreen. ''Roger Rabbit'' was also one of the final productions in which Mel Blanc voiced Bugs (as well as the other ''Looney Tunes'' characters) before his death in 1989. Bugs later appeared in another animated production featuring numerous characters from rival studios: the 1990 drug prevention TV special ''

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue ''Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue'' is a 1990 American animated children comedy-drama social guidance film starring many characters from several animated television series at the time of its release. The plot follows Michael, a teenager who is us ...

''. This special is notable for being the first time that someone other than Blanc voiced Bugs and Daffy (both characters were voiced by

Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor 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 replace Mel Blanc as th ...

for this). Bugs also made guest appearances in the early 1990s television series ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...

'', as the principal of Acme Looniversity and the mentor of Babs and Buster Bunny. He made further cameos in Warner Bros.' subsequent animated TV shows ''

Taz-Mania ''Taz-Mania'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids where it stars the Tasmanian Devil. Similar to other Warner Bros. cartoons of its time, such as ''An ...

'', ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...

'', and '' Histeria!'' Bugs returned to the silver screen in '' Box-Office Bunny'' (1991). This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon since 1964 to be released in theaters and it was created for Bugs' 50th anniversary celebration. It was followed by '' (Blooper) Bunny'', a cartoon that was shelved from theaters, but later premiered on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

in 1997 and has since gained a cult following among animation fans for its edgy humor. Later that year, Bugs appeared in '' Yakety Yak, Take it Back'', a live-action/animated all-star public service music video produced by

for the Take it Back Foundation. In 1996, Bugs and the other ''Looney Tunes'' characters appeared in the live-action/animated film, '' Space Jam'', directed by Joe Pytka and starring

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

superstar

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. The film also introduced the character Lola Bunny, who becomes Bugs' new love interest. ''Space Jam'' received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box office success (grossing over $230 million worldwide). The success of ''Space Jam'' led to the development of another live-action/animated film, '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', released in 2003 and directed by

Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with Counterculture of th ...

. Unlike ''Space Jam'', ''Back in Action'' was a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

, though it did receive more positive reviews from critics. In 1997, Bugs appeared on a U.S. postage stamp, the first cartoon to be so honored, beating the iconic Mickey Mouse. The stamp is number seven on the list of the ten most popular U.S. stamps, as calculated by the number of stamps purchased but not used. The introduction of Bugs onto a stamp was controversial at the time, as it was seen as a step toward the 'commercialization' of stamp art. The postal service rejected many designs and went with a postal-themed drawing. Avery Dennison printed the Bugs Bunny stamp sheet, which featured "a special ten-stamp design and was the first self-adhesive souvenir sheet issued by the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

21st century

A younger version of Bugs is the main character of '' Baby Looney Tunes'', which debuted on

Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming block that originally aired on The WB from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006, and later on The CW from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. Initially launched as a co ...

in 2001. In the action-comedy '' Loonatics Unleashed'', his definite descendant Ace Bunny is the leader of the Loonatics team and seems to have inherited his ancestor's Brooklyn accent and rapier wit. In 2011, Bugs Bunny and the rest of the ''Looney Tunes'' gang returned to television in the Cartoon Network sitcom, ''

The Looney Tunes Show ''The Looney Tunes Show'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and aired on Cartoon Network for two seasons from May 3, 2011, to November 2, 2013. The series featured characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Me ...

''. The characters feature new designs by artist Jessica Borutski. Among the changes to Bugs' appearance were the simplification and enlargement of his feet, as well as a change to his fur from gray to a shade of

mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...

(though in the second season, his fur was changed back to gray). In the series, Bugs and Daffy Duck are portrayed as best friends as opposed to their usual pairing as friendly rivals. At the same time, Bugs is more vocally exasperated by Daffy's antics in the series (sometimes to the point of anger), compared to his usual level-headed personality from the original cartoons. Bugs and Daffy are friends with Porky Pig in the series, although Bugs tends to be a better friend to Porky than Daffy is. Bugs also dates Lola Bunny in the show despite the fact that he finds her to be "crazy" and a bit too talkative at first (he later learns to accept her personality quirks, similar to his tolerance for Daffy). Unlike the original cartoons, Bugs lives in a regular home which he shares with Daffy, Taz (whom he treats as a pet dog) and Speedy Gonzales, in the middle of a

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...

with their neighbors Yosemite Sam, Granny, and Witch Hazel. In 2015, Bugs starred in the direct-to-video film '' Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run'', and later returned to television yet again as the star of Cartoon Network and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

's comedy series '' New Looney Tunes'' (formerly ''Wabbit''). Bugs Bunny in MultiVersus trailer

In 2020, Bugs began appearing on the

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

streaming series '' Looney Tunes Cartoons''. His design for this series primarily resembles his Bob Clampett days, complete with yellow gloves and his signature carrot. His personality is a combination of Freleng's trickery, Clampett's defiance, and Jones’ resilience, while also maintaining his confident, insolent, smooth-talking demeanor. Bugs is voiced by

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian voice actor based in the United States. He is mostly known for voicing several ''Looney Tunes'' characters, for which he won three Emmy Awards for his performances in '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (20 ...

, who is also the current voice of

and

Tweety Tweety is an animated character, a yellow canary bird in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. His characteristics are based on Red Skelton's famous "Junior the Mean Widdle Kid". He appeared in ...

, among others. In 2020, the

USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

issued a new set of Bugs stamps. This was a part from a collection honoring the classic Looney Tunes characters. Bugs is presented there in a range of comical positions and facial expressions. Bugs made his return to movie theaters in the 2021 ''Space Jam'' sequel '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', this time starring NBA superstar

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

. In 2022, a new pre-school animated series titled '' Bugs Bunny Builders'' aired on HBO Max and

Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suffix " ...

. He is again voiced by Eric Bauza. Bugs has also appeared in numerous

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s, including the ''Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle'' series, '' Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'', '' Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage'', '' Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', '' Looney Tunes Racing'', '' Looney Tunes: Space Race'', '' Bugs Bunny Lost in Time'', '' Bugs Bunny and Taz Time Busters'', '' Loons: The Fight for Fame'', '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', ''Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes: Cartoon Universe'', ''Looney Tunes Dash'', ''Looney Tunes World of Mayhem'' and '' MultiVersus''.

Personality and catchphrases

Bugs Bunny's fast-talking speech pattern was inspired to a degree by the character of Oscar Shapely in the 1934 film ''

It Happened One Night ''It Happened One Night'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite ( Claudette Colbert) tr ...

''. In the film, Shapely addresses

's character Peter Warne as "Doc", and Warne mentions an imaginary person named "Bugs Dooley" to frighten Shapely. Referring to the same film,

and

all claimed that Bugs' nonchalant carrot-chewing style came from a scene where Gable's character eats a carrot while talking. The carrot-chewing scenes are generally followed by Bugs' most well-known catchphrase, "What's up, Doc?", which was written by director

for his first Bugs Bunny film, '' A Wild Hare'' (1940). Avery explained later that it was a common expression in his native Texas and that he did not think much of the phrase. Back then "doc" meant the same as "

dude ''Dude'' is Regional vocabularies of American English, American slang for an individual, typically male. From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous ...

" does today. When the cartoon was first screened in theaters, the "What's up, Doc?" scene generated a tremendously positive audience reaction. Another catchphrase associated with the character's tendency to play the

is "Ain't I a stinker", an acknowledgement that he engages in unfair tactics. It was first used as early as the 1940s in shorts like the 1942 '' The Wacky Wabbit''. This was notably exhibited in the 1953 short, '' Duck Amuck'', in which Daffy Duck endures various humiliations at the hands of the unseen cartoonist, who in the end is revealed to be Bugs Bunny, who then says this line.

Voice actors

The following are the various vocal artists who have voiced Bugs Bunny over the last 80-plus years for both Warner Bros. official productions and others:

Mel Blanc

voiced the character for 52 years, from Bugs' debut in the 1938 short '' Porky's Hare Hunt'' until Blanc's death in 1989. Blanc described the voice he created for Bugs in 1940's '' A Wild Hare'' as a combination of

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

and

accents; however,

claimed that he asked Blanc to give the character not a New York accent ''per se'', but a voice like that of actor Frank McHugh, who frequently appeared in supporting roles in the 1930s and whose voice might be described as New York Irish. In Bugs' following cartoon, ''

'', Blanc created a completely new voice for Bugs, which sounded like a

Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

impression, but the directors decided the previous ''Wild Hare'' voice was better. Though Blanc's best known character was the carrot-chomping rabbit, munching on the carrots interrupted the dialogue. Various substitutes, such as

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

, were tried, but none of them sounded like a carrot. So, for the sake of expedience, Blanc munched and then spit the carrot bits into a spittoon, rather than swallowing them, and continued with the dialogue. One often-repeated story, which dates back to the 1940s, is that Blanc was allergic to carrots and had to spit them out to minimize any allergic reaction, but his autobiography makes no such claim. In fact, in a 1984 interview with Tim Lawson, co-author of ''The Magic Behind The Voices: A Who's Who of Voice Actors'', Blanc emphatically denied being allergic to carrots.

Others

(as an early iteration of Bugs; one line in '' Porky's Hare Hunt'') *

(vocal effects and additional lines in '' A Corny Concerto'' and '' Falling Hare'') * Gilbert Mack ( Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') *

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally Print syndication, syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has written numerous books of humor and parody, as we ...

(Golden Records records, ''Bugs Bunny Easter Song and Mr. Easter Rabbit'', ''Bugs Bunny Songfest'') *

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...

(imitating

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

and Ed Norton in '' Wideo Wabbit'') *

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

(singing "Gee Whiz, Whilikins, Golly Gee" in an episode of ''

'') * Jerry Hausner (additional lines in '' Devil's Feud Cake'', ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' and some commercials) * Larry Storch (1973 ABC Saturday Mornings promotion) *

Mike Sammes Michael William Sammes (19 February 1928 – 19 May 2001) was an English musician and vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s. Career Born in Reigate, Surrey, Sammes was the so ...

(''Bugs Bunny Comes to London'') *

Noel Blanc Noel Barton Blanc (born October 19, 1938) is an American commercial producer, retired voice actor, and the son of the late cartoon voice actor Mel Blanc. Early life and career Blanc was born on October 19, 1938, in Los Angeles, California. He ...

(radio shows, commercials, ''The Looney Tunes Revue'', one line in '' Rabbit-cadabbra'', ''You Rang?'' answering machine messages, vocal effects in '' Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'', '' 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400'') * Peter Leeds ("

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" is a traditional Jamaican folk song. The song has mento influences, but it is commonly classified as an example of the better known calypso music. It is a call and response work song, from the point of view ...

" in ''Blue Peter'') * Richard Andrews (''Bugs Bunny Exercise and Adventure Album'') * Gilbert Grilli (1984 "I'm Glad That I'm Bugs Bunny" and "What's Up Doc?" covers) * Bob Bergen (''ABC Family Fun Fair'') * Darrell Hammond ("Darrell Hammond#Other work, Wappin'") *

(62nd Academy Awards, ''

'', ''The Earth Day Special'', ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', ''

'', ''Box Office Bunny'', ''Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster'', '' (Blooper) Bunny'', ''Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes'', ''Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers'', ''Bugs Bunny's Creature Features'', ''Special Delivery Symphony'', ''Pride of the Martians'', ''

'', ''Scooby Doo & Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe: Adventure'', ''Looney Tunes Dash'', '' Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run'', ''Wun Wabbit Wun'', '' New Looney Tunes'', ''Daffy Duck Dance Off'', ''Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Ani-Mayhem'', ''Meet Bugs (and Daffy)'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'', various commercials) * Keith Scott (voice actor), Keith Scott (''Bugs Bunny's 50th Anniversary'' bumper, Looney Tunes River Ride#Ride design, Bugs Bunny demonstration animatronic, ''Looney Tunes Musical Review, Looney Tunes Musical Revue'', ''The Christmas Looney Tunes Classic Collection'', ''Warner Bros. Movie World, Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza'', ''Six Flags Great Adventure, Looney Tunes: We Got the Beat!'', ''Kids' WB Fun Zone#Looney Tunes – What's Up Rock?, Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?!'', ''Warner Bros. Movie World, Looney Tunes on Ice'', ''Looney Tunes LIVE! Classroom Capers'', ''Christmas Moments with Looney Tunes'', ''The Looney Tunes Radio Show'', ''Looney Rock'', ''Carols by Candlelight, Looney Tunes Christmas Carols'', ''2023 Australian Open'', various commercials) * Greg Burson (Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1990 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, speaking in ''Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Looney Tunes River Ride'', ''Yakety Yak, Take It Back'', ''Barbara Bush#Advocacy, Mrs. Bush's Story Time'', ''Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure!'', ''Six Flags Great America, The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny'', ''

'', ''Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage'', ''

'', ''Six Flags Great Adventure, The Bugs Bunny Wacky World Games'', ''Acme Animation Factory'', ''Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', 67th Academy Awards, ''Carrotblanca'', ''Bugs 'n' Daffy'' intro, ''From Hare to Eternity'', ''Six Flags Great Adventure, Warner Bros. Kids Club'', ''Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures'', ''Six Flags Great Adventure, Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?!'', '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' animation test, various commercials) * John Blackman (''Hey Hey It's Saturday'') * Russell Calabrese (vocal effects in '' (Blooper) Bunny'' and ''Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers'') * John Willyard (1992 Six Flags Great Adventure commercial) * Splash (German band), Marcus Deon Thomas ("Dynamite") * Mendi Segal (''Bugs & Friends Sing the Beatles'', ''The Looney West'') * Billy West ('' Space Jam'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis'', '' Histeria!'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Quest for Camelot'', ''Warner Bros. Sing-Along: Looney Tunes'', ''Six Flags New England, The Looney Tunes Rockin' Road Show'', ''Crash! Bang! Boom! The Best of WB Sound FX'', ''The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas'', screaming in ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', ''Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'', ''A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas'', various video games, webtoons, and commercials) * Joe Alaskey (''Chasers Anonymous'', Gatorade commercial, ''Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'', ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action (video game)'', ''Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas'', ''Looney Tunes'' webtoons, ''Daffy Duck for President'', Aflac commercial, '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', ''Justice League: The New Frontier'', ''Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor'', ''The Looney Tunes Show, Looney Tunes: Laff Riot'' pilot, ''Looney Tunes Dance Off'', TomTom ''Looney Tunes'' GPS, ''Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics'') * Marc Silk (Cartoon Network (British and Irish TV channel), Cartoon Network bumpers) * Sam Vincent (voice actor), Samuel Vincent ('' Baby Looney Tunes'', ''Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure'') * Eric Goldberg (animator), Eric Goldberg (''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (additional lines), ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' interview) * Bill Farmer (''Robot Chicken'') * Kevin Shinick (''Mad (TV series), Mad'') * Gary Martin (actor), Gary Martin (''Boomerang (British and Irish TV channel), Looney Tunes All-Stars'' promotions, ''Boomerang (British and Irish TV channel), Looney Tunes Take-Over Weekend'' promotion, ''Boomerang (British and Irish TV channel), Looney Tunes Marathon'' promotion) * Todd Michael Thornton (''Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends'') *

(''Looney Tunes World of Mayhem'', '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'', ''Bugs Bunny in The Golden Carrot'', ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (as Big Chungus), ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' live show, ''Bugs and Daffy's Thanksgiving Road Trip'', '' MultiVersus'', '' Bugs Bunny Builders'', ''ACME Fools'', ''Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Lights, Camera, Action: A WB100th Anniversary Celebration'', ''Teen Titans Go!'', ''Looney Tunes'' pinball machine, ''Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports'')

Parodies

A list of voice actors of Bugs Bunny for Parody, parodies not produced by

* Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live (Season 28), ''Saturday Night Live'' Season 28, Ep. 14) * Seth MacFarlane (''Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story'', ''Family Guy'') * James Arnold Taylor (''Drawn Together'')

Comics

Comic books

Bugs Bunny was continuously featured in comic books for more than 40 years, from 1941 to 1983, and has appeared sporadically since then. Bugs first appeared in comic books in 1941, in ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics'' #1, published by Dell Comics. Bugs was a recurring star in that book all through its 153-issue run, which lasted until July 1954. Western Publishing (and its Dell Comics, Dell imprint) published 245 issues of a Bugs Bunny comic book from Dec. 1952/Jan. 1953 to 1983. The company also published 81 issues of the joint title '' Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny'' from December 1970 to 1983. During the 1950s Dell also published a number of Bugs Bunny spinoff titles. Creators on those series included Chase Craig, Helen Houghton (comics), Helen Houghton, Eleanor Packer, Lloyd Turner (comics), Lloyd Turner, Michael Maltese, John Liggera, Tony Strobl, Veve Risto, Cecil Beard, Pete Alvorado, Carl Fallberg, Cal Howard, Vic Lockman, Lynn Karp, Pete Llanuza, Pete Hansen, Jack Carey, Del Connell, Kellog Adams, Jack Manning, Mark Evanier, Tom McKimson, Joe Messerli, Carlos Garzon, Donald F. Glut, Sealtiel Alatriste, Sandro Costa, and Massimo Fechi. The German publisher Condor published a 76-issues Bugs Bunny series (translated and reprinted from the American comics) in the mid-1970s. The Danish publisher Egmont Ehapa produced a weekly reprint series in the mid-1990s.

Comic strip

The ''Bugs Bunny'' comic strip ran for almost 50 years, from January 10, 1943, to December 30, 1990, syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. It started out as a Sunday page and added a daily strip on November 1, 1948. The strip originated with Chase Craig, who did the first five weeks before leaving for military service in

.Craig entry
, Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Accessed November 28, 2018. Roger Armstrong illustrated the strip from 1942 to 1944. The creators most associated with the strip are writers Albert Stoffel (1947–1979) & Carl Fallberg (1950–1969), and artist Ralph Heimdahl, who worked on it from 1947 to 1979. Other creators associated with the Bugs Bunny strip include Jack Hamm, Carl Buettner, Phil Evans, Carl Barks (1952), Tom McKimson, Arnold Drake, Frank Hill, Brett Koth, and Shawn Keller.Ron Goulart, ''Encyclopedia of American Comics''. New York, Facts on File, 1992. pp. 33-4,37,57,73-74,106,262-263.

Reception and legacy

for The Walt Disney Company, Disney, Bugs Bunny has served as the mascot for

and its various divisions. According to ''Guinness World Records'', Bugs has appeared in more films (both short and feature-length) than any other cartoon character, and is the ninth most portrayed film personality in the world. On December 10, 1985, Bugs became the second cartoon character (after Mickey) to receive a star on the

. He also has been a pitchman for companies including Kool-Aid and Nike, Inc., Nike. His Nike commercials with

as "Hare Jordan" for the Air Jordan VII and VIII became precursors to '' Space Jam''. As a result, he has spent time as an honorary member of Jordan Brand, including having Jordan's Jumpman logo done in his image. In 2015, as part of the 30th anniversary of Jordan Brand, Nike released a mid-top Bugs Bunny version of the Air Jordan I, named the "Air Jordan Mid 1 Hare", along with a women's equivalent inspired by Lola Bunny called the "Air Jordan Mid 1 Lola", along with a commercial featuring Bugs and Ahmad Rashad. In 2002, ''TV Guide'' compiled a list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time as part of the magazine's 50th anniversary. Bugs Bunny was given the honor of number 1. In a CNN broadcast on July 31, 2002, a ''TV Guide'' editor talked about the group that created the list. The editor also explained why Bugs pulled top billing: "His stock...has never gone down...Bugs is the best example...of the smart-aleck American comic. He not only is a great cartoon character, he's a great comedian. He was written well. He was drawn beautifully. He has thrilled and made many generations laugh. He is tops." Some have noted that comedian Eric Andre is the nearest contemporary comedic equivalent to Bugs. They attribute this to, "their ability to constantly flip the script on their unwitting counterparts."

Copyright status

Under current US copyright law, Bugs Bunny is due to enter the US public domain in between 2033 and 2035. However, this will only apply (at first) to the character's depiction as Happy Rabbit in '' Porky's Hare Hunt'' which was published in 1938 (which will enter the US public domain in 2034). The debut of his later persona in 1940 will enter the US public domain in 2036. Although some of his pre-1948 cartoons had been in US public domain since the early 1970s, other versions of him with later developments may persist under copyright until the entry of his post-1948 cartoons in the public domain.

Notable films

* '' Porky's Hare Hunt'' (1938) – debut of the Prototype of Bugs * '' A Wild Hare'' (1940) – official debut; Oscar nominee * '' Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' (1941) – Oscar nominee * '' What's Opera, Doc?'' (1957) – voted #1 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time and inducted into the

* '' Knighty Knight Bugs'' (1958) – Oscar winner * '' False Hare'' (1964) – final regular cartoon * ''

'' (1988) – first, and so far, only appearance in a Walt Disney Studios (division), Disney film; appeared alongside Disney's mascot,

, for the first time – Oscar winner * '' Box-Office Bunny'' (1990) – first theatrically released short since 1964 * '' Space Jam'' (1996) – appeared alongside NBA superstar,

* '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003) – appeared alongside Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Steve Martin * '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021) – appeared alongside NBA superstar,

Language

The American use of ''nimrod'' to mean "idiot" is often said to have originated from Bugs's exclamation "What a nimrod!" to describe the inept hunter Elmer Fudd. However, it is Daffy Duck who refers to Fudd as "my little nimrod" in the 1948 short ''What Makes Daffy Duck'', and the Oxford English Dictionary records earlier negative uses of the term "nimrod".''Oxford English Dictionary'' 3rd edition, updated 2020
''s.v.''
/ref>

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

Bugs Bunny
on IMDb
Bugs Bunny
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia, Toonopedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunny, Bugs Bugs Bunny, Anthropomorphic rabbits and hares Culture of the United States Cartoon mascots Corporate mascots DC Comics titles Dell Comics titles Fictional characters from New York City Film characters introduced in 1938 Fictional characters who break the fourth wall Fictional cross-dressers Fictional tricksters Fictional World War II veterans Film studio mascots Gold Key Comics titles Looney Tunes characters Rabbit and hare mascots Male characters in animated films Male characters in animated television series Male characters in advertising Mascots introduced in 1938 Characters created by Tex Avery Fictional pranksters Animated characters Characters created by Chuck Jones Characters created by Robert McKimson Characters created by Ben Hardaway