![]() ![]() Mel Blanc was one of the few voice artists who escaped from behind the scenes to achieve celebrity status, and consequently, has made it difficult for fans to accept anyone else as the character, Rohler said. Mel was too old by then to imitate himself. ![]() "Without Mel Blanc it just isn't Bugs," said DiAnn Byrne, who hosts the Bugs Bunny Cartoon Database online, "I saw one recently from 1980, I believe, and it was horrendous. "It's amazing how cheap early (Bugs) books are," probably because there were so many produced in the '40s and '50s, said Chuck Rozanski, president of Mile High Comics.īugs owes much of his success to Mel Blanc, who provided the postmodern prankster with his Brooklyn-meets-Bronx accent until Blanc's death in 1989.įor many fans, it hasn't been the same Bugs since. A mint condition copy of 1965's Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig comic book will run you $135 at, but many issues from the 1942 Bugs Bunny series are available in good condition for less than $10. He would record all carrot-eating scenes at the end of his recording session and spit the carrots out.Īll Bugs Bunny cartoons begin with Bugs in a natural environment.At eBay, the bidding starts at 75 cents for a Bugs Bunny Pez dispenser, but an animation sericel of Bugs' early cartoons could cost you $1,000. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs) was allergic to carrots. The Tazmanian Devil first appeared in 1954's `Devil May Hare.' Yosemite Sam first appeared in 1945's `Hare Trigger.' Marvin the Martian first appeared in 1948's `Haredevil Hare' as Commander X2. `Bugs' Hardaway.Įlmer Fudd appears with Bugs more than any other character, showing up in more than 40 cartoons. One only needs to look online to see his attraction to collectors.īugs Bunny was named after Warner Bros. He's appeared in comic books, on lunchboxes, on T-shirts and posters. The wise-cracking "wabbit" spawned a merchandising empire that still thrives today. A largely adult audience allowed Bugs to satirize popular stars like Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, who small children might not recognize, while still getting youngsters to laugh at pratfalls, silly costumes and exploding dynamite. The cartoons were usually shown with a newsreel before feature presentations in movie theaters. After all, when Bugs' early cartoons were produced, they were designed to entertain adults as well as children. "Perhaps this is the eternal conflict that attracts the viewers - the conflict between enjoying the present in childlike innocence and facing the real world as an adult with responsibility." Bugs is the eternal child - irresponsible and fun-loving," he said. Elmer is adult, parental - preparing for the future. ![]() "Look at the relationship between Bugs and Elmer Fudd. "In any form of entertainment there has to be something we can identify with," he said. Lloyd Rohler, professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, thinks Bugs' appeal lies a bit deeper. "Bugs lives eternally in the moment so he can react to any situation with the utmost spontaneity." By the mid-'60s, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd were household names, as were Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam and the Tasmanian Devil.Įach of these supporting characters has created a legacy in his own right, but there is something about Bugs that keeps him ears and shoulders above the rest. Though his catchphrase was born in 1940, Bugs first appeared in "Porky's Hare Hunt" in 1938, and starred in more than 150 cartoon shorts over the next 25 years. "It got such a laugh that we said `Boy, we'll do that every chance we get.' " They did, and kept audiences laughing for generations. In The Great Cartoon Directors, (Jeff Lenburg, Da Capo Press, Inc., April 1993) Tex Avery talked about how audiences reacted to that first use of Bugs' most famous catchphrase. He simply asked, "Eh, what's up, Doc?" And the crowd went wild. When Elmer Fudd held a gun to the twitching nose of a familiar gray rabbit, the unimpressed hare didn't scream, didn't faint, and didn't run. Editor's Note - In honor of National Bugs Bunny Day, here is an article we first published in 2001.
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