Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny
Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character
First appearancePorky's Hare Hunt
(preliminary version)[1]
(April 30, 1938; 86 years ago (1938-04-30))
A Wild Hare (official version)[1]
(July 27, 1940; 84 years ago (1940-07-27))
Created byPrototype
Ben Hardaway
Cal Dalton
Charles Thorson
Official
Tex Avery
Chuck Jones
Bob Givens
Robert McKimson
Designed byCal Dalton
Charles Thorson (1939–1940)
Official
Bob Givens (1940–1943)
Robert McKimson (1943–)
Voiced byMel Blanc (1938–1989)
Jeff Bergman (1990–1993, 1997–1998, 2002–2004, 2007, 2011–present)
Greg Burson (1990–2000)
Billy West (1996–2006)
Joe Alaskey (1997–2011)
Sam Vincent (Baby Looney Tunes; 2001–2006)
Eric Bauza (2018–present)
(see below)
In-universe information
SpeciesHare/Rabbit[2][3]
GenderMale
Significant otherLola Bunny (girlfriend)
RelativesClyde Bunny (nephew)
Ace Bunny (descendant)

Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger Productions) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc.[4] Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in Ben Hardaway's Porky's Hare Hunt (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940).[1] Bob Givens, Chuck Jones, and Robert McKimson are credited for defining Bugs's design.[1]

Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray-and-white rabbit or hare who is characterized by his flippant, insouciant personality. He is also characterized by a Brooklyn accent, his portrayal as a trickster, and his catchphrase "Eh... What's up, doc?". Through his popularity during the golden age of American animation, Bugs became an American cultural icon and Warner Bros.' official mascot.[5]

Bugs starred in more than 160 short films produced between 1940 and 1964.[6] 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[7] and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d Adamson, Joe (1990). Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare. Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-1855-7.
  2. ^ "Is Bugs Bunny a Rabbit or a Hare?". November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "What's the Difference Between Rabbits and Hares?". Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Mel Blanc". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "Bugs Bunny: The Trickster, American Style". Weekend Edition Sunday. NPR. January 6, 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 58–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Most Portrayed Character in Film". Guinness World Records. May 2011. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.
  8. ^ "Bugs Bunny". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2012.