Crusader Rabbit

Crusader Rabbit
Title card
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"Rabbit Fanfare" (adapted from "The Trail to Mexico") and "Main Title Rabbit" (adapted from "Ten Little Indians")
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes
  • 455
  • 195 (black and white)
  • 260 (color)
Production
Executive producers
Running time4 minutes
Production companies
  • Television Arts Productions (1950–52)
  • Jerry Fairbanks, Inc. (1950–52)
  • Capital Enterprises/TV Spots (1956–59)
Original release
Network
ReleaseAugust 1, 1950 (1950-08-01) –
December 1, 1959 (1959-12-01)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Crusader Rabbit is an American animated series created by Alexander Anderson and Jay Ward, and the first of its kind to be produced specifically for television.[1] Its main characters were Crusader Rabbit and his sidekick Ragland T. Tiger, or "Rags". The stories were four-minute-long satirical cliffhangers.[2]

The concept was test marketed in 1948,[3] while the initial serial – Crusader vs. the State of Texas – aired on KNBH in Los Angeles beginning on August 1, 1950 (not August 1, 1949 as some sources erroneously state).[4] The program was syndicated from 1950 to 1951 for 195 episodes, then was revived in 1959 for 260 color episodes.[3] Ward, who later went on to create The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, was involved as business manager and producer.[5]

  1. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film And Television's Award-Winning And Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 348–349. ISBN 978-1557836717. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference markstein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Debunking The Myths: Crusader Rabbit and Walt Disney" Cartoon Research
  5. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 224–226. ISBN 978-1476665993.