80 years ago today, (July 27, 1940 to be exact) Bugs Bunny made his debut. Created by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons)
Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray and white rabbit or hare who is famous for his flippant, rousing personality. He is also characterized by a Brooklyn accent, his portrayal as a trickster, and his catch phrase “Eh…What’s up, doc?”. Due to Bugs’ popularity during the golden age of American animation, he became not only an American cultural icon and the official mascot of Warner Bros. Entertainment, but also one of the most recognizable characters in the world. He can thus be seen in the older Warner Bros. company logos.
Since his debut, Bugs appeared in more than 150 cartoons produced between 1940 and 1964. He has also starred in feature films, compilations, TV series, music records, comics, video games, award shows, amusement park rides, and commercials. He has also appeared in more films than any other cartoon character, is the 9th most-portrayed film personality in the world, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Here is a scene from one of my favorite shorts of his where he takes on The Crusher
Here is Bugs Leading Them Hillbillies in a painful Square Dance (another favorite of mine)
And Finally here he is trying to outwit The Tazmanian Devil
So here’s to many more years of laughs with one of the greatest from Animation’s Golden Age
