Category: Characters

From what I’ve heard, having a baby is a most joyous occasion. I don’t get it. Maybe in the past when the human race was kept more in check, it would be worth getting excited over, but nowadays? I think any mother is just looking for an excuse to be able to drink again. Drinking is where this guy comes in.

This character doesn’t really have a name. He’s just a supporting character too. But he meets my five appearance rule. (Probably the last one of these character posts too. I’m sure you’re relieved.) This guy’s shtick is very simple: he’s a stork, so he delivers babies. The parents are so happy that they get out the champagne. Since the stork did most of the work, he’s invited to partake as well. And as I’ve stated, there’s no shortage of births on a daily basis. So our friend here drinks. And drinks. And drinks. And drinks. And drinks. And…

Yeah, not really a whole lot of story potential there. I think keeping him as a punchline was the right way to go. I do like that he’s not a bad guy despite his bad habits. He clearly wants the best for the babies he’s giving away, and does his best to get them to where they belong, regardless of his blood alcohol. He makes mistakes, but everyone does, and he often goes out of his way to fix things once he’s been found out. (Which leads to him making another one.)

For those of you who have visited this place before, (And I know there are of some you who do. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.) You may recall that I had decided this character was to be named “Tipsy.” I changed my mind to work the alliteration angle, instead. From now on, he’s Stupor Stork! You’re free to refer to him however you want. I’m too polite to tell you your names aren’t as clever.

Aside from that name, this character has had many a number of different monikers over the years. Happy Rabbit, Happy Hare, (much too tame for him) Prototype-Bugs Bunny, Prototype-Bugs, (much too clunky) Bugs’ Bunny (yes, with the apostrophe) and even just Bugs Bunny.

So… isn’t he just Bugs? Some would say so, but I’m not like some people. (And proud of it.) When I was first learning about the fine art form that is the Looney Tunes, one of the first things I learned was that Bugs’s first cartoon was “A Wild Hare.” If that is indeed true, and this rabbit made appearances before, then he can’t possibly be Bugs Bunny. So… who is he exactly?

Well, as I previously titled, he is Proto-Bugs. A cartoon rabbit that came before the more modern, sleek design, and helped pave the way for his successor. He was a rabbit who made his debut in “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” A cartoon directed by Cal Dalton, and Ben Hardaway. Ben there, had the nickname of Bugs, and so it wasn’t long before the studio model sheets were labeling the character as “Bugs’ Bunny.”

P.B. may look a bit like Bugs, but he behaves a bit more like Daffy. He doesn’t take anything seriously, he laughs at the drop of a hat, heck, his laugh sounds an awful lot like a famous woodpecker I know of. (Not too much of a coincidence. Ben would go on to help create Woody, and Mel would be the first voice of the character.)

Once Tex Avery used his own take of the rabbit in the aforementioned “A.W.H.” there really was no need to keep the prototype. Audiences loved Bugs, and really, he did do everything his predecessor did, but better. Besides, they already had Daffy as the resident screwball, so there just was no need to keep using the old model. (Don’t cry though. It really was for the best.)

Proto-Bugs has a bit of a legacy. He did appear in “Elmer’s Candid Camera.”, The first cartoon to feature the man. He was going to appear in “Back in Action.” before the scene was deleted. (It was a clever joke, but I doubt the general audience would have understood it. You know who you are and should be ashamed.) He even had a bit of a callback during “New Looney Tunes” when Bugs received a retro makeover. (But the whole scene was in grayscale, so even the uninitiated could understand the joke. Still be ashamed, though.)

All in all, if you love Bugs (And you do. YOU. DO.) then you owe a lot to his forefather, here. Maybe Bugs could have existed without his ancestor, but there’s a chance he wouldn’t have ended up as wonderful as he is today. And we probably would have “lost” WWII to boot, and then where would we be?

Talk about obscure! (That, I intend to do.)

Only the most diehard Looney-tic’s will even be aware of the existence of these two. On your left, a boxer. On the right, some type mixed breed, I think. (Surely you don’t expect me to know everything. I believe it’s at least part beagle.) As the title suggests, these two are curious. Curiously peeking into all manner of places like homes where they don’t belong.

At least, that was the shtick in their first two cartoons. Upon appearance three, they became more akin to adversaries, with the big one trying to keep the smaller one out of an amusement park. Later shorts would have the two both trying to keep a bone all to themselves, but constantly losing hold of it.

They don’t have names. (They don’t even talk) They need names. Names that shall be hereafter be canon. I think I’ll call the bigger one: Charles. Now, you may think this is rather uninspired and weak, but actually, I’m naming the fellow after my dead Grandfather whose name was Charles and-yes, I’m naming him after his director. For no other reason then because I want to name the other one, Joe. (Now I’m being clever.)

These two aren’t all that funny, but they are amusing and cute. (Like dogs are.) Plus, they were paired with Proto-Bugs once, so they at least have some sort of legacy. They get my vote for most obscure characters that meet my five appearance rule. Ah, well. At least they had more of a film career than I did. (Hey, one commercial was all I needed to feel special.)

I don’t expect you to recognize this character. Care to take a stab at what he looks like?

Uh, heh-heh, no. The cat I’m talking about actually IS cool.

*sigh* AND he’s a tiger.

OH, FOR CHUCK’S SAKE! Let me do it!

That’s who I mean!

Cool Cat was one of the very last characters for Looney Tunes. Not making his debut until 1967. As is befitting his name, he is rather cool. Not terribly, but enough. His most frequent adversary is a hunter by the name of Colonel Rimfire. He doesn’t have much of a motive to hunt C.C., but it’s probably a mixture of the thrill, and selling the fur on the black market.

Both of these characters are not voiced by Mel, (who was at this point in time, was mostly on team Hanna-Barberra) Instead, they got their pipes from a one Larry Storch. He does a good job. Cool has a beatnik-esqe voice, while the colonel has a British one. The two’s chase only lasted for four of Cool Cat’s six cartoon legacy. They also aren’t the best animated. They look good, but they’re about on par with the things you’d see on TV at the time. (The animators just weren’t getting the money needed to make cartoons look any better.)

As you might expect, the two barely get any recognition. They did make the odd cameo in “The Tweety and Sylvester Mysteries.” Which led to making one more appearance in “Tweety’s High-flying Adventure.” Other than that, I’m afraid, they got nothing.

Hopefully, I’ve opened your eyes to a feline who fully deserves the “Cool” part of his moniker. At least the name itself won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

We now come to the year 2020 A.D. The year of hindsight. I’m well aware that I’m not even close to being the first person to make such a joke, but I will use it to tie into today’s post, where I’ll ask this question: “Was this character a good idea?”

This is Inki. He is a young hunter. At least, that’s what he tries to be. For most of his pictures, he doesn’t seem to be very capable. (Like all Warner Bros. hunters) And you probably noticed the thing that I’m not bringing attention to: he looks like a girl. (At least, that was my first thought when I saw him.) Really, its the rest of him. The large hooped earrings, the loincloth, and the prominent lips. All are signs of the stereotypical African. Yet, the audiences never found him too offensive. (For one thing, it’s never outright stated that he is from Africa. Kid never speaks.) It was the higher ups that figured he shouldn’t be seen, and that accounts for his obscurity. (Even though none of his pictures crack the “Censored Eleven.”

As the title of the post suggests, he is only one half of a comedy duo. Thus, I introduce his co-star: the Mynah Bird.

What is widely known about Mynah Birds? Their ability to mimic human speech, of course. Forget that. This bird is as silent as Inki. Not only that, but he just might be the Looney Tunes biggest bada$$. Nothing rattles this passerine. Whenever he makes an appearance, he looks straight ahead, skips to the tune of “The Hebride Overture” and prefers not to interact with anybody. Naturally, this tends to get the attention of everyone nearby. (Although, many flee in terror when he’s around) Woe betide anyone foolish enough to tangle with this bird. He can do things. We don’t see how he does it, but he can hurt, humiliate, and sometimes even help others. (But don’t try thanking him. He doesn’t want to put up with you.) So cool.

Inki may have fallen into obscurity, but the bird still made the occasional appearance later on in life. Making cameos in “Tiny Toons”, “Animaniacs,” and “Tweety’s High Flying Adventure.” (He’s less likely to tie knots in the panties of oversensitive folk) Really though, as a Looney Tune-iseur, I’d recommend giving the cartoons a watch. They really aren’t as bad as appearances might lead you to believe. (They were done by Chuck Jones. THE master of the silent slapstick.) But the real reason I think they are great? That bird is clearly my spirit animal. (He’s not the only one people tend to run in fear from. Probably for slightly different reasons, though.)

This here is the last regular Looney Tune to be make his appearance during the golden age. (By which I mean, making my criteria of appearing in at least five shorts.) As is befitting his name, Merlin is a magician. The joke being, that he’s not a very good one. It’s not much of a joke, but to liven it up a little, he actually HAS some magic powers. (Or at least his hat does.)

For his first appearance (In the appropriately named “Merlin the Magic Mouse”) he was voiced by the talented Daws Butler. For his remaining appearances, the role went to Larry Storch. His voice sounds like a dying W.C. Fields. An odd choice I must say. By 1968, was Fields still popular enough to spoof? Is Merlin a field mouse? Is it just because he has a red nose? Maybe they were just trying to keep the studio afloat as long as they could, knowing that the end was nigh?

Merlin is always accompanied by his sidekick, Second Banana.

A sad enough name, but even worse, the kid doesn’t get many lines. (I’m actually not sure of his age. He seems like a kid.) When he does talk, he shares the voice of whoever is voicing Merlin, minus the Fields voice. He wore a bow tie for his first three appearances, but upgraded to a sweater for the final two.

They’re entertaining enough, but I suppose it just wasn’t enough to keep the public interested in short films playing at theaters any longer. These two kinda faded into obscurity, but they had appearances in merchandise, like dolls and comics. Merlin himself would make cameos in both “The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries” and “Bugs Bunny’s Crazy Castle” Nice to see he had SOME sort of legacy.

They may not be animation’s most popular mice, but they are good enough to see the studio on its way out. Hats off to you Merlin, and your second banana too. I’m happy to blog about your guy’s greatest works. (All five of them)

Leon Schlesinger was a real joy to work for. He left his employees to do what they wanted as long as followed his demands. This did lead to some drawbacks, though. For example, directors were not given the credit they so richly deserved. Instead, they were given the rather meaningless honor of “supervisors.”

Yes, Leon had his good and bad points. Unfortunately, his bad points would often drive some of his best employees away. (I’ve already discussed the tragedy that was known as “losing Tex Avery” At least he still had success over at MGM) Years before that happened, he would lose Harman and Ising. (Who also went to MGM. That’s just where people went when they were done with the WB. Even Freleng did that at one point. Happily, he came back.) But since they were the ones who created Bosko, they took him with them to the other studio. And yes, Bosko had a few MGM shorts made. How was he looking?

Oh my. That’s unfortunate.

Without his “star” (Bosko may have been entertaining, but he never was able to compete with the mouse or the flapper) Leon needed a new character. But why should he design one? He’s the boss. So he lured out animators from other studios. (With bait I suppose. He probably just attached a string to a piece of paper that had “Draw on me.” written on it. Pulling it along, he’d easily get his prize.)

One of these animators came from Disney. He was Earl Duvall. (Pretty prolific in the field of drawing. Working on both the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies comic strips.) He designed Buddy. Buddy, (I’m sorry to say) doesn’t really have any character. He is just sort of bland, big-eyed, and always smiling. He’d probably work a lot better as a comic strip than an animated toon. (Call it “My bro Buddy.” And it could be about Buddy and his brother…Boy.)

Yᴏᴜ ʀᴀɴɢ?

No. Back in your kennel.

Yeah, Buddy wasn’t the star Leon was hoping for. His cartoons are still fun to watch, but they really needed a better lead role. At least for his sake, Buddy had a girlfriend. Her name was Cookie. (Warner Brothers toons like women with “sweet” names.) She might have even less character than Buddy. That’s a shame.

Today, Buddy is one of the lesser known characters. But he still has lived on a wee bit. (I swear there is a picture of him in Space Jam.) But his biggest feat was appearing on Animaniacs.

Don’t let that smile fool you. Here, it was said that the Warner siblings were added to his shorts to make them actually funny. That mostly meant having him get hit with giant mallets. This promoted the kids to star category, and Buddy was forced into retirement. He blamed them for ruining his career, and tried to axe them off. (He failed.)

Despite all the negativity I’ve spewed, I can’t say I hate Buddy. If he wasn’t forced to be rushed, maybe he could have been halfway decent. Good try Buddy.

Kangaroos are interesting animals. They are marsupials which means that the females lack a placenta or womb. This means that they have really small gestation periods and the young are born in a near unrecognizable state. The young then crawl into a pouch that their mother has where they will latch onto a nipple and suckle constantly. As the young gets bigger, it starts to resemble its parent more. Eventually, it can venture out of the pouch. But will continue to visit and once it gets too big, at least poke its head in for a quick suckle. Adult kangaroos feed on grass and other vegetation. They have to hop everywhere as they are incapable of walking. They live only on Australia along with the majority of the worlds marsupials. They have long ears much like a rabbits, and thick supple tails.

Now why am I discussing the natural aspects of a kangaroo on a blog about animation? Well, based on that description I just gave you, would you ever look at one of these things and go “Wow. That’s a big mouse.”? And yet, that’s how this guys shorts play out. Sylvester will catch sight of him and try to hunt him, under the assumption that he is a rodent of unusual size. (Although if Sylvester is a normal house cat, and Hippity is as tall as him, then capybaras are larger still.) His reasons for catching him aren’t even food based. (Just like in nature. Predators aren’t likely to waste their time hunting something large that can fight back unless there is a number of themselves) Most of the time, its a matter of pride. He wants to prove to his son that he can catch said mouse as he has just spent the first part of the short bragging about his skills. Other times, he wants nothing to do with the “mouse” but other characters refuse to believe in a giant mouse’s existence and demand he face his fear. Hippity himself doesn’t talk as he is a baby. What’s more, since he comes from a species who is known to practice kick boxing as young, he doesn’t know that his repeated pummelings of Sylvester are hurting him. So, yeah, his shorts aren’t big on story. It’s just McKimson trying his own version of a chase cartoon. Jones had his coyote/roadrunner and wolf/sheepdog, Freleng had Sylvester with Tweety or Speedy, and McKimson had a baby kangaroo. (Who for the sake of the joke is always drawn with rounded ears to look more mouselike.)

When Chuck Jones started directing his own shorts, this was his first character. As you can tell, Sniffles was a mouse. (Mice were quite popular in animation for a while there.) His name came about from his first appearance, wherein he had a cold. Seeing as he came around at the beginning of Jone’s directing career, Sniffles acted towards his problems much differently than the other Looney Tunes. (And he wasn’t voiced by Mel. But Bernice Hansen. I think the voice suits him)  His first instinct was to run away. While this didn’t make for especially funny shorts, they were still entertaining. Showing how one might live if you were the size of a mouse. By the end of his theatrical career, Sniffles got more of a personality. He became quite the chatterbox. And this is how he is remembered to this day. But the poor guy just couldn’t compete with other characters like Daffy and Bugs, and by 1946, he had his final short. But the little guy wasn’t completely forgotten. He played quite the prominent role in the early Looney Tunes comic books. There he was the friend of a girl named Mary Jane. She could shrink down to his size and join him on his adventures.

He got his own apprentice on Tiny Toons. (Known as Lil Sneezer.)

And he played for the Tune Squad in “Space Jam.” He is promptly squished after annoying one of the Monstars with his chatter. (Which kind of annoys me. I wish his opponent would have covered his ears or something, allowing Sniffles to take the ball.) And he got a shout out in the direct to DVD movie “Leroy and Stitch.” One of the experiments is given the name “Squeak” and he is designed to annoy people with his endless chatter. And he wears a suspiciously similar hat. 

And Sniffles was meant to appear in “The Looney Tunes Show.” But sadly it was cancelled before he could make more of an appearance besides the intro. But what really makes me sad, is that he was set to be voiced by Tara Strong. She’s a master at voicing cute characters. It would have been great to see how she would have made him sound. It’s sad that the little fella never got as popular as his co-stars, but he at least made enough of an impact to be absorbed by everyone subconsciousness. And I take great pride in having seen every one of his shorts. This Sniffles is one I am always happy to see every flu season. (Sorry, was that too cheesy?)

I apologize for the wait on today’s post. I got called into work today. As such, I didn’t have time to watch a short. So it’s time for another character profile. And don’t expect a post next Monday. Guess who’s going to comiccon?

Unlike pretty much every other character in Looney Tunes, Sylvester is a father. (Of course, some shorts had the others being parents for a joke.) Being Sylvester though, he’s not going to admit all the times he failed to his son. So he builds himself up as a champion predator. And like most kids, his son wants to believe every word. Unfortunately for him, something always comes along to put Sylvester back in his place and Jr. ends up hiding his face in shame. (Who’s his mother? I don’t know.) Still, the poor kid loves his dad (and usually ends up finding a much simpler solution to the current short’s problem.) It’s a nice bit of fatherly love to balance out the chaotic madness of these brilliant cartoons.