The character that would evolve into Bugs Bunny appeared in four cartoon shorts before his first official appearance in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare.[1] While this early version is commonly referred to as "Happy Rabbit", animation historian David Gerstein disputes this, saying that the only usage of the term was from Mel Blanc himself; the name "Bugs Bunny" was used as early as April 1938, from a model sheet made by Charles Thorson which was used for the short Hare-um Scare-um.[2] Bugs was also mentioned by name from an August 1939 review of the short in the Motion Picture Herald.[3]
Several published first person accounts, encyclopedic references, and Warner Bros.' own published material describe the inception of the name and of the character. A model sheet by Charlie Thorson describes this prototype character as "Bug's Bunny" (note the apostrophe) but in most of the cartoons the character is unnamed.
Virgil Ross, the animator for A Wild Hare describes how the character came to be named in the interview published by Animato! magazine #19.[4] Mel Blanc often told the story of the creation of the character and its name. He suggested that the character be named after the character's initial director, Ben "Bugs" Hardaway.[5] Blanc's own book, That's Not All Folks published by Warner Books in 1988, describes the "tough little stinker" that was the eventual version of the redesigned character as directed by Avery.
Warner Brothers' own published descriptions of the creation of the character's name can be found in Animation Magazine published in 1990.[6] Therein it is described that the Hardaway unit's model sheet came to be known by fellow animators as "Bug's Bunny".
^Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (Revised ed.). Plume. pp. 245–250. ISBN 0-452-25993-2.
^"'BUGS BUNNY STUDIO MODEL SHEET' 1938 Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies • $5,200.00". PicClick. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
^Motion Picture Herald: August 12, 1939 "...With gun and determination, he takes to the field and tracks his prey in the zany person of "Bugs" Bunny, a true lineal descendant of the original Mad Hatter if there ever was one..."
^Chef, Seattle (22 October 2007). "The Birth of Bugs Bunny: Virgil Ross interview in Animato! #19, Virgil recalls Bug's Bunny, the drawing by Hardaway chosen as the model for the personality of the character".
^Chef, Seattle (15 September 2007). "The Birth of Bugs Bunny: Mel Blanc interviews".
^Chef, Seattle (5 January 2008). "The Birth of Bugs Bunny: Another reference to the Hardaway drawing in Animation magazine 1990".
and 17 Related for: Development of Bugs Bunny information
The character that would evolve into BugsBunny appeared in four cartoon shorts before his first official appearance in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare. While...
BugsBunny is a fictional character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger Productions) and voiced originally...
The BugsBunny Show is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by BugsBunny that was mainly composed of theatrical Looney...
BugsBunny Builders is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from Looney Tunes. The series...
This is a list of the various animated cartoons featuring BugsBunny. He starred in over 160 theatrical animated short films of the Looney Tunes and Merrie...
BugsBunny's girlfriend. She first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. A precursor character with the name "Honey Bunny" first appeared in the Bugs Bunny's...
The BugsBunny Crazy Castle is a 1989 puzzle video game developed by Kemco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1990, it was released with the same...
showing of the 1958 award-winning Warner Bros cartoon Knighty Knight Bugs before going into its film opening credits. This is followed up by BugsBunny narrating...
Clyde Bunny is a cartoon character who appears in three Looney Tunes shorts. He is the nephew ofBugsBunny. Clyde made his first appearance in His Hare-Raising...
BugsBunny in Space is a Looney Tunes television special that originally aired on CBS September 6, 1977. Assembled to capitalize on the enormous success...
contains a broader selection of cartoons from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, including: The Big Snooze Broomstick BunnyBugsBunny Rides Again The Heckling...
The BugsBunny Mystery Special is an animated television special that was broadcast on CBS October 15, 1980. Presented by Porky Pig as an Alfred Hitchcock-style...
Maltese. The cartoon was released on August 8, 1953, and stars BugsBunny. BugsBunny finds himself inadvertently embroiled in a bullfighting spectacle...
Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series and the archenemy ofBugsBunny. His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other...
is usually depicted as a foil for either BugsBunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged...