If you crossed Hannibal Lecter with the Terminator, he’d be Bugs Bunny. As someone who deplores rudeness, Bugs is prone to an insane commitment to terrorizing those who dare to piss him off. He will never stop. He could come at you in any shape or form. He is, without question, the most terrifying foe one could ever face.
Or am I over analyzing things a bit too much?
Bugs was created in the late 1930s / early 1940s (depending on what you consider his first official appearance) and has grown in popularity to become one of the worlds most beloved cartoon characters. As the official mascot of Warner Bros., Bugs has appeared in everything from short films and comic books to features and at theme parks. He’s one of the (many) sworn enemies of the Angry Video Game Nerd, made a substantial cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and rivals Mickey Mouse as the most prominent animated character of the 20th century.
However, the fact that kids cuddle with Bugs Bunny dolls doesn’t diminish what I said to begin with – Bugs is a vicious fucking creature. You may argue that his nemesis deserve it. After all, Elmer Fudd is hunting him, Yosemite Sam is out to get him, Daffy Duck is always setting him up – all true. But Bugs takes such pleasure in tormenting his advisories that he’s clearly a sociopath. And you know what…that’s just how I like him.
Nowadays all the Looney Tunes get along. They’re buddies who have happy, fun adventures. That’s not what they started off as. Once upon a time, Warner Bros. was the dark reflection of the innocence found at Disney. The level of violence found in classic cartoons from the first half of the 20th century would make Itchy & Scratchy cringe. As time went on parents grew more concerned about the carnage their kids were exposed to. Rumors of kids who went blind from being poked in the eyes after watching Three Stooges spooked the adults, and they toned down the Looney Tunes. The shame of it is that they also dumbed down the Looney Tunes.
Bugs wasn’t just more ruthless than his opponent, he was smarter. The funniest part of many of the Elmer Fudd shorts usually came in the beginning. Elmer would rush up behind Bugs, shove the barrel of his gun into the rabbits head roughly, and warn him that he was about to meet his maker. How did Bugs react to such a threat? Not with panic. Not with begging or pleading. Instead his eyes would narrow, and cool as a cucumber he would turn around and lean on Elmer’s gun, which always unnerved the hunter. Calmly Bugs would start munching on a carrot, his expression more put out that petrified, and he would ask one simple, solitary question that was the harbinger of Elmer’s doom: “What’s up, Doc?â€
Wait…Where have I see that expression before?
Bugs was never a character, like Daffy, who went looking for trouble. Bugs just want to make his way to Pismo Beach or to a carrot festival there in. However, when challenged, a switch would flip and his mission in life would become to rain down an unholy fire upon those who crossed him. Was he ruthless? Yes. Cruel? Most definitely. Violent? Impossible to deny.
…God, do I miss classic cartoons.
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