Today marks the 83rd birthday of Bugs Bunny — he first appeared on July 27, 1940, in “A Wild Hare,” a short animated film released by Warner Brothers.
This beloved character is famous in pop culture for his catchphrase: “What’s up, Doc?”
The storyline of “A Wild Hare” portrays Elmer Fudd’s ongoing but unsuccessful quest to catch the clever Bugs Bunny.
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In his pursuit, Elmer peers into rabbit holes, teases Bugs with carrots, and tries (unsuccessfully) to catch him.
“Eventually, frustrated and driven mad by Bugs’ antics, Elmer walks away in tears … Bugs then starts to play his carrot like a fife, performing the tune ‘The Girl I Left Behind Me,’ while marching toward his rabbit hole,” according to Looney Tunes Fandom.
Bugs Bunny made his grand entrance in the summer of 1940. The animated short “A Wild Hare” premiered on July 27, 1940. (Warner Bros.)
The short film was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Short Subject: Cartoons,” according to the official Warner Brothers website.
Bugs Bunny was developed at Leon Schlesinger’s animation unit at Warner Brothers studios, as noted by Britannica.com.
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This creative unit enjoyed the talents of animation legends such as Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Friz Freleng, along with renowned voice actor Mel Blanc and composer Carl Stalling, as highlighted by the same source.
Bugs Bunny was developed at Leon Schlesinger’s animation unit at Warner Brothers studios.
Early versions of the witty and charming rabbit were voiced by Mel Blanc.
Bugs made his debut in the 1938 short “Porky’s Hare Hunt,” though his appearance and speech were quite different at that time, according to Variety.
In the following years, Warner Brothers produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons that showcased various other cartoon rabbits, multiple sources observed.
A poster featuring Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzalez, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester, circa 1950. (Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)
However, it was with the release of “A Wild Hare” in 1940 that Bugs Bunny became the character we know today, both in appearance and voice — it was here that he first said the iconic line, “What’s up, Doc?” according to Variety.
Only Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse stands as a rival to Bugs Bunny in terms of being the most beloved cartoon character of all time, as noted by Britannica.com.
Throughout his journey, Bugs has often shared the screen with fellow animated icons like Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, frequently facing off against Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam, the same source reported.
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Notable Bugs Bunny cartoons include “Hare Tonic” (1945), “The Big Snooze” (1946), “Hair-Raising Hare” (1946), “Buccaneer Bunny” (1948), “Mississippi Hare” (1949), “Mutiny on the Bunny” (1950), “What’s Up, Doc?” (1950), “The Rabbit of Seville” (1950), and the Oscar-winning “Knighty-Knight Bugs” (1958).
The standout animated piece “What’s Opera, Doc?” (1957), where Bugs and Elmer appear as Brunhild and Siegfried, was adapted from Richard Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung” — earning accolades as the first cartoon short inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1992, noted Britannica.com.
Bugs Bunny has been outsmarting hunter Elmer Fudd for many years. (Warner Bros.)
In 1987, long after his debut, “The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show” captured the title of ABC’s most popular children’s show, underlined by the headline “Wabbit Wins Watings Wace,” as stated by Variety.
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Bugs Bunny’s accolades continue to grow.
He has starred in over 150 films, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — and was the pioneering animated character to feature on a postage stamp.
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TV Guide also named him the number one character in their list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine.
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This clever cartoon icon has also appeared in feature films such as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (1988), “Space Jam” (1996) with Michael Jordan, and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021).
