Happy 70th Birthday
He doesn’t look a day over thirty. His youthful vitality is particularly amazing, considering that he’s a veteran of the Pacific War. I’m tempted to say we should send him to Afghanistan, but he’s probably too politically incorrect for today’s army.
[Update a few minutes later]
Here’s his (unembeddable) fifty-first-and-a-half anniversary spectacular from 1991. It seems like only yesterday.
July 27th, 2010 at 11:44 am
For me, the REAL Bugs Bunny is the sophisticated reactionary one that shows up only in the cartoons directed by Chuck Jones.
A close second, but an altogether different character was the one done by Robert Clampett.
As for the other incarnations of the wascally wabbit – meh.
July 27th, 2010 at 11:46 am
What K said. Bugs is the modern incarnation of the trickster, my favorite Jungian archetype.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Nah, Roadrunner is da fowl. Unlike Bugs, who had to do stuff to his nemeses, Roadrunner allowed Wile E to do himself in.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Anyone know why Looney Tunes aren’t on TV any more?
July 27th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Bugs is the modern incarnation of Puck.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
But how many of us got our introduction to classical music via Bugs Bunny? “What’s Opera Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville” immediately come to mind, as well as the spot-on impersonation he did of Leopold Stokowski.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
His youthful vitality is particularly amazing not merely because he is 70, but because since rabbits live about 7-10 years – that means that in human years, BUGS IS 500-700 YEARS OLD!! Wow, I’ve got to start eating more carrots!
July 27th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Just saw a post on Instapundit about Michelle’s request for birthday cards for Barry. I think it would be more appropriate to, instead, send a card to Bugs.
1.)He has created laughter world wide for 70 years, not just the last 18 months.
2.) Bugs’ idea of pork is extra carrots
3.) With the exception of a single American, Elmer, everyone seems to be pro-Bugs or at least neutral.
4.) When Bugs asks “What’s up Doc?” he already knows and he’s just checking on the opposition. “Rationed Healthcare!” is NEVER the answer he would get.
5.) There is actually a plot to Bug’s Looney Tunes!
Happy 70th, Buddy!
July 27th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Bugs was at his best before they started treating him like a “star” at WB animation. The two “Tortoise Beats Hare” cartoons (“Oooh you doity toitle!”) are hilarious. I love him as “Superrabbit,” as a foil for Wiley Coyote (one of the coyote’s very few speaking roles), and torturing an operatic bass-baritone (“Of course you know, this means war”).
July 27th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Only 70? What about the Bugs Bunny of the 30s, the nemesis of Egghead.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Geoff, the entire Looney Tunes library currently belongs to Turner Broadcasting, which televises them only on Cartoon Network, and then only occasionally. And even then, I think most are the censored versions.
Bugs was appearing in B-52 nose-art as late as the Vietnam War. I’m sure there are some aircraft somewhere in combat zones that still bear his image, unless the Air Force has gotten truly draconian about its no-nose-art rules.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:35 am
You can find a LOT of them on YouTube. Here is the link to the classic opera feature mentioned above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPCUDAF0bVY
July 28th, 2010 at 4:41 am
Well, the link is to a Spanish language version, blast. Will post the original when I can find it
July 28th, 2010 at 4:48 am
3.) With the exception of a single American, Elmer, everyone seems to be pro-Bugs or at least neutral.
There was this fellow named Sam from Yosehite who didn’t like Bugs very much, either.
One of the things I remember is how well they blended in cultural references into the cartoons. For example, in the 1944 cartoon, “Little Red Riding Rabbit“, when Bugs gets to Grandma’s house, there’s a note on the door saying that Grandma is working a swing shift at Lockheed. In the era of Rosie the Riveter, that was perfect.
July 28th, 2010 at 6:39 am
[...] Birthday Bugs Bunny, Statesman, Veteran, and Great [...]
July 28th, 2010 at 6:50 am
I just happened to pick up a 4 DVD collection of Bugs and friends the other day. It’s the original uncensored cartoons ( but obviously does not have the one with him fighting in WW2 ). Been busy introducing him to my young son.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:45 am
You can’t really send Bugs anywhere. He always takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ends up somewhere else.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Bugs is the best, hands down.
July 28th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I agree, Bugs Bunny is the best.
And you know, it wasn’t until this past year that I realized how much of his appeal was borrowed from Groucho Marx. That’s okay, it didn’t bother Groucho any… and Bugs made the style his own.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:42 am
They just aren’t as looney anymore.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:56 am
You could say that again!
July 28th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
[...] He doesn’t look a day over thirty. [...]
July 29th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Jones was a mixed blessing; requiring Bugs to always be the scrappy underdog. Gone was true Trickster nature of creating Chaos for the sheer fun of it.