Looney Tunes/Characters: Difference between revisions

The - well, the Bugs Bunny. No description needed.{{context|reason=MOD: Yes, one is needed. There are people who have never heard of this character.}}

Was originally [[Screwy Squirrel|The Screwball]]/[[Cloudcuckoolander]], later [[Flanderized]] by Jones (and Freleng) into a [[Jerkass]] [[Small Name, Big Ego]], most famously paired with Bugs as the [[Odd Couple]]. In this incarnation, used either as a foil for Bugs or to parody action-adventure heroes. Meanwhile McKimson [[Composite Character|combined the two interpretations]] and made Daffy into a [[Loveable Rogue]]. Later also joined Sylvester on the hunt for Speedy Gonzales.

[[The Everyman]] and [[Straight Man]] to the rest of the cast, known for his [[Porky Pig Pronunciation|ridiculously thick stutter]]. Often played a [[Deadpan Snarker]] or [[Butt Monkey]], usually when paired with Daffy (either role [[Depending on the Writer|depending on the latter's interpretation]].

One of only three humans in the regular cast (the others being Yosemite Sam & Tweety's owner Granny). The [[Butt Monkey]], often [[Too Dumb to Live]]. An avid hunter, thus Jones' favorite adversary for both Bugs & Daffy, reaching a peak in the iconic Rabbit[[The SeasonHunting trilogyTrilogy|Hunting Trilogy]]. Less popular with the other directors, who found him too wimpy. On a side note, he had an earlier, [[Flat Character|less distinctive prototype]] named Egghead, who was sometimes referred to as elmerElmer.

On a side note, [[Popcultural Osmosis|he didn't appear as often as most people think]]--; in fact, he only appeared in about 36 of the original Bugs Bunny cartoons (although he did star in some of his own shorts, as well as other star characters cartoons).

* [[Affably Evil]]: Generally nice guy when not trying to blast (not-so-) innocent animals with his shotgun.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: "Shhh -- be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."

* [[Hidden Depths]]: Who would have guessed that the same Elmer Fudd that seemingly can't tell the difference between an actual woman and Bugs Bunny in a dress [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2auI6Uz3D8I was an expert in economics]? <ref> At least, when [[Executive Meddling]] brought on by the [[Red Scare]] forced him to be.</ref>

* [[Team Rocket Wins]]: {{spoiler|Actually got his revenge on "that wascawy wabbit" in ''"Rabbit Rampage''" and ''"Hare Brush''". And then there's ''"[[What's Opera, Doc?'']]", wherein he [[Only Mostly Dead|seemingly]] ''kills'' Bugs.}}

In Clampett's hands, Tweety was a pink, sadistic trickster who used his wits to get rid of cats. Later, under Freleng, Tweety became yellow (the Hays Office balked because the pink made him look naked), found a recurring adversary in Sylvester, and often depended on an umbrella-wielding Granny or an angry bulldog to get rid of him. Time has made modern generations mistake him for a female.

A [[Funny Foreigner]] and [[Handsome Lech]] said to be the most foul smelling skunk in the world - or to his own kind, the best smelling - completely oblivious to his body odor problem... and thus to why all the beautiful 'young ladies' keep running from him in disgust.

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: One of the few rare male examples, and possibly the most popular when one wants to prove that not all [[Abhorrent Admirer|AbhorrentAdmirers]]s are women who are [[Hollywood Ugly|ugly]], [[Hollywood Pudgy|fat]], or [[Yandere|insane]].

** Pepe doesn't always go after anything painted black and white or dressed in skunk fur, but he does go after cats (which, when you think about it, becomes a very dirty [[Stealth Pun]] on "going after pussy[cats]"). Take "Past Perfumance." When the nameless cat jumps into a barrel of water, her stripe runs off. Pepe discovers that the cat he's been chasing all this time isn't a skunk, but does that deter him? Hell, no -- {{spoiler|Pepe paints over his own stripe and continues the chase anyway}}. It should be noted, however, that Pepe Le Pew does fit this trope in the Looney Tunes comic books published by D.C. Comics, as a result of [[Flanderization]].

* [[Depraved Bisexual]]: At best, Pepe fits this trope (at worst, he's a [[Stalker with a Crush]] who goes after [[Anything That Moves]] as long as it's black and white striped. The D.C. Comics have him as either/or, depending on writer). In 1951's "Scentimental Romeo" had Pepe make out with a human man inside a Tunnel of Love ride. The man is so traumatized that he signs up for the French Foreign Legion and passes out. [[It Makes Sense in Context]]...sorta.

* [[Did Not Get the Girl]]: Believe it or not, there ''was'' a Pepe cartoon were Penelope runs off and Pepe doesn't continue the chase. That cartoon was 1951's "Scentimental Romeo" and the chase is interrupted when {{spoiler|the zookeeper takes Pepe back to the zoo and Pepe bids a tearful farewell to Penelope}}.

* [[Everything Sounds Sexier in French]]: And it still sounds sexier even if said French is broken and full of [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Incredibly Lame Puns]]s.

* [[Handsome Lech]]: If it weren't for Pepe, other [[Handsome Lech|HandsomeLeches]]examples like [[Family Guy|Glen Quagmire]] or [[Johnny Bravo]] probably wouldn't have been created.

* [[Casanova Wannabe]]: The beginning of 1954's "The Cat's Bah," when he's being interviewed by the unseen reporter (in a parody of the original TV show version of "The Continental," years before Christopher Walken would do it on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'').

** This aspect of Pepe's character was based off of a close friend of Chuck Jones who was a ladies man who liked to be upfront and in control of women but when they were flirtatious back at him he got nervous. Pepe is basically a representation of this friend, he puts on a good front but doesn't know how to receive romance.

* [[Spiritual Successor]] and /[[Distaff Counterpart]]: On ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'', there's Fifi La Fume, who acts just like Pepe (except that she likes it when men go after her), right down to mistaking black -and -white striped animals for male skunks (though it was revealed that she has a crush on Pepe Le Pew onduring an episode where Elmyra thinks Fifi is a kitty).

A cat with a speech impediment who usually tries to eat Tweety or Speedy Gonzales, with little success. One of the most versatile of the ensemble, prone to neuroses and usually the star of the comic melodramas. In Robert McKimson's hands, the more slobby Sylvester has a hyper-articulate son named Sylvester Jr., whom Dad tries to impress by chasing what turns out to be a baby kangaroo into another room; when he retreats gibbering at the 'giant mouse!'. Junior is mortified. On a side note, he was technically a creation of [[Bob Clampett]]'s unit, as evidenced by him appearing in one of Clampett's last theatrical cartoons, "Kitty Kornered". Obviously, Freleng's take on Sylvester is the one everybody remembers.

* [[Anthropomorphic Shift]]: One-time example in "[[The Scarlet Pumpernickel]]"; Sylvester as the Grand Duke is a full-blown [[Funny Animal]]

* [[Laser-Guided Karma]]: While hopeless at catching prey like Tweety and Speedy, there are odd cases where Sylvester is forced to protect his potential prey, at which point he is often quite competantcompetent (eg. ''A Mouse Divided'', 'Father Of The Bird''). He is still usually robbed of a full victory at the end of it though. Such cases also often double as a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]].

* [[Talking to Himself]]: Though this can referedrefer to most of the cast, this was especially notable on the occasions paired with Daffy, who had the same speech pattern as Sylvester, only sped up after recording (ege.g. ''The Scarlet Pumpernickel'', ''The Yolks On You'').

A brash little outlaw with handlebar mustachios and a severe temper problem, introduced as 'a more [[Worthy Adversary]]' for Bugs than the meek Elmer. Said to be a caricature of his (short, brash, redheaded) creator. Introduced as a cowboy bandit, he eventually became the stock blowhard villain character: Civil War general, Viking, Pirate, The Black Knight (no Python references please), politician, an Arab sheiksheikh, etc. Oddly enough, he wears his bandit mask no matter what role he plays.

* [[Expy]]: The De Patie Freleng short ''Panchos Hideaway'' features the bandit Pancho Vanilla, who matches Sam in terms of personality, role and design,; Pancho's largest differences are his darker facial hair and mexicanMexican accent.

** Literally in "Lighter Than Hare".

* [[Worthy Adversary]]: Created as a more formidable villain compared to Elmer, - [[Villain Decay|it didn't ''quite'' last, however]].

A loud, obnoxious rooster with a Southern accent, based on Fred Allen's 'Senator Claghorn' radio character. Considers himself the life of the party;, demonstratesas demonstrated by tricking a baby chickenhawkschicken-hawk out of capturing him, abusing Mandrake the barnyard dog by whomping his asshim with a wooden board and painting his tongue green, or babysitting a genius chick named Eggbert in order to cozy up to his widow hen mother.

An [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]] who wants to see an [[Earthshattering Kaboom]], and is the [[Trope Namer]] thereof (albeit invariably foiled by Bugs).

A speedy bird and the coyote who uses a variety of backfiring Acme Company traps and mail-order gadgets to try to catch him - 'try' being the operative word. The coyote was named when he had some cartoons facing off against Bugs instead of Roadrunner, where he became "Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius" - the Road Runner remains mute to this day (meep-meep!) as he is now the mascot for Time Warner Cable.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Practicaly his default facial expression

Another [[Funny Foreigner]] and good-natured [[Trickster]] who moves at [[Super Speed]] to help his poor Mexican mouse friends get cheese from "el gringo pussygato" (usually Sylvester). Has a lethargic cousin named (inevitably) "Slowpoke Rodriguez" who uses a gun to incapacitate cats instead. [[Dork Age|For obvious reasons]], the Speedy shorts — particularly the late 1960s ones with Daffy as his antagonist — tend not to be received well by animation fans and historians.

** A possible reason for Daffy's more malicious persona during the De Patie Freleng era was to remedy this trope and [[Worthy Opponent|utilise a greater malice]] that Speedy could come off as more sympathetic and fallible against (much akin to Yosemite Sam replacing the more pitiful Elmer Fudd as Bugs' enemy). While still a [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|bumbling loser]], Daffy often managed to [[Not So Harmless|genuinely challenge and intimidate]] Speedy much more often than Sylvester did previously. In a couple of cases [[Team Rocket Wins|Speedy even ended up the loser of the short]].

* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: His hair resembles devil horns. He spins like a whirlwind, which is also called a "dust devil".

A frog from [[The Gay Nineties]] is discovered by a man in modern times. Unfortunately, the frog acts as his [[Not-So-Imaginary Friend]]. Listed here as an honorable mention, as he only ever appeared in one cartoon, which he didn't share with any other iconic characters, and was never really iconic himself until he became the mascot for [[The WB]] Network in the 90's.

* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: Has survived in a box for several years since the age of cavemen.

* [[Flat Character]]

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: In the Warners Special. Keep in mind, he has the ''exact same voice'' as [[Pete]] and [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Dr. Robotnik]]!

* [[The Cameo]]: Popped up early in "Patient Porky", made a blink and you'll miss it cameo in [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]], and was going to appear in ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'' in the original ending until that ending was scrapped; (butsaid ending can be seen as an extra on the DVD).

* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: In "Hare Um Scare Um", he is unabashablyunabashedly crazy, and proud of it.

Early creation of Chuck Jones, a ridiculously cute, naive little mouse that often obliviously wandered into danger's way. As the shorts transitioned into zanier humor, attempts were made to evolve Sniffles accordingly, Flanderizingflanderizing him into a [[Karmic Trickster]] with a [[Motor Mouth]], though the character was ultimately phased out (though still had a healthy run in the comics.) His motor mouth version made a brief speaking appearance in ''[[Space Jam]]''.

* [[Hilariously Abusive Childhood]]: Junior is repeatedly punched or bludgeoned by Papa Bear for his stupidity.

* [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse]]: He can effortlesselyeffortlessly take down ol' Foggy, even though he's only a measly few inches high!

* [[Breakout Character]]: Is arguably more the lead protaganistprotagonist of [[Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries]] than the title pair.

* [[Mama Bear]]: Do '''not''' mess with her pets.

A large dog and a little [[Cute Kitten|kitten]]. [[Papa Wolf|The former is very protective of the latter]].

* [[Go Mad Fromfrom the Revelation]]: Bugs once scared him off by making him realize that [[Paranoia Fuel|he was currently being watched by possibly thousands of people this entire time]] ([[Breaking the Fourth Wall|read: the viewers]]). He proceeded to run screaming to get away. Through several walls.

* [[Jerkass]]: Especially in ''Mouse Wreckers''.

* [[Took a Level Inin Jerkass]]: After his run with Hubie and Bertie ended, he became a jealous foil for Frisky Puppy and Pussyfoot.

'''Debut:''' "Little Orphan Airdale" (1947) <ref>Though if you count the character he was created to be an [[Expyexpy]] of, his actual debut is "Porky's Pooch" (1941).</ref>

* [[Dogged Nice Guy]]: [[Incredibly Lame Pun|A non-romantic example]].

* [[Loveable Rogue]]: Though like Daffy, he can act less than loveablelovable in his schemes at times.

* [[All There in the Manual]]: Penelope's name (while referedreferred to in "The Cat's Bah") was inconsistantinconsistent until promotional art for "Carrotblanca" confirmed it.

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Usually timid in personality, though she can turn violent if harrassedharassed for long.

* [[Crack Pairing]]: A pretty much In-Universe example in "Carrotblanca", where because Lola hadn't been created yet Penelope gets paired with Bugs Bunny.

* [[You Look Familiar]]: Her design is pretty much a grown-up version of Pussyfoot, and almost a [[Distaff Counterpart]] for Sylvester physically - and, considering their equal neuroses and [[Lovable Coward|fearful personalities]], partially in personality). In fact, she is near identical to Mrs. Sylvester from "A Mouse Divided", [[Adaptation Dye Job|fur color aside]].

* [[Blinding Bangs]]: Sam's got them. In one cartoon, Ralph assumes that they impair his vision and tries to take advantage of this. [[Failure Is the Only Option|It doesn't work]].

* [[Dogs Are Dumb]]: Averted.

* [[Expy]]: Originally, Ralph had significant differences from Wile E. (EarlierCoyote, with earlier shorts showgiving him different feet, a more prominent tail, etc)and but sincethe they had a similar faces,like; later animatorsappearances becamemake lazyhim andmuch startedcloser drawingto themWile theE. samein waylooks.

* [[Bare Your Midriff]]-: exaggeratedOn at firstdisplay in her debut film alongdue withto her [[Memetic Outfit]], as shown in the image, but was then zigzagged along with [[Unlimited Wardrobe|other outfits]] in her later appearances.

* [[Berserk Button]]-: [[CaptainShe Obvious|seedoes quote]]NOT like being called "doll".

* [[Distaff Counterpart]]-: To Bugs.

* [[HotterFurry andFemale SexierMane]]-: she has a tuft of blonde hair on the purposetop of her introductionhead.

* [[RememberPetting theZoo New Guy?Person]]-: TheIn way Warner's'[[The beenLooney marketingTunes herShow]]'' since her debut inand ''[[SpaceNew Looney JamTunes]]''.

* [[The Renaissance Age of Animation]]-: She ironicallyIronically made her debut in the last few years of that period.

* [[The Smurfette Principle]] -: Almost certainly added to the regular Looney Tunes line-up because of this. Before her, the onlymost real majorcommon female Looney Tunes charactercharacters waswere Penelope and Granny.