The History of Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny made his first official film appearance on July 27, 1940 in A Wild Hare. A prototype character sometimes referred to Happy Rabbit had already appeared in four films, starting with 1938’s Porky’s Hare Hunt. The film was directed by Ben “Bugs” Hardaway ­— and yes, that’s where the “Bugs” in Bugs Bunny’s name comes from! — and featured a smaller rabbit with a wacky personality more in line with Daffy Duck's. Director Tex Avery and animator Virgil Ross reworked Bugs’ appearance and personality for A Wild Hare, making his characteristic smart-aleck behavior more casual than wacky — for example, his nonchalent lack of fear around hunters. They also made him sarcastic in the vein of Groucho Marx and gave him specific habits, such as his carrot-chomping, which was inspired by Clark Gable nibbling on a carrot in It Happened One Night. Mel Blanc was responsible for choosing the character’s voice and bringing it to life and after seeing the revised drawings, the renowned voice actor immediately knew Bugs needed a Brooklyn accent. At an early screening of A Wild Hare, the audience reacted so strongly to Bug’s line, “What’s up, doc?” that it became his catchphrase. After his successful debut, Bugs Bunny went on to star in over 170 theatrical shorts made by a variety of directors including Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Frank Tashlin, Robert McKimson, and Chuck Jones. One 1964 short called Knighty-Knight Bugs won an Academy Award while Chuck Jones’s What's Opera, Doc, a 1957 parody of Wagnerian opera starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, became the first animated short inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry and is widely considered the greatest cartoon ever made. Bugs Bunny also became a staple figure featured in Saturday morning cartoons, made a cameo in the 1988 comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and starred in the films Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Today, Bugs Bunny is beloved by multiple generations and is one of the most recognizable cartoon characters of all time.