- 5 weeks ago
Join us for a deep dive into the world of Looney Tunes, where cartoon chaos reigns supreme! From Wile E. Coyote's relentless Acme gadget schemes to Daffy Duck's hilarious antics and Bugs Bunny’s classic wisecracks, we celebrate the most iconic gags and memorable moments that have made these characters timeless favorites. Get ready to laugh and relive the looniest moments in cartoon history!
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00:01From Bugs Bunny to Wile E. Coyote, Looney Tunes has given us some of the most iconic characters, catchphrases, and
00:10cartoon chaos of all time.
00:13And today we are celebrating it all, starting with the looniest recurring gags.
00:20Be very quiet, I'm hunting rabbits.
00:28Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 Looney Tunes running gags.
00:36For this list, we're looking at the funniest and most legendary recurring comedy bits from the Looney Tunes and Mary
00:42Melody series.
00:43What do you think is the looniest running gag?
00:47Number 10, Michigan J. Frog Sings.
00:50This top hat wearing amphibian only appeared in one Golden Age cartoon.
00:53Everybody do the Michigan rag, everybody likes the Michigan rag.
01:00Yet he not only emerged as an iconic character, but supplied one of WB's most memorable running gags.
01:07In 1955's One Froggy Evening, the seemingly simple frog springs to life with the boisterous voice of nightclub singer Bill
01:14Roberts.
01:15Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my ragtime gal.
01:19Send me a kiss by water.
01:22Baby, my heart's on fire.
01:24The problem is he'll only perform for one unfortunate soul,
01:28who is determined to share the frog's gifts with the world for a profit.
01:32With each failed attempt, the man digs himself deeper into debt.
01:35Counting his losses, the man abandons Michigan, only so another unsuspecting schmuck can repeat the process.
01:42The gag continued in Tiny Toons and 1995's Another Froggy Evening,
01:46paving the way for Michigan to become the WB's mascot for a period.
01:50We were sailing along on moonlight bay.
01:58Number 9. Foghorn Leghorn Rants
02:00Foghorn Leghorn started as a supporting player, being the target of the chicken-hunting Henry Hawk.
02:06What's going on here?
02:09Well, I don't stand there with your beak open.
02:11Say something.
02:12It wasn't long until Foghorn stole the spotlight, ranting his way to top billing.
02:17Going forward, most shorts revolved around Foghorn finding new ways to antagonize the barnyard dog.
02:23Unlike some other Looney Tune rivalries, these two were almost equally matched,
02:28leaving us to wonder who would come out on top.
02:30Whoever won, we could always count on one thing.
02:34Foghorn going on a tirade, complete with an,
02:37I say, or, that's a joke, son.
02:39Now that, I say, that's no way for a kid to be wasting his time reading that long-haired gobbledygook.
02:46No, Looney Tune loved the sound of his own voice more,
02:49driving others to do everything in their power to shut him up.
02:54Sometimes, even the cartoon itself would cut Foghorn off mid-rant.
02:57My pa used to tell me, shut up, and I'd shut up.
03:00I wouldn't say nothing.
03:01One time, darn near starved to death.
03:03Wouldn't tell him I was hungry!
03:05Number 8. Yosemite Sam swearing.
03:08Yosemite Sam was often compared to his creator, Frizz Freeling.
03:12What's up? Why, you ornery, full of barren critter?
03:16This yos one of them, their train robbery holdups.
03:19Rarely was either the tallest man in the room,
03:22but both had fiery tempers that could blow the roof off.
03:25Of course, given the Haze Code,
03:27Sam couldn't say certain curse words that might have been more common around Termite Terrace.
03:32The red-hot outlaw would become synonymous with his own brand of swearing.
03:35From rackin' frackin' to rassifrassin'.
03:43We especially love the short From Hair to Air,
03:47where Sam must keep his temper under control.
03:49Although, he can't resist letting a few non-obscenities slip.
04:02For the most part,
04:05Sam's colorful vocabulary doesn't require a bleep button,
04:08but he does know a few legitimate curse words.
04:12Remember that time he went to H-E double hockey sticks?
04:14I'll get the critter this time!
04:16I'll send him to hell!
04:17Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, pardon my language.
04:20Number 7. Everyone wanting to get away from Pepe Le Pew.
04:24Nowadays, Warner Brothers likes to pretend that Pepe doesn't exist.
04:33Whether it's 2023 or 1945, though,
04:36one thing remains consistent.
04:38Everyone wants to distance themselves from Pepe.
04:41For humans, it's because of the French skunk's stench,
04:44which he's oblivious to.
04:45The clueless Pepe also can't tell the difference
04:48between a fellow skunk and a black cat with a painted white stripe.
05:01Although Pepe's pursuit of Penelope Pussycat has divided modern audiences,
05:05critics often overlook one element of this running gag.
05:08Things rarely work out for Pepe.
05:10Sometimes he ends up alone.
05:12Other times, Penelope turns the tables on him,
05:15sending Pepe running for the hills.
05:16There's still humor to be found in Pepe's cartoons,
05:19as long as you remember that he is a cautionary tale.
05:22No, no, please, mon cherie, do not erase me.
05:26The boy, she is cold and dark.
05:28Number 6. I'm hunting wabbits.
05:31Often cast as a hunter,
05:32Elmer Fudd opens many of his shorts addressing the audience.
05:36Shh, be very, very quiet.
05:39I'm hunting wabbits.
05:41By now, we all know why we have to be quiet.
05:44He's hunting rabbits, or as Elmer would say, wabbits.
05:47Elmer has almost always struggled with pronouncing his R's and L's,
05:51substituting them for a W.
05:53Although Elmer has no problem identifying wabbit tracks,
05:57bugs can easily deceive him with an attractive get-up.
06:00Once the wig comes off, hunting season is back on.
06:03I'll kill the wabbit!
06:06A wise storm!
06:08As much as Elmer wants to catch himself a wabbit,
06:11there's an element of remorse whenever he seemingly does bugs in.
06:14This goes to show that at his core, Fudd is a sympathetic fellow.
06:18Yet he suffers from the fatal flaw of never learning his lesson.
06:22Oh, what have I done to you, old friend?
06:26Number 5. I taught I taught a putty tat.
06:29Sylvester has a couple of rivals,
06:30on more than one occasion mistaking Hippity Hopper for a giant mouse.
06:34But you cannot top his futile pursuit of Tweety.
06:37I taught I taught a putty tat.
06:39Sylvester actually wasn't the first putty tat that Tweety saw in his 1942 debut.
06:44I taught I taught a putty tat.
06:46I did.
06:48I taught a putty tat.
06:51However, a classic duo was born in the Oscar-winning Tweety Pie,
06:55which first paired the cute canary with Sylvester,
06:58or Thomas as he was called here.
07:00As adorable as Tweety and his catchphrases are,
07:03he's not as innocent as he looks or sounds.
07:05He always takes delight in seeing Sylvester get his comeuppance,
07:09usually at the hands of Granny.
07:11The dynamic finds an unlikely balance,
07:13as we don't want to see Tweety eaten.
07:15Yet we feel bad whenever Sylvester is left saying,
07:18Suffer and suck-a-tash!
07:20Suffer and suck-a-tash!
07:22You didn't have to overdo it!
07:24Number 4. Coyote vs. Roadrunner
07:27Like Sylvester, we empathize with Wile E. Coyote,
07:30but not to the point that we want him to succeed.
07:32Sometimes I feel very sorry for the coyote.
07:36Sometimes I wish he'd catch him.
07:38Told through visuals and sound,
07:41virtually every short follows a classic formula
07:43with the coyote's pursuit of the roadrunner backfiring.
07:46Although the speedy bird is his target,
07:48the coyote's true enemies are the ineffective Acme Corporation,
07:52his own obsessive nature, and gravity.
07:54Acme, the only Batman outfit worn by bats.
07:59Chuck Jones had several rules concerning these characters,
08:02a standout being,
08:04the coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures.
08:08Perhaps nothing was more humiliating
08:10than repeatedly hearing the roadrunner utter
08:12beep-beep before darting off.
08:21Even when Wile E. finally caught the roadrunner in 1980's Supersonic,
08:26he's left on a humiliating note rather than a triumphant one.
08:29Number 3. Duck Season, Rabbit Season
08:31Although Daffy frequently clashes with Bugs,
08:34the egotistical duck is his own worst enemy.
08:37Nowhere is this more apparent than in the hunting trilogy
08:40where Daffy repeatedly sets himself up for failure.
08:43While outwitting Elmer Fudd isn't much of a challenge,
08:46Daffy is never a match for Bugs' clever wordplay.
08:48That, sir, is an immitigated fabrication.
08:52It's rabbit season.
08:54Duck season.
08:55As the two go back and forth on whether it's rabbit season or duck season,
08:59Daffy inevitably falls victim to pronoun trouble and reverse psychology.
09:03I say it's duck season, and I say fire!
09:07Just when Daffy thinks that he's won,
09:10he finds his bill on the wrong side of his head.
09:12Whether Bugs and Daffy are competing over stardom or survival,
09:15you can expect the competition to end with the duck staring down the sly rabbit,
09:19telling him that he's despicable.
09:22You're despicable!
09:24Number 2.
09:25Ebity, ebity, ebity, that's all, folks!
09:27Porky Pig first stuttered his way into the hearts of audiences in 1935,
09:32establishing himself as Termite Terrace's star character.
09:36Listen, my children, and you shall hear.
09:40Although his popularity would eventually be surpassed by Daffy and especially Bugs,
09:44Porky still got the last word.
09:47Porky may have the most famous outro of any cartoon character,
09:50bursting from a drum and attempting to say the end.
09:53That's all, folks!
09:56As is often the case with Porky, though,
09:58the sentence ultimately goes in another direction.
10:01Porky might not have been the first Looney Tune to say that's all, folks,
10:04but he made the line his own with a signature delivery.
10:07Since then, many others have attempted to take Porky's place,
10:11including Michael Jordan.
10:13However, nobody closes a cartoon quite like Porky does.
10:21Before we unveil our top pick,
10:24here are some honorable mentions.
10:26Wrong turn at Albuquerque.
10:27Bugs should just vacation in Albuquerque more often.
10:30I wonder, you know,
10:32I just bet we should have turned left at Albuquerque,
10:35and then maybe a right turn at Lajola.
10:38Speedy Gonzales speeding away.
10:41He's not called the fastest mouse in all Mexico for nothing.
10:44Ole!
10:44Arriba!
10:45Epa!
10:46Epa!
10:46Arriba!
10:47Andale!
10:47Aha!
10:49Arriba!
10:49Epa!
10:51Arriba!
10:52Epa!
10:52Epa!
10:52Andale!
10:53Big Chungus.
10:54Bob Clampett couldn't have anticipated this becoming a meme,
10:57or memes existing someday.
11:04Taz munching on everything in sight.
11:06When you see a brown tornado zooming by,
11:08try not to get caught in his mouth.
11:10Now, now, now, devil, control yourself.
11:12That's no way to act.
11:13Now, now, now, take it easy.
11:14I can explain everything, Doc.
11:15I just rounded up something very extra special for you.
11:19A nice, fat deer.
11:20Marvin the Martian trying to blow up the earth.
11:23When he doesn't hear a kaboom, he gets very angry.
11:27Where's the kaboom?
11:28There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom.
11:32Number one.
11:33Eh, what's up, Doc?
11:34While a few prototype versions of the character had already appeared,
11:391940's A Wild Hair is widely considered the first true Bugs Bunny short.
11:46What's up, Doc?
11:47In addition to Bugs' newly refined look and Mel Blanc getting the voice down,
11:51director Tex Avery suggested a line that would go down in history.
11:55Avery based the line on an old Texas saying,
11:57although he hadn't planned on turning it into a catchphrase.
12:00Okay, woman.
12:02Now I gotcha.
12:05What's up, Doc?
12:07What's up, Doc was only made more iconic thanks to Bugs' carrot munching,
12:10a gesture that's said to have been based on Clark Gable in It Happened One Night.
12:14Bugs immediately won over audiences with these three words,
12:18becoming a staple of his cartoons.
12:20Ironically, though, he's only encountered a few characters who can identify as Doc.
12:25Hello, don't say it.
12:26What's up, Doc?
12:27He said it.
12:29He's got the gadgets, the schemes, and a seemingly unlimited ACME budget.
12:35But unfortunately for Wile E. Coyote,
12:37the Roadrunner always seems one step ahead.
12:50Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
12:52And today we're looking at the most heated moments in the looniest of cartoon rivalries,
12:56Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner.
13:06Number 10. Fast and Furious.
13:09This short was the best possible way to introduce Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner to the world.
13:20Fast and Furious was packed to the brim with many simple yet iconic setups that would inspire generations of cartoons
13:27almost a whole century later.
13:28Misfiring rockets.
13:33Dimwitted setups with giant rocks and the expectation of a bird's literacy skills.
13:46Every gag was hilarious in their payoffs.
13:49Though it wasn't Chuck Jones' first time directing a Looney Tunes short for Warner Brothers,
13:53this was arguably the biggest contribution the franchise had received since Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck made their debuts.
13:59The only reason it's at the bottom of the list is because of how future shorts would improve upon the
14:04formula.
14:09Number 9. Hook, Line, and Stinker.
14:11The theme of Hook, Line, and Stinker is subversion,
14:15as almost every one of Wile E. Coyote's plans goes awry in the most unexpected ways.
14:26Despite using familiar setups from previous shorts,
14:29almost every one of the gags here caught us off guard,
14:32between the wired bundle of dynamite and the classic piano drop.
14:44Even Wile E.'s convoluted mousetrap of a finale
14:47had us wondering what in Sam Hill he was trying to do.
14:50To this day, this short is absolutely one of the best face-offs between the bird and the canine.
14:59Number 8. Zoom and Bored.
15:02How many more times can you make catapults, brick walls, and weights funny?
15:06If you're asking that question,
15:08you probably haven't seen Zoom and Bored.
15:11While some of the early gags lean more towards playing with the possibilities of animation,
15:15the later gags put Wile E. through some extensive punishments.
15:23Have you ever seen a swarm of angry bees exact their anger on a distant target as opposed to a
15:28close one?
15:32How about a bomb exploding the second its fuse is lit?
15:35Or how about a harpoon sphere that seems to just fly forever?
15:46Yeah, after all of that,
15:48the Roadrunner was right to grant Wile E. some mercy from his beeping.
15:55Number 7. Woe Be Gone.
16:00Compared to the other shorts,
16:02Woe Be Gone is among the most surreal in terms of logic and expectations.
16:06Many of the gags seen here get a little nutty with the Acme products.
16:21If you thought a giant rubber band sounded ridiculous,
16:24wait until you see Wile E. utilize tornado seeds.
16:33Really, we have to give points to the imaginative setups here.
16:36The Wile E. coyote and Roadrunner shorts were about to hit their 10th anniversary.
16:41For Chuck Jones and his team to continue coming up with funny and creative jokes for this long
16:45is a feat few series can ever achieve.
17:02Number 6. There they go, go, go.
17:05In all honesty,
17:06There they go, go, go is loaded up with a lot of short and punchy skits,
17:10which might be a miss for some folks.
17:19However, we're recognizing this one specifically because of the animation chops on display here.
17:24Chuck Jones and his team are at the top of their game with the different effects and animation tricks,
17:29from the fire on Wile E.'s feet,
17:30to the use of fewer frames to make the moment traps go haywire feel more sudden.
17:34Me, me.
17:38Plus, they still feature the same level of wit behind every joke from shorts prior.
17:47Number 5. G-Wiz.
17:49There are plenty of clever moments to love about G-Wiz.
17:52While we can appreciate the smaller jokes,
17:55we want to recognize this short for two iconic bits that have stood out across the coyote's history.
17:59First, there was the ridiculous green glider suit that did function for a solid minute or two before Wile E.
18:05crashed it.
18:15Then, there's the finale with the jet bike,
18:18which was a good idea at one moment until Wile E decided to turn off the engine for some reason.
18:36You think maybe he survived the fall after the short ended?
18:39Number 4. Beep Beep.
18:41In this short, it felt like every object was out to get Wile E. Coyote for some bizarre reason.
18:46Beep Beep Beep featured some of the most convoluted Acme contraptions,
18:55as well as a humorous chase scene taking place in an abandoned mineshaft.
19:02The real piece de résistance here was how the second-to-last gag ties back into one of the earlier
19:08gags.
19:08Honestly, Wile E has no one to blame but himself for falling for his own ridiculous free water trap.
19:21Number 3. Ready, Set, Zoom.
19:23If you want to see just how busted, broken, and possibly untested Acme's products are,
19:29well, Ready, Set, Zoom is the perfect highlight reel.
19:32From the Acme glue to the classic red rocket,
19:34Wile E just cannot get these products to work.
19:39Even when he's using them as makeshift items like the motorized wash tub.
19:43The finale with the female Roadrunner disguise was a perfect way to end this series of not-so-clever contraptions.
19:49Seriously, how did Wile E not think a second Roadrunner would attract even more coyotes?
19:54Beep Beep.
19:58Number 2. To Beep or Not To Beep.
20:01First off, can we take a moment to appreciate just how clean the animation is here?
20:06This is truly impressive for 1963.
20:09For the first couple of minutes of this short,
20:11we got to see all of the absurd ways you can toss a coyote off a cliff.
20:14The best one involving a cactus.
20:24Although, the finale is what made us remember To Beep or Not To Beep all these years later.
20:29Using a primitive catapult,
20:31Wile E Coyote succumbs to the catapult's shoddy design not once,
20:35not twice,
20:36not even thrice,
20:37but a whopping six times.
20:50And for once,
20:51Acme is not the manufacturer to blame for this series of mishaps,
20:54but Roadrunner Manufacturing Co.
20:57Beep Beep.
20:59Number 1. Beep Prepared.
21:10So many shorts could have easily taken the top spot.
21:13Why Beep Prepared?
21:15Well, it's for the ways it manages to keep gags basic
21:18while still delivering an assortment of unexpected, wildly hilarious payoffs.
21:34Despite the simplicity in setups,
21:36every single gag here feels wholly original with a ton of wit and brevity.
21:43As we said,
21:45there are so many great shorts that feature Speedopus Rex and Carnivorous Vulgaris,
21:49but once you've sat through all seven minutes of Beep Prepared,
21:52you will forever remember it as one of the greatest Looney Tunes shorts ever produced.
22:06What's your favorite Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner short?
22:09Did it make our list?
22:17The always hilarious and, let's be honest, self-absorbed Daffy Duck
22:22has starred in some truly unforgettable cartoons over the past few decades.
22:27So here now are Daffy's Finest.
22:38Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
22:40And today we're counting down our picks for the funniest and most influential cartoons starring Daffy Duck.
22:46Don't let that bother you, Jack.
22:47Okay, buddy, you asked for it.
22:54Each Warner Bros. director put their own spin on Daffy.
22:58Robert McKimson often cast him as a swindler,
23:01taking advantage of Porky in The Prize Past and Dime to Retire.
23:12He'd also don a slick salesman persona in cartoons like Design for Leaving,
23:16which stands out due to Daffy's pairing with Elmer Fudd.
23:19Usually, Daffy finds himself at Elmer's mercy.
23:22In this case, it's Daffy who targets the hunter, but not with a rifle.
23:32From the second Elmer opens his door,
23:35Daffy bombards him with rapid-fire salesmanship,
23:37not taking no for an answer.
23:39Adorning Elmer's house with chaotic gadgets,
23:42the short finds Daffy at his most relentless,
23:44but also his most charismatic,
23:46with Mel Blanc giving one of his most dynamic performances as the character.
23:50Say, that's a good question.
23:52What do you say we find out?
23:57Number 9. Baby Bottleneck
23:59Of all the Termite Terrace directors,
24:01Bob Clampett might have had the looniest eye for comedy.
24:04With Daffy arguably being the looniest Looney Tune,
24:07he was a natural fit for Clampett.
24:10Baby Bottleneck would go down as one of Clampett's most unhinged Daffy cartoons.
24:20Daffy might not be a stork,
24:22but he joins the delivery business with Porky.
24:24The premise leads to some cheeky one-liners,
24:27one of which proved too edgy for the Hayes office.
24:30Baby alligator to Mrs. Pig.
24:36It's in the visual humor where the cartoon shines the most,
24:40unleashing a literal assembly line of gags.
24:43After Daffy and Porky get into an argument about sitting on an egg,
24:46they find themselves on the assembly line,
24:48leading to a finale that takes the insanity into overdrive.
24:58Number 8. Dripalong Daffy
25:01In their earlier pairings, Daffy was usually billed as Porky's sidekick.
25:05By the time Dripalong Daffy came along,
25:07the duck had firmly asserted himself as the star.
25:10The cartoon's opening title card spells this out for us.
25:20Even then, Porky found a way to steal the spotlight back.
25:24Porky seems content with letting Daffy go up against an outlaw named Nasty Canasta,
25:28whose tiny legs hilariously should not be able to support his massive upper body.
25:33Listen, Humber, if you're not out of town by sundown,
25:36you better come a-shooting when your six comes a-blazin' and a-firing.
25:39Setting us up for a high noon showdown,
25:42the short culminates in a classic anti-climax that sees Porky save the day.
25:47Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese,
25:50this cartoon gets to the root of Porky and Daffy's dynamic,
25:53with the latter being the true comedic relief.
25:56I told you I'd clean up this one-horse town.
26:01Number 7, Draftee Daffy.
26:03For a while, Daffy was a source of anarchy with little to lose.
26:08While still maintaining his eccentric persona,
26:10Draftee Daffy tapped into what would become a defining character trait,
26:14the need for self-preservation.
26:16I guess he's gone now.
26:18Well, now I wouldn't say that.
26:22With World War II ongoing,
26:24Daffy is all about patriotism,
26:26until the little man from the draft board,
26:29no, seriously, that's his name,
26:30comes knocking.
26:32Howdy-do-dee, son.
26:40With geeky glasses, a onesie ensemble,
26:43and a slow manner of speaking,
26:45the draft board man is among the least intimidating Looney Tunes characters.
26:49This only adds to the humor,
26:51as Daffy runs rampant around the house,
26:53inexplicably encountering the little man around every turn.
26:57Bob Clampett once again brings his lightning speed timing to the table,
27:00with Daffy sending himself to hell and back again.
27:04Anyway, I sure put it over on that dope from the draft board.
27:07Oh, I wouldn't say that.
27:10No, no, no!
27:11Number 6, Showbiz Bugs.
27:13Bugs is the winner we all like to see ourselves as,
27:17but in reality, we're probably closer to Daffy.
27:20Few shorts better exemplify their rivalry than Showbiz Bugs,
27:24directed by Frizz Freeling with a story from Warren Foster.
27:27Try not to trip me up with those big feet, please.
27:30I'll try Daffy.
27:32We're on!
27:33Challenging the rabbit for top billing,
27:35Daffy receives nothing but crickets,
27:37while Bugs absorbs the applause.
27:39Getting himself cut in half and blowing off his beak in pursuit of attention,
27:43this is Daffy at his greediest and most self-destructive.
27:47Yet a part of us still wants to see him come out on top.
27:51Swallow the match!
27:52Slow!
27:54He does, but at a price that serves as both a victory and a loss.
27:59The ending delivers a perfect punchline that needs no encore,
28:03even if Daffy could give one.
28:05I want more!
28:06I know, I know, but I can only do it once.
28:10Number 5, The Scarlet Pumpernickel.
28:12No Looney Tune demands to be taken seriously more than Daffy.
28:17What better way to present himself in a dignified light
28:20than by casting himself as a swashbuckling hero in an epic?
28:23Daffy presents his skyscraper-sized script to Jack Warner,
28:27or J.L. as he casually calls him.
28:29That night, Milord Chamberlain receives the noble visitor.
28:33Milady the Fair Melissa is indisposed, Milord?
28:36Side note, Daffy's middle name is Dumas.
28:39While Daffy takes center stage,
28:40he casts his fellow Looney Tunes in supporting roles.
28:44This results in several rare pairings.
28:46It's among the few times we see Daffy with Sylvester,
28:50and one of Melissa Duck's only appearances.
28:52Parting is such sweet stuff.
28:55But you will be safe here, my beloved.
28:58It also allows these characters to play against type,
29:01with Porky as a villain and Daffy sporting multiple masks.
29:04It's a standard seven minutes,
29:06but we totally watch the feature-length version Daffy pitches.
29:09Coming, Melissa!
29:16Number four, Robin Hood Daffy.
29:18Daffy goes from playing the Scarlet Pumpernickel
29:21to channeling Errol Flynn again in Robin Hood Daffy.
29:24Just because Daffy wears the green outfit
29:26doesn't automatically make him the king of the outlaws.
29:28He needs to convince Friar Porky,
29:31as well as the audience.
29:33Oh, ha, ha, guard, turn, carry, dodge, spill!
29:38To prove himself, Daffy engages in all of the typical Robin Hood activities,
29:43continually missing his mark.
29:45The funniest bit finds Daffy swinging from tree to tree.
29:48And away!
29:51Yes! And away!
29:55Speaking of which,
29:56the backgrounds are some of the most visually pleasing in any Chuck Jones cartoon.
30:00But that doesn't take away from the pain Daffy experiences.
30:04We never learn whether Daffy really is Robin Hood,
30:06or if he just desperately wanted people to think he was.
30:09Either way, he changes professions by the end.
30:22Duck Dodgers may be Daffy's most famous alter ego,
30:26headlining this Buck Rogers send-up.
30:28Aesthetically, Duck Dodgers is one of Chuck Jones' most ambitious shorts.
30:32I claim this planet in the name of the Earth!
30:38Maurice Noble's layouts and Philip Degard's backgrounds
30:41envision a polished yet appropriately loony future.
30:44It's the character dynamics that propel this cartoon
30:46to one of the all-time greats, however.
30:48Daffy once again fills the egotistical incompetent leader role,
30:52while Porky's eager young space cadet is the true brains of the operation.
31:01Marvin the Martian also serves as a terrific comedic foil
31:05in a space race that ironically destroys Planet X.
31:08Duck Dodgers would inspire follow-up shorts
31:10and a TV series,
31:12but the original remains the Star Wars of Golden Age cartoons.
31:15It was even a favorite of George Lucas's.
31:23Number 2.
31:24The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
31:26Before there was Duck Dodgers,
31:28there was Duck Twasey,
31:29a parody of Dick Tracy.
31:31The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
31:32demonstrates Bob Clampett's tendency to go the extra mile.
31:35I shall ring the bell from here.
31:42Was that trip really necessary?
31:44When Daffy receives a comic book in the mail,
31:47the cartoon could have just jumped to him opening the first page.
31:50Instead, he excitedly zooms across a sunlit hill before diving in.
32:01Every second that goes by,
32:03Clampett's unit packs in as much detail and humor as possible.
32:07The premise surrounding a stolen piggy bank might be silly,
32:10but the crew brings a surprisingly hard-boiled ambiance to the short
32:13through the backgrounds and the inventive designs of Duck Twasey's foes.
32:17It's some of the most creative imagery in any Looney Tune,
32:20as well as some of the funniest.
32:24Shall we dance?
32:28Before we unveil our top pick,
32:31here are some honorable mentions.
32:33Porky's Duck Hunt
32:34In his official debut,
32:36Daffy stole the show from Porky.
32:39It's me again!
32:47The Daffy Duck
32:48Daffy doesn't get daffier than this.
32:59The Abominable Snow Rabbit
33:01What comes to mind whenever we meet someone named George.
33:04Little bunny rabbit
33:05I will name him George
33:07and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him.
33:11I'm not a bunny rabbit.
33:13And pat him and pet him and...
33:15You are hurting me.
33:16Put me down, please.
33:17Hollywood Daffy
33:18Daffy encounters a cavalcade of celebrity caricatures.
33:22Good morning, Mr. Weissmuller.
33:29Porky's Pig Feet
33:30A rare golden age cartoon where Daffy, Porky and Bugs share the screen.
33:35We tried all those lanes.
33:39Don't work, do they?
33:43Duck Amuck
33:45Duck Amuck isn't just the best Daffy cartoon.
33:48It's a shimmering example of what animation can do, which is everything.
33:53In under seven minutes, Daffy becomes a musketeer, a farmer and whatever this is.
34:06He finds himself at the mercy of a mysterious animator, who can't seem to settle on a background or scenario.
34:12While the Looney Tunes regularly broke the fourth wall, this cartoon broke down barriers in ways the audience never experienced
34:19before.
34:19To find that this is an animated cartoon.
34:22And that in animated cartoons, they have scenery.
34:25And in all the years I...
34:29All right, wise guy.
34:31Where am I?
34:42Chuck Jones might have been too ahead of the curve, hence why Duck Amuck shockingly wasn't nominated for an Oscar.
34:49However, 1,000 professionals would rank it the second greatest cartoon of all time.
34:55It finished just behind a Bugs Bunny cartoon, which is fitting considering how Duck Amuck ends.
35:00Who is responsible for this?
35:04I demand that you show yourself!
35:06Who are you?
35:07Am I a stinker?
35:16What's your favorite Daffy cartoon?
35:23Oh, no you don't.
35:25Sorry.
35:2660 years of hogging the end title is enough.
35:29So, that's all folks.
35:36Fade out.
35:39Bugs Bunny has always been the ultimate wisecracking rabbit.
35:44And so, what better way to end things today than with the top 10 Bugs Bunny cartoons.
35:53Of course you realize this means war.
35:56Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
35:58And today we're counting down our picks for the funniest and most iconic cartoons starring that Oscar winning rabbit, Bugs
36:04Bunny.
36:05He he he he he he he.
36:06I have not even begun to fight.
36:09Number 10.
36:11A wild hare.
36:12I am a rabbit!
36:13Before this Oscar nominated cartoon, versions of Bugs popped up in Porky's Hair Hunt and Elmer's Candid Camera.
36:21A wild hare defined the character as we know him, however.
36:25Bob Givens gave Bugs a polished redesign, while Mel Blanc cracked the rabbit's Brooklyn slash Bronx voice.
36:31Director Tex Avery also contributed an old Texas saying that unintentionally sparked a catchphrase.
36:37It's the dynamic between Bugs and Elmer Fudd that the cartoon nailed above all else.
36:42Fudd was firmly established as an antagonist hunter who's gullible to the point that we almost sympathize with him.
36:48Yet we can't root against Bugs, a crafty trickster who's justified in his pranking.
36:54After all, Bugs is fighting for his survival.
36:56But that doesn't mean he can't have fun along the way.
37:00You know, I think the poor guy's screwy.
37:03Number 9.
37:04Baseball Bugs.
37:05Bugs is a one-rabbit army.
37:07Why I could lick them in a ballgame with one hand tied behind my back!
37:11It's only natural that he'd be a one-rabbit baseball team as well.
37:14In this frizz-freeling cartoon scribed by Michael Maltese, Bugs goes up against the hulking Gas House Gorillas,
37:20a play on the St. Louis Cardinals Gas House Gang.
37:23With nobody else on his team, we get to see Bugs play every position from pitcher to catcher,
37:29sometimes at the same time.
37:31Eh, I think I'll perplex him with my slow ball.
37:34Although Bugs can quip his way out of some confrontations,
37:37this cartoon allows him to show off his physicality as a slapstick master.
37:42At the same time, Bugs' signature wit is on full display as he continually outsmarts the gorillas.
37:48That's not to say the rival players are doormats, but Bugs has Lady Liberty on his side.
37:53That's what the man said! You heard what he said! He said that!
37:56Number 8. Falling Hair
37:58We're used to seeing Bugs in constant control.
38:01During his early years, though, Bugs occasionally found a worthy adversary.
38:06Gremlins.
38:08Oh, murder!
38:10Cecil Turtle gave Bugs a run for his money in cartoons like Tortoise Beats Hair.
38:16Bugs would also be continually bested by a gremlin in Falling Hair.
38:20It ain't Vendel Milky!
38:23Produced during World War II at the height of the gremlin myth,
38:26Bugs learns that those mischievous little troublemakers are not merely the product of a Roald Dahl book.
38:31Being a Bob Clampett directorial outing, Falling Hair is loaded with unhinged energy and non-stop sight gags.
38:38Although the gremlin brings out Bugs' rarely seen aggressive side,
38:41it doesn't come across as out of character.
38:43For all the blows Bugs takes, he maintains a certain level of control even when crashing down.
38:49We ran out of gas!
38:51You know how it is with these A-carts.
38:55Number 7. Hair Devil Hair
38:57Self-preservation is typically Bugs' goal,
39:00but it can be a global threat when pitted against Marvin the Martian.
39:03Oh, oh, I'm going to blow up the Earth.
39:06The opening of Hair Devil Hair unearths Bugs' cowardly side as he's reluctantly sent to the moon,
39:12although his heroic nature eventually shines through.
39:16In his debut, Marvin nonchalantly announces that he plans to blow up Earth,
39:21leading to one of Bugs' funniest double takes.
39:26We also love how Bugs chastises Marvin.
39:30Sounding like an angry parent taking fireworks away from a troublemaking kid.
39:33Although both come off as hilariously casual,
39:36the world is on the line.
39:38While Earth survives, the moon is another story.
39:45The short's only drawback is that Mel Blanc hasn't quite found Marvin's voice,
39:49but he would get it down by Hairway to the Stars.
39:53Oh, dear. Now I shall have to create more Martians.
39:58Number 6. High Diving Hair
40:00Whereas most of Bugs' foes are pushovers,
40:03Frizz Freeling wanted to create an enemy who could come off as legitimately intimidating.
40:07Enter Yosemite Sam.
40:11Who shared some resemblance to Freeling's appearance and temper.
40:15Sam's hot-headed nature made him a splendid comedic foil
40:18in shorts like Bugs Bunny Rides Again and Buccaneer Bunny.
40:21Or say your prayers, varmint.
40:24Our favorite has to be High Diving Hair.
40:26The premise is simple, with Sam forcing Bugs to perform in a diving act.
40:30This setup makes way for one brilliant gag after another,
40:34as Bugs turns Sam into the spectacle.
40:36Although the punchline rarely changes,
40:38the build-up makes every joke feel unique.
40:41Even when it appears Sam has Bugs cornered,
40:44Gravity and Cartoon Logic have other plans in one of the series' finest endings.
40:50I know this defies the law of gravity, but, uh, you see, I never studied law.
40:55Number 5. Alibaba Bunny
40:57Close sesame.
41:00Is Daffy Duck a friend or foe to Bugs?
41:03If Alibaba Bunny demonstrates anything,
41:05it's that Bugs is the best friend that Daffy has.
41:08Hey, wait a minute.
41:10Since when is Pismo Beach inside a cave?
41:13Meanwhile, Daffy is his own worst enemy.
41:15Stumbling upon treasure,
41:17Daffy continually throws Bugs under the bus.
41:19Daffy does a 180 whenever trouble arises,
41:22rushing to his pal's aid.
41:24Bugs, being such a stand-up rabbit,
41:26gives Daffy a hand without ever giving two cents about the treasure.
41:32Daffy's greed repeatedly gets the better of him, though,
41:35eventually leaving even Bugs powerless to help him.
41:37Alibaba Bunny finds Bugs at his coolest,
41:40Daffy at his most selfish,
41:42and both at their purest,
41:44getting their dynamic down to a T.
41:46It's one of the best character-based cartoons in the Looney library.
41:50It's mine!
41:51Understand mine!
41:51Mine!
41:52All mine!
41:52Go, go, go!
41:53Mine, be a hammy!
41:56Bugs is a smart aleck,
41:58but he rarely instigates the conflict.
42:00In Long-Haired Hair,
42:02Bugs peacefully relaxes with some music
42:04when he's rudely interrupted by opera singer Giovanni Jones.
42:09Bugs is willing to let it slide,
42:11although after being antagonized three times,
42:14he turns opera against Giovanni.
42:16Of course, you know,
42:17this means war!
42:19Crashing his performance,
42:21Bugs breaks out the hammers and dynamite,
42:23saving the best for the finale.
42:27Bugs channels Leopold Stokowski,
42:29who founded the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
42:31and preferred conducting with his hands rather than a baton.
42:34Commanding the stage,
42:36Bugs pushes Giovanni to his limits
42:38with the highest of high notes.
42:43Ringing down the house.
42:48Beyond the sharp comedic timing,
42:51the cartoon contains clever commentary
42:53on modern versus classical music,
42:55with Bugs' banjo playing things off.
43:03Number 3
43:04The Hunting Trilogy
43:05Oh, boy!
43:07Where's Wabbit Stu?
43:08Star Wars,
43:09The Lord of the Rings,
43:11Chuck Jones' Hunting Trilogy.
43:13These are the titles that come to mind
43:15when we think of Holy Trinities.
43:16The latter elevated the iconic rivalry
43:19between Bugs and Elmer
43:20by throwing Daffy into the mix.
43:21Why, everybody knows it's really duck season!
43:24Produced over three years,
43:26Rabbit Fire,
43:27Rabbit Seasoning,
43:28and Duck, Rabbit, Duck
43:29contain some of the most quotable dialogue
43:31in cartoon history.
43:33The slapstick is equally top-notch,
43:35with every gunshot directed at Daffy
43:37providing an inspired spin.
43:39The duck season,
43:40rabbit season debate in particular
43:42is a comedy routine so legendary
43:44it's ingrained in society
43:46along with Who's on First
43:47or Lucy's TV commercial.
43:49Rabbit season!
43:50Duck season!
43:51Rabbit season!
43:52Duck season!
43:53What a free one!
43:55Duck season!
44:01Uh-oh.
44:05The folks at Termite Terrace
44:07weren't just gifted animators,
44:08they were comedic geniuses,
44:10the hunting trilogy being a testament.
44:14You're despicable!
44:16Number 2.
44:17Rabbit of Seville
44:18The Looney Tunes could be more dialogue-heavy
44:21than some other cartoons at the time,
44:22but music and movement
44:23are the primary driving forces
44:25behind Rabbit of Seville.
44:26Bugs and Elmer are up to their usual shenanigans
44:29when the pursuit leads them
44:30to a performance of The Barber of Seville.
44:35Giocchino Rossini's compositions
44:36provide the cartoon's DNA,
44:38although Carl Stalling's arrangements
44:40are the key to its success,
44:42meticulously matching the speed of comedy
44:44while throwing in a few zany twists.
44:58As humorous as the revised lyrics
45:00from Michael Maltese are,
45:02the short standout moment
45:03is a pantomime routine
45:04as Bugs gives Elmer
45:05a hectic head massage.
45:07From there,
45:08the action just keeps gaining momentum
45:10as we build toward the final curtain.
45:32Before we unveil our top pick,
45:34here are some honorable mentions.
45:35Bugs and Thugs,
45:37a gangster tune so good it's criminal.
45:46Hair Raising Hair,
45:48Bugs's first confrontation with Gossamer.
45:50I have another little friend
45:52who'd like to eat meat, you.
45:56Another friend?
46:11Little Red Riding Rabbit, what big laughs this cartoon has.
46:37Rabbit Hood. If Space Jam was made in 1949, it might have starred Errol Flynn instead of Michael Jordan.
47:10Nighty Night Bugs. After 18 years, Bugs made the grade with his first Oscar-winning short.
47:37Bugs Bunny and Opera might seem like an odd pair, but the two went together in perfect harmony.
47:42What's Opera Doc is widely considered Chuck Jones' musical masterpiece.
47:46While the story doesn't stray far from Bugs and Elmer's established formula,
47:50everything is elevated to an epic scale, from Maurice Noble's imposing layouts to Philip DeGuard's angelic backgrounds.
47:56Then there's the music, which Milt Franklin arranged from Richard Wagner's most cherished works.
48:30Funnily, Wagner's legacy might be outshined by three words that Michael Maltese added to Ride of the Valkyries.
48:51In an unexpected twist, Fudd succeeds in killing the Wabbit, sort of, making for a tragic ending that still leaves
48:59you smiling.
48:59No wonder 1,000 animation professionals voted this the greatest cartoon of all time.
49:05Poor Widow Wabbit.
49:21Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?
49:25What's your favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon?
49:50There's a reason why Bugs, Daffy, Wiley, and the rest are absolute cartoon icons.
49:57Thanks for watching today. I've been Matt for Ms. Mojo, and I'll see you next time.