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113-636: The following is a list of recurring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters without their own article: Blacque Jacque Shellacque is a fictional cartoon character in the Looney Tunes cartoons. He was created by Robert McKimson and Tedd Pierce , and first appeared in the 1959 Merrie Melodies short Bonanza Bunny set in the Klondike of 1896. Maurice LaMarche voiced the character from 2011 to 2014 in The Looney Tunes Show . The character

226-417: A Looney Tunes reboot film titled Acme , in development. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate was said to be on board as writer for the new film. Jeffrey Clifford, Harry Potter producer David Heyman , and Dark Shadows writers David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith were slated to produce the film. On August 27, 2014, writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz were hired to script

339-526: A black duck who was originally portrayed as a screwball , but later became greedy and egocentric; Porky Pig , a stuttering pig who often appears as the straight man to Daffy, and is the oldest of the franchise's recurring characters; Sylvester the Cat , his prey Tweety (a small canary), and their elderly owner Granny ; Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner , who routinely engage in high-speed chases in their home in

452-510: A cameo appearance at the end of the episode " What's the Frequency, Kitty? " from The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries ; K-9 appears sleeping next to Marvin and Minerva Mink while they have a date in the episode " Star Warners " from Pinky and the Brain ; in The Looney Tunes Show , K-9 has a cameo in the musical video "I'm a Martian" from the episode " Members Only ". In Loonatics Unleashed ,

565-634: A cameo appearance in Space Jam: A New Legacy were they are seen in line with the other Tunes leaving Tune World in Bugs Bunny's flashback. Rocky and Mugsy made cameos in The Looney Tunes Show . In "It's a Handbag", Rocky and Mugsy's pictures were seen in the police's notebook. They were also seen in the Merrie Melodies segment "Stick to My Guns", sung by Yosemite Sam in the episode "Mrs. Porkbunny's" where Yosemite Sam mentions how he declared his vendetta on

678-526: A cameo appearance in the crowd scenes of Space Jam , Carrotblanca (as a waiter), Tweety's High-Flying Adventure (as one of the felines around the world whose pawprints Tweety collects, voiced again by Freberg), Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (working as a janitor again), and is a supporting character in the Looney Tunes comic books. Pete (voiced by John Kassir ) is a recurring character in The Looney Tunes Show as Daffy Duck 's dimwitted friend, and working various jobs around town. In

791-525: A few have gained theatrical releases with movies. In the 1970s through the early 1990s, several feature-film compilations and television specials were produced, mostly centering on Bugs Bunny and/or Daffy Duck, with a mixture of new and old footage. These releases include The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979), The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983), and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988). In 1976,

904-463: A game of poker in which he lost (three queens to four kings) and proceeded to let off a barrage of gunfire. Sometimes, he is shown playing a banjo in classic Dixieland style. In Dog Gone South (1950), Colonel Shuffle had an encounter with Charlie Dog (whom he defeated). A Colonel Shuffle-lookalike appears in the Tiny Toon Adventures episodes "Gang Busters" and "Fairy Tales for

1017-403: A hulking simpleton named "Nick", kidnaps Tweety Bird, and when Sylvester's bumbling predations accidentally free the bird, the poor puss is hailed as a hero. The duo reappear in 1954's Bugs and Thugs , this time in the form that Freleng would keep them in for the rest of their run. Rocky is aided by a new thug, "Mugsy". Although his body type is similar to that of Nick's, he has less hair and

1130-544: A new arrangement, by William Lava , of " The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down " which had first been used in the 1963 experimental short " Now Hear This " directed by Chuck Jones. In 1967, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts commissioned an animation studio in South Korea to redraw 79 black-and-white Looney Tunes produced from 1935 to 1943 in color which were syndicated to TV stations from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. The original Looney Tunes theatrical series ran from 1930's Sinkin' in

1243-535: A redesign similar to Marc Antony ), as they solved mysteries around the world. Sylvester, of course, is still trying to eat Tweety in the meantime, with Hector acting as the bird's bodyguard. The first season was dedicated to the memory of Friz Freleng , Warner Bros. animator and original creator of the Sylvester and Tweety shorts, who had died at age 88 shortly before the series premiered. The show originally consisted of one case per 23 minute episode, however starting with

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1356-577: A second appearance in A Hare Grows in Manhattan , leading a street gang composed of dogs in a Friz Freleng -directed short; this is also the only short where the dog has numerous speaking lines. Besides these starring roles, Hector is a minor player in several Tweety and Sylvester cartoons directed by Freleng in 1948 and throughout the 1950s. His usual role is to protect Tweety from Sylvester, usually at Granny 's request. He typically does this through brute strength alone, but some cartoons have him outsmart

1469-419: A series of animated shorts to promote their music. They had recently acquired Brunswick Records along with four music publishers for US$ 28 million (equivalent to $ 511 million in 2024) and were eager to promote this material for the sales of sheet music and phonograph records. Warner made a deal with Leon Schlesinger to produce cartoons for them. Schlesinger hired Rudolf Ising and Hugh Harman to produce

1582-460: A show called Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon between 1988 and 1999. Initially, the Nickelodeon package included cartoons that were typically omitted from the higher-profile Saturday morning network and syndicated weekday packages, including black-and-white Bosko cartoons that had not aired in many years and cartoons from the late DePattie–Freling and Seven Arts eras. In January 1999, it was reported that

1695-510: A style reminiscent of the styles of Tex Avery , Bob Clampett , Chuck Jones , Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson . According to co-executive producer Peter Browngardt , "We're not doing guns, but we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme stuff. All that was kind of grandfathered in." Sam Register , president of Warner Bros. Animation also served as a co-executive producer for the series. The series ended on July 27, 2023. On February 11, 2021, it

1808-480: A tribute to the Looney Tunes sister shorts) which features the characters singing original songs, as well as CGI animated shorts starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (which were removed after the first season). The series was cancelled after its second season. Also, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner returned to the big screen in a series of 3-D shorts that preceded select Warner Bros. films. There were six in

1921-498: A vicious, brutal marsupial with an insatiable appetite; Pepé Le Pew , a French skunk who is always looking for love and romance; and Speedy Gonzales , the self-proclaimed "fastest mouse in all of Mexico". One additional major character was introduced in post-Golden Age Looney Tunes media (starting with Space Jam ): Lola Bunny , a female rabbit who is usually portrayed as Bugs' girlfriend. Due to content considered offensive, stereotyped or insensitive, in 1968 Warner Bros. removed

2034-458: A visit to the beach. Later in the Post-Golden Age media, Melissa (here she is being presented in a human-like form) appears as a possessed client of Daffy's paranormal investigations business in the short The Duxorcist , originally released as part of Daffy Duck's Quackbusters in 1988. Melissa Duck's most notable role is from the series Baby Looney Tunes which debuted in 2001 and casts

2147-646: Is a member of the studio audience in Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf . K-9 is Marvin the Martian 's pet alien dog. He is a dog with green fur, and like his owner, he wears a helmet, skirt, and four slippers. K-9 debuts in Haredevil Hare (1948), where he and his owner Marvin tried to defeat Bugs Bunny . He returns in The Hasty Hare (1952), serving the same purpose. After that, he did not appear in another short film until Marvin

2260-410: Is a muscle-bound bulldog with gray fur (except in A Street Cat Named Sylvester and Greedy for Tweety , where his fur is yellowish) and walks pigeon-toed. His face bears a perpetual scowl between two immense jowls. He usually wears a black collar with silver studs. Hector's first appearance was in 1945's Peck Up Your Troubles , where he foils Sylvester's attempts to get a woodpecker. He made

2373-475: Is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. Bob Clampett created Gabby, a loud and temperamental cynic, to be a sidekick for Porky Pig in the 1937 short Porky and Gabby , directed by Ub Iwerks , who briefly subcontracted to Leon Schlesinger Productions , producers of the Looney Tunes shorts. The cartoon focuses on the title characters' camping trip, which

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2486-620: Is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation which aired from September 9, 1995 to February 5, 2000 on Kids' WB . The final episode, containing the segments "The Tail End?" and "This Is the End", was never shown on Kids' WB, not premiering until December 18, 2002, when the show aired in reruns on Cartoon Network . 52 episodes were produced. The show follows Looney Tunes characters Sylvester and Tweety , along with their owner Granny and bulldog Hector (Sylvester's foil in many 1950s era shorts, here given

2599-546: Is chasing a young rabbit called "Shorty" who asks Bugs Bunny for help. Bugs is eager to oblige and subjects Pete to some of his trademark pranks. Pete Puma has made occasional appearances on Tiny Toon Adventures (as the Acme Looniversity janitor), some episodes of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries , co-starred with Foghorn Leghorn in Pullet Surprise (voiced again by Freberg in all of these appearances), made

2712-561: Is even less intelligent. Before the Warner studio closed for good in 1963, Rocky and Mugsy would appear in two more Freleng cartoons: Bugsy and Mugsy (1957) and The Unmentionables (1963). Mugsy also appears without his boss in a cameo as one of Napoleon Bonaparte 's guards in the 1956 Freleng short Napoleon Bunny-Part . Rocky and Mugsy have also appeared in various Looney Tunes -related merchandise. They are semi-regular characters in Looney Tunes comic books , for example. They also play

2825-530: Is foiled by car trouble. Gabby made only two other golden-age animated appearances in Get Rich Quick Porky and Porky's Badtime Story , although he did briefly appear in early merchandise as well. The series New Looney Tunes revived the character of Gabby. Hector the Bulldog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Hector

2938-478: Is regarded as a cultural icon and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Many Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies films are ranked among the greatest animated cartoons of all time, and five of them have won Academy Awards . In 2013, TV Guide counted Looney Tunes as the third greatest television cartoon series of all time, behind The Simpsons and The Flintstones , the latter of which also featured

3051-644: Is shown in the first Tiny Toons Looniversity special "Spring Beak", in which they are revealed to be Buster and Babs Bunny's aunt and uncle. Colonel Shuffle is a stereotypical "gentleman" of the Southern United States . He has been shown as fiercely loyal to this region and deeply offended by anything that he feels reminds him of the Northern United States . He referred to himself specifically by name in Mississippi Hare (1949), following

3164-680: Is voiced by Marian Richman. A baby version appeared in Baby Looney Tunes as part of the main cast. In the 1945 cartoon Nasty Quacks , Daffy's owner, a young girl, also becomes the besotted owner of a small, yellow duckling. When a jealous Daffy feeds the duckling growth pills, he is surprised to see it age into a white, female duck with blonde hair. By the end of the cartoon, the two have fallen in love and given birth to roughly ten black, white, and yellow ducklings of their own. The blonde duck in this cartoon bears visual similarities to Daffy's girlfriend from 1953's Muscle Tussle and may represent

3277-431: The Looney Tunes series by Warner Bros. Cartoons which debuted in 1968. They are based on the real-life Bonnie and Clyde and the then-recent film about the pair's life that had been released by Warner Bros. They are depicted as a romantically involved pair of well-dressed rabbits who pull off carrot heists, and their catchphrase is "We rob carrot patches", based on the film Bonnie and Clyde's "We rob banks". Bunny

3390-503: The Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts he appears in "Puma Problems" and "Bottoms Up", where he is voiced by Stephen Stanton . Owl Jolson is a Looney Tunes character created by Tex Avery . He is an owl who is obsessed with singing contemporary songs. His father, preferring more classic standards, kicks him out. Jolson then enters, and wins, a radio singing contest and earns back some respect. Rocky and Mugsy are characters in

3503-478: The Boomerang streaming service and HBO Max . Five dozen Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts from before December 1943 have lapsed into the public domain and are thus freely distributed through various unofficial releases. The major characters of the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series are Bugs Bunny , a clever and insouciant rabbit or hare who is portrayed as a trickster ; Daffy Duck ,

List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

3616-519: The Looney Tunes characters made their way into the amusement park business when they became the mascots for Marriott's two Great America theme parks in Gurnee, Illinois, and Santa Clara, California. After the Gurnee park was sold to Six Flags in 1984, they also claimed the rights to use the characters at the other Six Flags parks, which continues to the present. (Warner Bros. parent company Time Warner would own

3729-418: The Looney Tunes ' cast. He is described as "the slowest mouse in all México " and is a cousin to Speedy Gonzales , who is known as the fastest. However, he mentions to his cousin that while he may be best known for his slow feet, he's not slow in "la cabeza" (the head). He speaks in a monotone voice and seems to never be surprised by anything. Due to being slow he is generally, unlike Speedy, unable to outrun

3842-572: The Southwest American desert; Elmer Fudd , an unintelligent hunter who is Bugs' oldest nemesis; Yosemite Sam , a hot-tempered cowboy who is another of Bugs' archenemies; Foghorn Leghorn , a rooster who is known for his often excessive ranting; Marvin the Martian , an alien commander from the planet Mars , who aims to conquer the Earth; the Tasmanian Devil (often nicknamed "Taz" in later media),

3955-479: The Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng . As an animator , Friz Freleng enjoyed creating new adversaries for Warners' star Bugs Bunny , since he felt that Bugs' other nemeses, such as Beaky Buzzard and Elmer Fudd (who actually appeared in many more Freleng shorts than is commonly realized), were too stupid to give the rabbit any real challenge. Though considered revolutionary for almost all of

4068-488: The direct-to-video film King Tweety . The series was nominated multiple times for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category Special Class Animated Program. The series won two Annie Awards in the category of voice acting for June Foray in the role of Granny. On February 17, 2021, it was announced Tweety would have starred in Tweety Mysteries , similar in concept to The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries except that

4181-646: The " Censored Eleven " episodes of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons from broadcast or distribution. Depictions included those of African Americans (as in Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs and Jungle Jitters ), Native Americans , Japanese people (especially during WWII, as in Tokio Jokio and Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips ), Germans , Italians , White Southerners , and Mexicans . The Sylvester %26 Tweety Mysteries The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

4294-555: The "origin" of the Melissa Duck character. Melissa Duck first officially appeared by name in adult form in the 1950 short The Scarlet Pumpernickel which was, in 1994, voted number 31 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. In the cartoon, she appears as a blonde damsel-in-distress and Daffy's love interest. The plot followed Daffy attempting to save "the Fair Lady Melissa" from having to marry

4407-410: The 1990 spinoff series Tiny Toon Adventures , from executive producer Steven Spielberg , where they played teachers and mentors to a younger generation of cartoon characters ( Plucky Duck , Hamton J. Pig , Babs and Buster Bunny , etc.), plus occasional cameos in the later Warner Bros. shows such as Animaniacs (also from Spielberg) and Histeria! . Traditional cel animation was used to animate

4520-517: The 2009 Cartoon Network upfront , The Looney Tunes Show was announced. After several delays, the series premiered on May 3, 2011. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation , the series centers on Bugs and Daffy as they leave the woods and move to the suburbs with "colorful neighbors" including Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Yosemite Sam, etc. The series introduced the character Tina Russo , a duck who becomes Daffy's girlfriend. The show also features 2-minute music videos titled respectfully "Merrie Melodies" (as

4633-560: The 90's", voiced by Joe Alaskey . In the first he's a prison warden of the prison in which Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are incarcerated, and in the second he's a toy company CEO who wants to possess ownership on Buster Bunny to market toys in his image. Shuffle made his last animated appearance in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries episode "The Cat Who Knew Too Much", under the name of Colonel Louie Z. Anna, an old rival of Granny's turned villain who tried to kidnap Tweety. Gabby Goat

List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters - Misplaced Pages Continue

4746-739: The Bathtub to 1969's Injun Trouble by Robert McKimson . A Cool Cat cartoon called "Stage Cat" was planned, about Cool Cat being in a stage production, but it was cancelled when Warner Bros.-Seven Arts shut down. The Looney Tunes series' popularity was further strengthened when it began airing on network and syndicated television in the 1950s under various titles and formats. The Looney Tunes shorts were broadcast with edits to remove scenes of violence (particularly suicidal gags and scenes of characters performing dangerous stunts that impressionable viewers could easily imitate), stereotypes, and alcohol consumption. Production of theatrical animated shorts

4859-527: The Bosko characters from Harman and Ising's estates. Meanwhile, the Schlesinger studio continued to make popular cartoons until 1944 when Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. Since then, Warner Bros. has owned all rights to all post-1933 characters created by Leon Schlesinger Productions and Warner Bros. Cartoons, even after the rights to individual cartoons were placed in other hands. In 1955, Warner Bros. sold

4972-484: The Cat in the Merrie Melodies cartoon I Haven't Got a Hat , directed by Friz Freleng. Beans was the star of the next Porky/Beans cartoon, Gold Diggers of '49 , but it was Porky who emerged as the star instead of Beans. The ensemble characters of I Haven't Got a Hat , such as Oliver Owl and the twin dogs Ham and Ex, were also given a sampling of shorts. Beans and Porky proved much more popular in comparison. Beans

5085-711: The Crusher, Pete Puma , Merlin the Magic Mouse , the Goofy Gophers , Hugo the Abominable Snowman , and the Road Runner . The latter-day Warner Bros. character, Cool Cat , also appears in some form of cameo in almost every episode, and his nemesis, Colonel Rimfire , makes several appearances. Bugs Bunny , Lola Bunny , Porky Pig , Speedy Gonzales , and Wile E. Coyote are the only most prominent characters to not appear in

5198-557: The Mafia when Sam threw a garbage can into their house. Around the end of the song, Rocky and Mugsy joined in on the final verse with Nasty Canasta , an angry bride, a female cannibal, a grizzly bear , and Toro the Bull. Rocky and Mugsy appear in the Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts "Chain Gang(sters)" and "Hideout Hare", with Rocky voiced by James Adomian and Mugsy voiced by Fred Tatasciore . In

5311-520: The Martian (debuted in 1948's Haredevil Hare ), Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (debuted in 1949's Fast and Furry-ous ), Granny (debuted in 1950's Canary Row ), Speedy Gonzales (debuted in 1953's Cat Tails for Two ), the Tasmanian Devil (debuted in 1954's Devil May Hare ), and Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog (debuted in 1953's Don't Give Up the Sheep ). It was during this era that

5424-457: The Martian in the Third Dimension (1996), where he and Marvin confront Daffy Duck . In the television series Duck Dodgers , K-9 appears as the pet of Martian Commander X-2 (Marvin's alternate character in the series), having major roles in the episodes " K-9 Kaddy " and " K9 Quarry ". He has also had cameo appearances in other Looney Tunes related television series: Marvin and him make

5537-526: The North American theatrical distribution rights to the film. On December 31, 2022, 256 shorts were removed from HBO Max, including What's Opera, Doc? and Duck Amuck , though many were later re-added in March 2024 when the shorts on the service were rotated. In August 2024, it was announced that Warner Bros. was planning to relaunch the Looney Tunes theatrical film series in 2028. In October 2024, it

5650-484: The Pain , in 2014. In March 2000, it was revealed that the entire Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies library would be exclusive to Cartoon Network, starting with the fall of that year. Looney Tunes shorts were still airing on Disney's ABC as part of The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show at the time and the decision led to the show's cancellation. This decision would remain in effect for over 20 years until MeTV began airing

5763-510: The Six Flags chain in whole or part form most of the 1990s.) In 1988, several Looney Tunes characters appeared in cameo roles in the Disney film Who Framed Roger Rabbit . The more significant cameos featured Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Tweety, and Yosemite Sam. It is the only time in which Looney Tunes characters have shared screen time with their rivals at Disney (producers of the film)—particularly in

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5876-461: The TV distribution rights to the black and white cartoons. In 1956, Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.) acquired television distribution rights to most of Warner Bros.' pre-1950 library, including all Merrie Melodies (except for those sold to Guild and Lady, Play Your Mandolin! ) and color Looney Tunes shorts that were released prior to August 1948, while Warner still owned the copyright to all of

5989-481: The Warner studio's longtime chief voice actor , Mel Blanc . Freleng liked the mobster idea, and he used the concept again in the 1950 short Golden Yeggs . This time, it is Porky Pig and Daffy Duck who run afoul of the mob, only this time Rocky has not only one sidekick, but an entire gang . Freleng also redesigned Rocky for this short, making him a more generalized caricature of the "tough guy" gangster rather than Robinson in particular. Freleng used several of

6102-462: The a.a.p. library to WB. Since then, Warner Home Video (now Warner Bros. Home Entertainment ) has held the video rights to the entire Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies animated output by virtue of Warner Bros.' ownership of Turner Entertainment. Starting in 1960, the cartoons were repackaged into several different TV programs that remained popular for several decades before being purchased by Turner Broadcasting System. Turner's Cartoon Network reran

6215-399: The adult characters from the original Looney Tunes theatrical shorts as their infant selves, and displays Melissa's crush on Daffy Duck when she was an infant. In 2011 The Looney Tunes Show introduced a new female duck character, Tina Russo , based on Melissa Duck, although she had a more tomboy personality and appearance. In 2021, Melissa Duck reappeared as a playable character in

6328-592: The box office. A reboot of Tiny Toon Adventures titled Tiny Toons Looniversity premiered on September 8, 2023, on Max and then aired the following day on Cartoon Network. The Looney Tunes characters reprise their roles as the professors at Acme Looniversity in this series. In September 2021, it was reported that a film based on the Looney Tunes Cartoons , titled The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig ,

6441-451: The cartoon studio in 1944 to Warner Bros. and went into retirement; he died five years later. More popular Looney Tunes characters were created (most of which first appeared in Merrie Melodies cartoons), such as Pepé Le Pew (debuted in 1945's Odor-able Kitty ), Sylvester (debuted in 1945's Life with Feathers ), Yosemite Sam (debuted in 1945's Hare Trigger ), Foghorn Leghorn (debuted in 1946's Walky Talky Hawky ), Marvin

6554-456: The cartoon, he plays Granny's loyal guardian. The show makes Hector's low intelligence his Achilles heel as Sylvester is constantly outwitting him. Hector also appears in the video game Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters where he guards one of the time gears in Granwich. He also appears as an enemy in the game Looney Tunes: Twouble! , in which he can be distracted by giving him a bone. He

6667-710: The cartoons from its launch in 1992 until 2004, again from 2009 until 2017, and making a temporary return in April 2023 to celebrate WB's 100th anniversary. The Looney Tunes Show (not to be confused with the 2010s animated series of the same name ), an early 2000s anthology produced by Warner Bros. Animation for the network, was broadcast from 2001 to 2004. The show featured shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical series. As of 2021, classic cartoons continue to air on CN's sister channel, Boomerang and MeTV . Differing curated collections of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies are available for streaming on both

6780-401: The cartoons shown on Nickelodeon would move to Cartoon Network in the fall of that year. To date, Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon is the longest-airing animated series on the network that was not a Nicktoon . In 1996, Space Jam , a live-action animated film , was released to theaters starring Bugs Bunny and basketball player Michael Jordan . Despite a mixed critical reception, the film

6893-477: The cartoons. Unlike the previous TV package, this package had the Warner titles kept intact and an "Associated Artists Productions presents" title inserted at the head of each reel (as a result, each Merrie Melodies cartoon had the song " Merrily We Roll Along " playing twice). Two years later, United Artists bought a.a.p. (which had also bought Paramount's Popeye films) who merged the company into its television division, United Artists Television . In 1981, UA

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7006-524: The cat, such as 1954's Satan's Waitin' , wherein Hector (as Satan ) convinces Sylvester to use up his nine lives by pursuing Tweety through a series of extremely dangerous situations. In most of his appearances, the bulldog is nameless, though he is sometimes referred to as Spike, not to be confused with Freleng's other creation Spike who is often paired with Chester the Terrier. From 1979 to 1983, when Sylvester

7119-589: The changeover was Warner's decision to re-release only the color cartoons in the Blue Ribbon Classics series of Merrie Melodies . Bugs made a cameo appearance in 1942 in the Avery/Clampett cartoon Crazy Cruise and also at the end of the Frank Tashlin 1943 cartoon Porky Pig's Feat , which marked Bugs' only official appearance in a black-and-white Looney Tunes short. Schlesinger sold his interest in

7232-488: The character Sergeant Sirius is a robot dog based on him, being the pet of Melvin the Matian, a descendant of Marvin. K-9 makes a cameo appearance in the film Space Jam , as part of the audience during the basketball game. He has a minor but most notable appearance in the film Space Jam: A New Legacy , where after Bugs claims Tune World in the name of the Earth, he appears alongside Marvin, who arrives to claim Tune World in

7345-510: The characters for Looney Tunes' cartoons until 1999 when it was replaced with digital ink and paint animation . In 1979, Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol premiered. After The Chocolate Chase , there would not be another short released for seven years. In 1990, it was made so there would be about one short per year until 1998. In 2003, there would be seven shorts produced to promote Looney Tunes: Back in Action . The first of these to be released

7458-483: The classic Warner Bros. cartoons (along with MGM and Paramount's library) in January 2021. In 2003, another feature film was released, this time in an attempt to recapture the spirit of the original shorts: the live-action/animated Looney Tunes: Back in Action . Although the film was not financially successful, it was met with mixed-to-positive reviews from film critics and has been argued by animation historians and fans as

7571-409: The color Merrie Melodies shorts following the success of 1940's A Wild Hare , and formally joined the Looney Tunes series with the release of Buckaroo Bugs in 1944. Schlesinger began to phase in the production of color Looney Tunes with the 1942 cartoon The Hep Cat . The final black-and-white Looney Tunes short was Puss n' Booty in 1943, directed by Frank Tashlin . The inspiration for

7684-544: The decade. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck became the featured Looney Tunes characters, while Merrie Melodies featured one-shot cartoons and minor recurring characters. After Bugs Bunny became popular in the Merrie Melodies shorts of the early 1940s, Looney Tunes moved from black and white to color production, Merrie Melodies having already been in color since 1934. The two series gradually lost their distinctions, and shorts were assigned to each series arbitrarily. From 1942 to 1964, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were

7797-463: The episode " Handicar ". A poster depicting Rocky and Mugsy can be seen on the wall of Nathan's room. Jose and Manuel are Looney Tunes characters created by Friz Freleng , debuting in the short "Two Crows from Tacos". José " Slowpoke " Rodríguez (" Lento Rodríguez " in Spanish , though some more recent translations call him " Tranquilino ") is a fictional animated cartoon mouse , part of

7910-493: The evil Grand Duke Sylvester with whom she is not in love. She next appears (referred here as Femme Fatale (aka "The Body", also referred to as Fowl Fatale or Shapely Lady Duck)), in the short The Super Snooper , where she was a tall voluptuous bright blue-eyed, redheaded duck wearing red lipstick going madly in love with Daffy as a detective. Later in Robert McKimson 's Muscle Tussle (1953), Melissa appears with Daffy on

8023-511: The film, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa were in talks to direct the film, while actor Steve Carell was rumored to be starring in a lead role. Despite this, the film never entered production. At the 2014 Cartoon Network upfront , another series titled Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production (later New Looney Tunes ) was announced. Starring Bugs Bunny, the series premiered on both Cartoon Network and its sister channel Boomerang in late 2015. The series had an unusually slow rollout, with

8136-637: The final volume of the Golden Collection was released. Then, from 2010 until 2013, the company released the Looney Tunes Super Stars DVDs. There have been numerous complaints regarding the Super Stars releases, however (particularly the first two), having the post-1953 shorts in a 16:9 widescreen format. The last DVD in the Super Stars series was Sylvester and Hippety Hopper: Marsupial Mayhem , released on April 23, 2013. 2010 and 2011 saw

8249-535: The finest original feature-length appearance of the cartoon characters. In 2006, Warner Home Video released a new and Christmas-themed Looney Tunes direct-to-video film called Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas , a parody of Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol . Other Looney Tunes TV series made during this time were Baby Looney Tunes (2001–2006), Duck Dodgers (2003–2005) and Loonatics Unleashed (2005–2007). On October 22, 2007, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons became available for

8362-436: The first series of cartoons. Schlesinger was impressed by Harman's and Ising's 1929 pilot cartoon, Bosko, The Talk-Ink Kid . The first Looney Tunes short was Sinkin' in the Bathtub starring Bosko , which was released in 1930. When Harman and Ising left Warner Bros. in 1933 over a budget dispute with Schlesinger, they took with them all the rights of the characters they had created. A new character called Buddy became

8475-674: The first time in High-definition via Microsoft 's Xbox Live service, including some in Spanish. From February 29 – May 18, 2008, many Looney Tunes artifacts, including original animation cels and concept drawings, were on display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio , just off the campus of Youngstown State University , near where the Warners lived early in life. At

8588-498: The first titled Daffy's Rhapsody with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, the next being I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat with Sylvester, Tweety, and Granny. Daffy's Rhapsody was to precede the film Happy Feet Two , until the studio decided to premiere I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat instead. Daffy's Rhapsody instead premiered in 2012, preceding Journey 2: The Mysterious Island . All five shorts were directed by Matthew O'Callaghan . In 2012, several announcements were made about

8701-567: The late 1940s, Freleng's own Yosemite Sam had not yet been proven capable of fully fulfilling his creator's intentions. Freleng introduced two of these more formidable opponents as a pair of gangsters in the 1946 film Racketeer Rabbit , written by Michael Maltese . In the film, Bugs decides to find himself a new home, but the one he chooses is unfortunately occupied by a duo of bank robbers. The characters here are called "Rocky" (drawn like movie gangster Edward G. Robinson ) and "Hugo" (a caricatured Peter Lorre ). Both gangsters are performed by

8814-409: The least of which is his comically thick French Canadian accent, performed by Mel Blanc . Also, like Yosemite Sam and many other villains, Blacque Jacque Shellacque does not have a high level of intelligence, preferring to use force instead of strategy to fight Bugs. His usual swear word is Sacrebleu ; and he is often portrayed as a thief. Bunny and Claude are two fictional cartoon characters in

8927-698: The mobile game Looney Tunes World of Mayhem titled the "Fair Lady Melissa", "Maid Melissa", "Possessed Melissa", and "Shapeshifter Melissa". Pete Puma is a puma , originally voiced by Stan Freberg . He was created by Robert McKimson , and debuted in the November 15, 1952 short film Rabbit's Kin . Although Pete Puma was a one-shot character in Rabbit's Kin , he is often vividly remembered by cartoon fans, especially for his bizarre, inhaled, almost choking laugh (based on comedian Frank Fontaine 's "Crazy Guggenheim" and "John L.C. Silvoney" characters). In Rabbit's Kin , Pete

9040-401: The most popular animated shorts in movie theaters. Looney Tunes has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, spawning several television series, feature films, comic books, music albums, video games, and amusement park rides. Many of the characters have made and continue to make cameo appearances in television shows, films, and other media. Bugs Bunny, in particular,

9153-513: The movie Space Jam . In the movie, they are spotted wearing rabbit's ears and are shown shocked and terrified when Bugs gets crushed by a Monstar named Pound who was meant to crush Lola. They have a brief appearance in the direct-to-video film Tweety's High-Flying Adventure , where they reside in a cabin in Rio de Janeiro while hiding from the police; Mugsy is also in charge of placing the country postmark on Tweety 's passport. Rocky and Mugsy both made

9266-424: The name of Mars. K-9 also appears as a playable character in the mobile game Looney Tunes World of Mayhem . Melissa Duck is a blonde female duck who is the dapper girlfriend to and occasional female counterpart of Daffy Duck . She was created by Frank Tashlin and Chuck Jones . She is featured in several cartoon shorts, but is only referred to as Melissa in one, The Scarlet Pumpernickel , where she

9379-406: The only star of the Looney Tunes series for a couple of years. New directors including Tex Avery , Friz Freleng and Bob Clampett were brought in or promoted to work with animators in the Schlesinger studio, with Avery's unit housed in a bungalow which the animators dubbed " Termite Terrace ." In 1935, the first major Looney Tunes star debuted, Porky Pig . He first appeared along with Beans

9492-401: The pursuing cats who try to capture the both of them, but he is shown to have alternative (more effective) methods of resistance, such as his possession and use of a gun. Looney Tunes Looney Tunes is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside

9605-639: The related series Merrie Melodies , during the golden age of American animation . Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters , including Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck , and Porky Pig . The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were initially produced by Leon Schlesinger and animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising from 1930 to 1933. Schlesinger assumed full production from 1933 until he sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944, after which it

9718-571: The releases of The Essential Bugs Bunny and The Essential Daffy Duck DVDs. In 2011, the shorts were released on Blu-ray Disc for the first time with the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection series. On September 19, 2017, Warner Home Video 's Warner Archive Collection released the five-disc Porky Pig 101 DVD-set. In 1933, Harman and Ising left, taking the rights to the Bosko characters with them. However, Warner Bros. retained

9831-467: The rights to the cartoons and the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies brand names, leaving their former producer Leon Schlesinger to start his own animation studio to continue the Looney Tunes series. With their retained Bosko rights, Harman and Ising began making cartoons at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1934 until they were fired in 1937 due to a lack of success. MGM proceeded to form their own studio to create its own cartoons. Time Warner eventually acquired

9944-423: The same techniques that would make Sam, his other Bugs villain, such a humorous character: despite Rocky's tough-guy demeanor, everlasting cigar (or cigarette ) and foppish gangster dress, he really is little more than a dwarf in a much-too-large hat. In 1953's Catty Cornered , Freleng set the mob against another of his comic duos, Sylvester and Tweety Bird . Gang leader Rocky, this time aided and abetted by

10057-518: The scenes where Bugs and Mickey Mouse are skydiving , and when Daffy and Donald Duck are performing their "Dueling Pianos" sequence. On July 10, 1989, after a battle with heart problems, Mel Blanc died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of cardiovascular disease . A picture depicting the Looney Tunes characters entitled "Speechless" was released shortly after his death. Viacom-owned Nickelodeon aired Looney Tunes cartoons in

10170-478: The second season, the show consisted of two separate 11-minute mysteries. Other Looney Tunes characters make cameo appearances, including Daffy Duck , Yosemite Sam , Elmer Fudd , the Tasmanian Devil , Pepé Le Pew , Beaky Buzzard , Babbit and Catstello , Hubie and Bertie , Foghorn Leghorn , Witch Hazel , Michigan J. Frog , Rocky and Mugsy , Marvin the Martian , Hippety Hopper , Gossamer , Count Blood Count, Sam Sheepdog , Cecil Turtle , Nasty Canasta ,

10283-666: The series being moved to the Boomerang streaming service in 2017, and was eventually cancelled on January 30, 2020. On June 11, 2018, another series, titled Looney Tunes Cartoons , was announced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on May 27, 2020, on the streaming service HBO Max . The series features "1,000 minutes of new one-to-six minute cartoons featuring the brand's marquee characters", voiced by their current voice actors in "simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories" that are rendered by multiple artists employing "a visual style that will resonate with fans", most noticeably having

10396-414: The series won five Academy Awards : During the mid-late 1960s, the shorts were produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (and Format Productions ) (1964–1967) and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967–1969) after Warner Bros. shut down their animation studio. The shorts from this era can be identified by their different title sequence, featuring stylized limited animation and graphics on a black background and

10509-490: The series. The final episode of the series never aired on Kids' WB, but did air on Cartoon Network on December 18, 2002. On September 9, 2008, Warner Home Video released The Complete First Season of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries on DVD in Region 1. This release comes exactly 13 years since the premiere of the show. No further DVD releases have been announced. Three episodes from season 1 are included as bonus features in

10622-451: The television distribution rights to 191 of its cartoons (which included the black-and-white Looney Tunes and the black-and-white Merrie Melodies made after Harman and Ising left) to Guild Films. The copyrights to those cartoons were assigned to Sunset Productions , an entity owned by Warner Bros. The cartoons were distributed by Guild Films until it went bankrupt and was bought by Seven Arts. Seven Arts bought WB in 1967, and WB regained

10735-810: The television series Loonatics Unleashed , the characters Stoney and Bugsy are two gangster descendants of Rocky and Mugsy, being very similar to them in appearance. Rocky and Mugsy are parodied as the South Park characters Nathan and Mimsy in the episode " Crippled Summer ", Nathan having been introduced in the earlier episode " Up the Down Steroid ". Throughout the episode's storylines, with various campers being parodies of other Looney Tunes characters, Nathan (Rocky) attempts to arrange fatal accidents for Jimmy Valmer (a counterpart to Bugs Bunny) which get ruined by Mimsy (Mugsy)'s stupidity. Nathan and Mimsy become reoccurring characters following their return appearance in

10848-424: The various Warner Bros. characters. By 1937, the theme music for Looney Tunes was " The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down " by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin , and the theme music for Merrie Melodies was an adaptation of " Merrily We Roll Along " by Charles Tobias , Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor . In 1929, to compete against Walt Disney 's Mickey Mouse short cartoons , Warner Bros. became interested in developing

10961-544: The villains in the 2002 Xbox video game Loons: The Fight for Fame , a vs. fighting game in which the no-good gangsters attempt to run a film studio into the ground so that they can buy up the stock for next to nothing. Also, in Bugs Bunny Lost in Time , the pair are bosses of the 1930s era. They also appeared in episodes of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and Duck Dodgers , as well as various cameo appearances in

11074-636: The voice talents of Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet . Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were so named as a reference to Disney's Silly Symphonies and were initially developed to showcase tracks from Warner Bros.' extensive music library; the title of the first Looney Tunes short, Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930), is a pun on Singin' in the Bathtub . Between 1934 and 1943, Merrie Melodies were produced in color and Looney Tunes in black and white. After 1943, both series were produced in color and became virtually indistinguishable, varying only in their opening theme music and titles. Both series made use of

11187-531: The works that began with the first short, Coyote Falls , that preceded the film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore , which was released on July 30, 2010. On September 24, 2010, Fur of Flying preceded the film, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole , and on December 17, 2010, Rabid Rider preceded the film, Yogi Bear . On June 8, 2011, Warner Bros. Animation announced that there will be more Looney Tunes 3-D theatrical shorts;

11300-457: Was The Whizzard of Ow , which appeared on a DVD release of Back in Action that was sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores. Only about half of the shorts were shown in theaters; the rest would not be made available until 2004, when all seven shorts were included on the general home video release of the film. In 2010, five computer-animated shorts would be released and directed by Matthew O'Callaghan , who would also direct another short, Flash in

11413-430: Was a major box-office success, grossing nearly $ 100 million in the U.S. alone, almost becoming the first non-Disney animated film to achieve that feat. For a two-year period, it was the highest grossing non-Disney animated film ever. The film also introduced the character Lola Bunny , who subsequently became another recurring member of the Looney Tunes cast, usually as a love interest for Bugs. In 1997, Bugs Bunny

11526-470: Was announced for release on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. However, it was reported in August 2022 that the film would instead be shopped around to other streaming services. In October 2023, it was announced the film would instead be released in theaters, becoming the first animated non-compilation feature film in the franchise to do so. In early August 2024, it was announced that Ketchup Entertainment acquired

11639-535: Was announced two new series were in the works: Bugs Bunny Builders and Tweety Mysteries . Bugs Bunny Builders began airing on Cartoon Network as part of Cartoonito and HBO Max on July 25, 2022; Tweety Mysteries would also air on Cartoon Network . Bugs Bunny Builders is aimed towards preschoolers; while Tweety Mysteries is a live-action/animated hybrid. However, the latter was scrapped for unknown reasons. A sequel to Space Jam titled Space Jam: A New Legacy , starring basketball player LeBron James ,

11752-399: Was dormant from 1969 until 1979, when new shorts were made to introduce the Looney Tunes to a new generation of audiences. New shorts have been produced and released sporadically for theaters since then, though usually as promotional tie-ins with various family movies produced by Warner Bros. While many have been released in limited releases theatrically for Academy Award consideration, only

11865-425: Was featured on a U.S. 32 cent postage stamp, the first of five Looney Tunes themed stamps to be issued. The Looney Tunes also achieved success in the area of television during this era, with appearances in several originally produced series, including Taz-Mania (1991, starring Taz) and The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995, starring Sylvester, Tweety, and Granny). The gang also made frequent cameos in

11978-516: Was later phased out when his popularity declined, leaving Porky as the only star of the Schlesinger studio. The debuts of other memorable Looney Tunes stars followed: Daffy Duck in Porky's Duck Hunt (1937), Elmer Fudd in the Merrie Melodies short Elmer's Candid Camera (1940), Bugs Bunny in the Merrie Melodies short A Wild Hare (1940), and Tweety in the Merrie Melodies short A Tale of Two Kitties (1942). Bugs initially starred in

12091-536: Was released in theaters and HBO Max on July 16, 2021, after a Los Angeles special screening on July 12, 2021. It is a film with a story of LeBron James' second son, Dom, who gets kidnapped by an evil AI named Al. G Rhythm ( Don Cheadle ), into the Warner Bros. server-verse. LeBron then assembles the Tune Squad to play against the algorithm and get his son back. It received generally negative reviews and underperformed at

12204-484: Was renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons . The Looney Tunes title was inspired by that of Walt Disney 's Silly Symphonies . The shorts initially showcased musical compositions owned by Warner's music publishing interests through the adventures of such characters as Bosko and Buddy . However, the shorts gained a higher profile upon the debuts of directors Tex Avery , Friz Freleng , Chuck Jones , Bob Clampett , and Robert McKimson , and voice actor Mel Blanc later in

12317-549: Was reported that Warner Bros. was working on a "super secret Looney Tunes project". In the 1980s, the shorts received VHS releases, with the pre-August 1948 shorts released by MGM/UA Home Video and the post-July 1948 shorts released by Warner Home Video . In 2003, Warner Home Video began releasing select shorts on DVD , aimed at collectors, in four-disc sets known as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection starting with Volume 1 . This continued until 2008, when

12430-479: Was sold to MGM, and five years later, Ted Turner acquired the pre-May 1986 MGM library, as well the rights to the a.a.p. library. In 1996, Turner's company, Turner Broadcasting System (whose Turner Entertainment division oversaw the film library), was purchased by Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery ), which was also Warner Bros.' corporate parent. Then when MGM/UA terminated its distribution deal with Time Warner in 1999, it surrendered its home video rights to

12543-427: Was the inspiration for a specific version of five card draw poker mixed with blackjack named "Blacque Jacque Shellacque" in which the pot is divided between the winning poker hand and the winning blackjack hand. If everyone loses in blackjack, the winning poker hand takes all. While similar in many ways to Yosemite Sam —both are short in stature and temper—Blacque Jacque possesses his own unique characteristics, not

12656-461: Was the mascot for 9Lives ' line of dry cat food, Hector appeared in most TV commercials with the feline, whose plots typically involved Sylvester attempting to distract him to get the bowl of 9Lives, only for the cat to once again end up in danger by the end, with Sylvester proclaiming the brand as "worth riskin' your life for!". Hector’s most prominent role was as a regular cast member in the animated series The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries . In

12769-736: Was voiced by Pat Woodell and Claude was voiced by veteran Looney Tunes voice actor Mel Blanc . They both speak with pronounced Southern accents. Bunny and Claude are pursued by a stereotypical Southern sheriff (also voiced by Blanc in a fashion similar to his other characters, Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam ). They appeared in two cartoons produced by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation , Bunny and Claude (We Rob Carrot Patches) , released in 1968, and The Great Carrot Train Robbery , released in 1969. Both films were directed by Robert McKimson , and were his first two cartoons he directed in his comeback to Termite Terrace. A picture of Bunny and Claude

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