What I learned from Bugs Bunny


I grew up on Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew, like many generations before me. And from these cartoons, I received quite an education. Today, I thought I'd share a little of what I learned:

  • Niche Marketing. That Acme Markets, the real-and-for-true grocery store chain, diversified to sell rocket launchers and jet-powered roller skates. Strangely, I'd never seen them stocked in the store in my hometown. They must have been Special Order only.
  • Foreign languages. Like French. For instance, when someone is leaving on a long trip, you say, "Bon voy-yahdg-ee." And the word for skunk is "le pew." If you are out of breath from being chased, you "le sigh" and "le pant," "le huff" and "le puff." This is enough to get you through any trip to Paris.
  • New vocabulary words. I discovered that a "maroon" is a stupid person, and not a reddish-brownish-purple color like the dictionary says. And "moidelize" is the threat to commit an act of violence on another. On the school playground, for example, you would threaten to moidelize the bully who went after you.
  • About life in other countries. Canadians jump over Niagra Falls in a barrel regularly, and with no ill effects. Chefs are always French or Italian. And no matter where you go-- whether it's a South Pacific Island, a chic French bistro, or deep in the Appalachian hillbilly hills... everyone, but EVERYONE loves rabbit stew.
  • Tolerance. Just because a boy rabbit dresses up like a girl rabbit, doesn't make him any less cool. And 4 out of 5 individuals in any crowd have some form of serious speech impediment. This will go unnoticed.
  • History. We learned Robin Hood was accident prone, one of the knights of the Round Table had a cowboy drawl, and in World War II, rabbits were trained as fighter pilots. This is why the Allies won the war.
  • Physics. It is possible to levitate over a canyon for up to ten seconds before plummeting to the hard ground below. Anvils, however, always drop immediately.
  • Music. Classical music, like Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, at one time had lyrics, and the song was, in fact, about rabbit assassination. We also learned that the words to the opera The Barber of Seville are mostly comprised of the name "Figaro." That made it easier to remember for the cast.
  • Household items. Poison bottles always bear a skull and crossbones on the front, bombs are always round and cannon-ball-like, and anvils are used and enjoyed well beyond blacksmithing. Nitro gylcerine can be found in any cabinet.
So tell me, what have you learned from our friend, the Bunny? Hope you'll hop to-it and share. :) Me, I have to go find that anvil...

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43 comments:

Anonymous said...

LMAO - well done, Jen. Regarding rabbit fighter pilots, I'm wondering if any rabbits one the Dicken medal for their bravery?

I'm joking of course, but there really is a Dicken medal for valor and extreme courage displayed my animals in the service of "king and country." It's the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross.

The biggest lesson bugs taught me was that if I find myself hovering over a canyon - DO NOT look down - as that is when the drop begins.

Unknown said...

KDawg- Heh, I'm getting image of this horse hanging over a canyon... And that makes me really, really happy. :)

I do believe Bugs was made an honorary Marine at one point because of his World War II antics. I think I read that somewhere.

Alice said...

I think I may have mentioned it on a previous post, but I picked up my quarter-staff moves from Daffy.

And I do believe that I learned to appreciate classical music from Bugs also!

Unknown said...

Alice- I'm impressed that you HAVE quarter staff moves. ("Ah-ha, ah-ho, dodge, pary, spin, thrust... TWANG!")

There are to this day classical music pieces I just can't extract from visions of ducks and wabbits. :)

Anne Coleman said...

ROFL, Jenn! This is awesome.

Da Old Man said...

You wascawwy witer.

Great post for a Friday.

Is it wabbit season or duck season in Pennsy right now?

Unknown said...

Aw, thanks, Annie!! Thanks for posting those video clip links on BC, too. It's like a flood of nostalgia. :)

DaOldMan- Oh, it's Duck Season. As far as our pal Bugs is concerned, it's ALWAYS Duck Season, donchaknow. :)

Erick said...

Hey, Jenn! I absolutely loved Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny was great, especially when he played a thug in the mafia.

I learned what 'hossenfeffer' was at about age 8 or so. I learned how fun it is to be the underdog and use your wits when confronted against insurmountable odds. Okay, maybe that's a bit much, but I still appreciate knowing about hossenfeffer (though I've never had it.)

Unknown said...

Jaded- Ah, yes! And I think because of those gangster Bugs episodes, we all learned about film stars like Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson-- even if we didn't realize it at the time!

Barry said...

Of course whne you mail order something, just wait by the mailbox and it will be delivered in seconds!!!

Unknown said...

Barry-- Of course! The Acme mail order department has AMAZING customer service.

Rebecca said...

I learned that the coyote will always meet certain doom no matter what newfound plan is devised. As a kid, I wondered why the seemingly smarter coyote, who came up with these ingenious ideas, always blew himself up while the road runner just ran and beeped. Oh well! It's cartoon logic!

Unknown said...

Rebecca- yes, it sort of stands alone in the general way the laws of nature worked. :)

Chaffee Street Cafe` said...

... And Buggs had a pig friend who always said, "uh yaibitty yaibitty yaibitty ... That's All Folks!"

Unknown said...

Theresa- bless your heart for spelling Porky Pig's stutter out... That cracks me up. :) A very yaibitty weekend to you!

crpitt said...

While I love this post, its not enough to make me like BB.

I developed a hatred at a young age and would scream 'TURN IT OFF' as a wee child :)

So I guess I learnt to hate that rabbit and his chums.

Unknown said...

Claire- Ah, that's okay-- at Cabbages and Kings, folks are allowed to have different viewpoints and, you know, not like Bugs Bunny. :)

I myself, did not care for Speed Racer, Davy and Goliath, or any cartoon where adult characters were re-developed to be "kids" or "babies."

Unknown said...

I think you've summed up the Bugs Bunny lessons better than just about anyone. I miss the Bugs Bunny Show (the oldschool one, not the censored junk they re-run today with all the good parts taken out).

Unknown said...

ShadowCrystal- Yep, things have gotten really sanitized, which is a shame from a history perspective because I think looking at it from that angle would be really interesting.

MYM said...

LOL ... love it, and so TRUE! I leaned everything I know about classical music from the Buggs.

Unknown said...

Oh, Drowsey, ain't it the truth?! Whole generations of kids were introduced to classical music courtesy of Bugs and the gang.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I learned at a young age that smashing someone over the head with a mallet did not result in little stars and birdies flying around their head. I was most disappointed!

Unknown said...

Tiggy-- So true! You just use that mallet over and over and over again... and still... no birdies.

Just police sirens. Go fig! :)

Anonymous said...

I learned that I hate that stupid beeping bird. And that people at the DMV can't understand how to spell WILY E 1. LOL

I also learned that after a hard day of trying to catch sheep you punch out and have a beer with the sheepdog. No hard feelings for the pounding you got that day just trying to get ahead. ;) I also learned that the male of all species has a hard time understanding a map. Just how many times is that rabbit going to get lost and shoulda taken that turn at Albu???? Obviously I was traumatized by that since I can't even spell it!

Get that stupid bird Wily E. Coyote!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Great post Jenn! Not sure I was ever really big into the Bugs Bunny and friends, but I'll never forget seeing an episode and wondering why the coyote never learned his lesson. I just assumed he enjoyed pain.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Jack Payne said...

My favorite Mel Blanc voice was always Pepe Le Pew, the myopic French skunk with so much dignity and artistocratic class that he buried such characters as Wily Coyote, Yosemite Sam, and Tweety Bird.

Bugs was O.K. But, I guess, really, my top pick was Elmer Fudd.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Jenn. I enjoyed that! To your list I would add carrots. I like carrots. Don't know if I learned that from him, but I can't eat a whole carrot without asking "What's up Doc."

Now whether I learned anything from Pepe Le Pew about love is another matter, though I used to call a certain baby whose countless diapers I changed, "Monsieur Le Pew". But of course.

Unknown said...

Chyna- I always loved Sam and Ralph, the wolf and sheepdog skits. I was pro-sheepdog, largely because he really planned ahead. That always impressed me. :)

Jamie- Hey thanks for stopping by. I think the issue with the coyote was he needed a Roadrunners Anonymous club to join. He just was compelled. You'd think if he could order jetpowered rollerskates he could order take-out as well. Gotta be SOME food other than roadrunner out there.

Jack- Pepe seems to be a favorite of many. He did have class. I still think it was a miracle Monsieur Le Pew wasn't served with a restraining order. :)

Language4You, Ah, mais oui! Le petit bebe likely EARNED that moniker. :) Thanks for your visit!!

Greg said...

Actually, it was a buck-and-a-quarter quarter staff, but don't tell Alice that.

I can't believe you left out the historical bit about the ice cream truck at Valley Forge!!! Not to mention Bugs' inspiration of Betsy Ross' most famous bit of sewing...("Hey Betsy, does DIS give ya any idears?" "Oh, yes, Mister Bunny, it does...it does!")

Oh, how I LOVE Bugs Bunny...did you know many of the best ones are available, unedited, at You Tube? This was one of my favorite discoveries there.

Great post, JT: See ya in da funny pitchers!

Greg said...

"Wile E. Coyote, super genius."

(whooo, whooo....)

Greg said...

Oh, I'm so easily distracted by all things Warner Bros:

In my last garden, the coyotes were in residence when we arrived. I left a rocket jet-pack and some fake holes lying around, and within a month, they were all gone!

Unknown said...

Greg- You are one kwazy wabbit! :)

Amd yes, there's all sorts of great things Bunny on Utube.

The Betsy Ross schtick was great, I totally forgot about that.

Melanie said...

I grew up on a steady diet of Bugs Bunny, and to this day I find myself quoting him-- often. I'm sure that says something about me, just not sure what. :)

Loved Sam and Ralph. I want to be that big of person in real life. Be able to be totally opposed to what someone is or does and still be able to shake hands at the end of the day and go have a beer.

Just once, I wanted to see Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius get that blasted bird.

Unknown said...

Melanie- well he is just a terribly quotable bunny, isn't he?

I like your perspective on Sam and Ralph... a little philosophy, a little bit of sheep-thievery. :)

Thanks for stopping!

That Girl Ang said...

I've learned tons from bugs about how to get a man's attention by dressing up. I learned how to deal w/a hairy red monster in tennis shoes and how to console an abominable snowman named George.

Let's see but I learned the most from Daffy like...

Name calling: "Proud Punk" 3:30

Retirement: "Socially Secured" 5:39
& "Happy Meiser" 6:47

http://youtube.com/watch?v=J37CUN0ix7s

LOL

NJT

Anonymous said...

Wily did get that stupid bird once. He let him go because he just couldn't eat him. To this day I can't stand Roadrunners. The birds or the muscle cars. ;)

I forgot about George! That is a classic, and we do quote it on ocassion. I will love him and hug him and I will call him George.:) Priceless.

Other than those two stories I was never much of a Bugs Bunny fan. Taz is pretty cool but then that smart alec rabbit shows up.

Now Baby Loonie toons or the spin off (Looney Tales, it was on the WB channel) were funny. Binky and Brain, bring on more!

Unknown said...

Chyna- Oh, yep, the Tiny Toons and Animaniacs were really pretty good. Baby Plucky Duck was a favorite of mine, particularly when he'd put things down the toilet and flush them...

And Pinky and the Brain were awesome!!

Unknown said...

NJ- And to think your easy-going nature is NOTHING like Daffy... (thankfully). What is it about ducks and temper? Daffy... Donald.... There are definitely some rage issues in Ducktown. :)

Anonymous said...

Should be no surprise that my fave was the baby coyote and baby Taz.

I wish they still have animaniacs on, it was funny! Same with Pinky and the Brain. Genius!

Brain- Do you know what I'm thinking Pinky?

Pinky- Yes but polyester chaps me so.

Priceless!!!!

Anonymous said...

ooh I used to love 'em looney toons! It always intrigued me how they could hang in thin air for two seconds before a fall.. good thing I never tried it :)

Unknown said...

Mantiz- Yes, indeed-- Suddenly I'm rather glad you didn't give it a shot, too! One blogger, cut off well before his prime due to an unfortunate cliff-drop... Not pretty. :)

Anonymous said...

This is still a great and very funny post.