Happy Rabbit in Prest-O Change-O
Porky Pig meets the Rabbit in Porky's Hare Hunt
Happy Rabbit is a character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series who later evolved into the Warner Bros. cartoon studio's most famous character, Bugs Bunny. Created by Ben "Bugs" Hardaway in 1938, Happy Rabbit first appeared in the short Porky's Hare Hunt.
Like most of the other Looney Tunes characters, Happy Rabbit was voiced by Mel Blanc. No one remembered the name of the Bugs Bunny prototype until Blanc spoke of Bugs' origins in a 1970s interview.
History[]
The Rabbit runs from Porky Pig in Porky's Hare HuntTemplate:Speedy-image-c
Elmer and Happy IN Elmer's Candid Camera
Happy Rabbit made his screen debut in the 1938 Looney Tunes cartoon Porky's Hare Hunt, directed by Ben Hardaway. Similar in tone and execution to the previous year's Porky's Duck Hunt, which introduced Daffy Duck, Porky's Hare Hunt involves Porky hunting a white rabbit whose wild antics drive him mad. Mel Blanc would later use his "Happy Rabbit" voice characterization as the voice of Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker.
The redesigned Happy Rabbit in Hare-um Scare-um.
Chuck Jones used Happy Rabbit as a foil in his 1939 short, Prest-O Change-O, which marked the rabbit's second appearance. Happy was the focal point of his third cartoon, Hare-um Scare-um (1939), for which he was redesigned as a grey rabbit with large buck teeth.
Happy Rabbit made his fourth appearance in Elmer's Candid Camera (1940), a cartoon which marked the first appearance of the "official" version of Elmer Fudd. The cartoon set into play the antagonistic relationship that would develop between Elmer and Happy's successor, Bugs Bunny, over the years. Throughout Elmer's Candid Camera, Happy Rabbit is very similar in appearance and personality to Bugs; the only major differences between the two were that Happy had apricot-colored gloves and muzzle, a furrier tail, a black nose, black-tipped ears, and a different voice.
Happy appeared one last time with a cameo role in 1940's Patient Porky. The same year, Tex Avery directed A Wild Hare, a cartoon featuring Elmer Fudd hunting a rabbit, he had Happy Rabbit redesigned and revised with a new personality. The resulting rabbit character was given a new name - Bugs Bunny - in Chuck Jones' 1941 follow-up to A Wild Hare, Elmer's Pet Rabbit.
Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies |
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Primary: Bugs Bunny • Daffy Duck • Porky Pig • Elmer Fudd • Sylvester • Tweety Bird • Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner • Foghorn Leghorn • Pepé Le Pew • Yosemite Sam • Speedy Gonzales • Marvin the Martian • Tasmanian Devil • Gosalyn Mallard • Honker Muddlefoot |
Secondary: Bosko • Buddy • Goopy Geer • Foxy • Happy Rabbit • Piggy • Beans • Michigan J. Frog • Petunia Pig • Henery Hawk • Rocky and Mugsy • Granny • Hector the Bulldog • Goofy Gophers • Cecil Turtle • Sylvester Jr. • Gossamer • Spike and Chester • Hippety Hopper • Marc Antony and Pussyfoot • Witch Hazel • The Three Bears • Hubie and Bertie • Claude Cat • Sniffles • Ralph Phillips • Beaky Buzzard • Willoughby • Charlie Dog • Pete Puma • Crusher • Count Blood Count • Private Snafu • Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf • Slowpoke Rodriguez • Merlin the Magic Mouse and Second Banana • Cool Cat • Penelope Pussycat |
Comics and TV Shows: Honey Bunny • Bull and Axle Gator • Buddy Boar • Wendell T. Wolf • Francis X. Bushlad • Digeri Dingo • Willie Wombat • Daniel and Timothy Platypus • Lola Bunny • Melissa Duck • I.Q. Hi • Star Johnson • Queen Tyr'ahnee |
Television Animation |
Tiny Toon Adventures : Babs and Buster Bunny • Plucky Duck • Hamton J. Pig • Montana Max • Elmyra Duff • Dizzy Devil • Furrball • Calamity Coyote • Little Beeper • Gogo Dodo • Sweetie Pie • Shirley the Loon • Fifi Le Fume • Li'l Sneezer • Concord Condor • Byron Basset • Fowlmouth • Arnold the Pitbull • Barky Marky • Mary Melody |
Animaniacs : Yakko, Wakko, and Dot • Ralph the Guard • Thaddeus Plotz • Dr. Otto Scratchansniff • Hello Nurse • Ms. Flamiel • Pinky and the Brain • Snowball the Hamster • Slappy Squirrel • Skippy Squirrel • Walter Wolf • Buttons and Mindy • The Goodfeathers • Rita and Runt • Flavio and Marita • Minerva Mink • Chicken Boo • Katie Ka-Boom • Mr. Skullhead |
Freakazoid! : The Huntsman |
Histeria! : Father Time • Big Fat Baby • Miss Information • World's Oldest Woman • Loud Kiddington • Charity Bazaar • Aka Pella • Froggo • Toast • Pepper Mills • Cho-Cho • Lucky Bob • Pule Houser • Susanna Susquahanna • Bill Straitman • Mr. Smartypants • Chit Chatterson • Lydia Karaoke • Sammy Melman |