How Well Do You Know The Looney Tunes?
- by Harris Frost
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Road Runner are without a doubt some of the most immediately recognizable cartoon characters of all time. The theatrical shorts that introduced the world to these characters and their anarchic brand of comedy are still seen today many decades later. In this sense, the Looney Tunes shorts have proven far more enduring than those of Disney (their chief competition), whose shorts starring characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy have been more or less put aside in favour of these characters' status as company mascots.
In more recent years, the many Looney Tunes characters have appeared in various forms in several TV series, films, video games, comics, toys and various other pieces of merchandise. While many people may be aware of the Looney Tunes, perhaps having seen the classic shorts broadcast in The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show as children, fewer are likely to be aware of the finer points of the Looney Tunes' extensive catalogue or of their broader importance to the history of comedy and animation. This quiz offers an even mix of questions about both the original theatrical shorts and the latter-day spinoffs. Do you remember the names of some of the minor characters? What about the famous quotes? Which characters appeared earliest? It's all in here, so on with the show this is it!
What's the name of the company that creates Wile E. Coyote's many devices?
Wile E. Coyote (a self described genius) is characterized mostly by his almost supernaturally bad luck and self-destructive persistence. In his quest to catch and eat the speedy Road Runner he usually purchases elaborate gadgets and weapons from a particular company's mail order catalogue. Often his plans end up failing entirely because of these products' tendency to break or otherwise fail at inopportune times. Despite the company's constant stream of poor products Wile E. Coyote remains a loyal and enthusiastic customer.
What does Marvin the Martian call his stick of dynamite?
Making his first appearance in the 1949 Bugs Bunny short Haredevil Hare, Marvin the Martian has become one of the more recognizable villains in the Looney Tunes roster. His debut marked a departure from Bugs Bunny's usual enemies of humans with guns or hostile animals. Marvin's strangely old-fashioned attire was supposedly inspired by the Roman god Mars. Marvin's plots often involved his dog K9 and his army of bird-like instant martians, but in true Looney Tunes form he was also partial to using sticks of dynamite. Although, he preferred to call it something a little more spacey.
What's the name of Sylvester's bulldog nemesis?
There's a certain pecking order in the world of the Looney Tunes. Every would-be predator or hunter gets their comeuppance sooner or later. And Sylvester the cat is no exception. Sylvester has no troubling getting himself hurt or humiliated while trying to eat Tweety time and time again, but sometimes Tweety is under the protection of this burly bulldog. It's not really clear whether he's owned by Granny in his early appearances, but the 90s animated series The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries depicted him as another one of Granny's pets.
What words appeared at the end of every short?
There are a lot of memorable elements to the classic Looney Tunes shorts beyond just the recognizable characters. From the music to the animation style to the sound effects and even the opening and closing sequences, everything fit into an instantly recognizable "house style". One example of this is the words that appeared at the end of every short; instead of just writing "the end" or "fin" they committed to an iconic farewell phrase. The words were sometimes spoken by Porky Pig but more often simply appeared as text. What were they?
What's this singing amphibian's name?
"Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal!" This was the tune sung several times by this character in his much-loved short called "One Froggy Evening". It tells the story of a construction worker who discovers the signing and dancing frog and understandably tries to get rich by showing him to other people. Unfortunately for him, the frog only sings when the owner is alone, driving him mad. Though the frog was not a full-fledged recurring Looney Tunes character, he did prove quite memorable to viewers and even served as the mascot for the WB network.
Which of these characters had the earliest debut?
Despite the continuing success of Looney Tunes franchise in the domains of merchandising, TV shows and theme parks, the central cast of characters has remained largely unchanged since the shorts of 1940s and 50s, which saw the vast majority of their debuts. Still, Looney Tunes produced short films as early as 1930 and although most of their earliest recurring characters did not last, a select few of the characters more recognizable to modern audiences did debut several years before the rest. This particular character first appeared in 1935.
What's the name of this 2003 film starring Brendan Fraser?
After Space Jam's release in 1996 was met with enormous box office success, Warner Bros. had an interest in releasing another big-budget Looney Tunes film featuring both live-action performers and animated characters. The result was this film starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, and Timothy Dalton. Without the draw of a massive star like Michael Jordan, this film performed poorly at the box-office despite garnering marginally better reviews than Space Jam. There has yet to be another major theatrical Looney Tunes film.
What hit song was featured on the Space Jam soundtrack?
Space Jam occupies quite an important place in online culture. Along with films like Shrek and Bee Movie, it seems referencing Space Jam's very existence has become something of a meme in certain corners of the internet. The movie was certainly popular, grossing $200 million in theatres, but the nostalgia around it seems to transcend this. For many young people, the film perhaps has come to embody the cultural moment of its time, a moment where a bizarre mashup like Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan seemed almost obvious. What was the Grammy-winning song released alongside the film?
What's the name of this acclaimed Daffy Duck short?
Along with "What's Opera Doc?", this Daffy Duck-starring short released in 1953 is regularly considered to be one of the strongest in the series' catalogue. The very unusual premise finds Daffy being tormented by the illustrator of the cartoon itself. Throughout the short, the backgrounds are changed wantonly and Daffy is erased and redrawn by the mischievous unseen cartoonist. Daffy alternately pleads with and threatens his tormentor to allow the cartoon to go ahead as normal. In the end, it's revealed that the cartoonist is none other than Bugs Bunny.
What was the Tazamanian Devil's solo TV show called?
The Tazmanian Devil occupies an interesting place among the many classic Looney Tunes characters. Though he did originate in the "Golden Age" shorts, he was a very late addition and only made a handful of appearances before Warner Bros. stopped producing theatrical shorts. However, in more recent decades Taz has been very heavily emphasized as an important Looney Tunes character, being extremely well-represented in merchandise and various TV shows from the 90s onward. He was even featured in his very own TV series on Fox Kids from 1991 to 1995. What was it called?
Complete the quote: "I will name him ______ and I will hug him and pet him"
While Hugo the Abominable Snowman is far from the most iconic Looney Tunes character to face off against Bugs and Daffy, he managed to make something of an impression thanks mostly to the line quoted above. Hugo is a soft-spoken and relatively gentle creature with a fondness for rabbits. Upon meeting Daffy Duck, he initially mistakes him for a rabbit and tries to keep him as a pet. Daffy predictably offers Hugo a real rabbit, and tries to get Bugs to take his place as the monster's pet.
Which famous actress voiced Lola in the recent Looney Tunes Show?
Lola Bunny was only introduced in 1996 in Space Jam. Somewhat uncomfortably, she was originally designed to be a flirtatious female counterpart to Bugs Bunny. Her appearance in Space Jam was largely defined by the sexual tension between her and Bugs. However, in the Cartoon Network series The Looney Tunes show ran from 2011 to 2014, she was given a more fully fleshed-out and comedic persona. In this series, her breathy Space Jam voice replaced with a much peppier voice. Which comedic actress lent her voice to the character?
What century does Duck Dodgers call home?
Duck Dodgers is a sort of double character. He is a character "played" by Daffy Duck, with his basic appearance voice and personality transposed onto a character in a science-fiction setting. He first appeared joined by his partner an eager young space cadet (played by Porky Pig) in a 1953 short in which he battled frequent Bugs Bunny enemy Marvin the Martian. He is a loose parody of the then-popular science-fiction adventure serial Buck Rogers. He received his own tv show on the Cartoon Network in the early 2000s.
The short "What's Opera Doc?" lampoons the works of which composer?
"What's Opera Doc?" is routinely cited as one of the boldest and most memorable Looney Tunes shorts. instead of featuring the witty dialogue, comical sound effects and light-hearted music the series was known for, it takes the eternal battle between Bugs and dim-witted hunter Elmer Fudd and presents in the style of opera, with all the melodrama associated with the art form. In it, Elmer plays a viking warrior complete with horns who actually manages to kill Bugs only to immediately regret his actions. Which famous opera composer does this short imitate the works of?
The scrapped Space Jam follow-up Spy Jam was to feature which action legend?
Space Jam may have been a strange pop culture cocktail made up of two seemingly incompatible ingredients, but the pairing of Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes crew seemed to pique the interest of moviegoers enough to be a big success. Before eventually releasing Looney Tunes: Back in Action (which we discussed earlier), there were plans to make a more direct follow-up to Space Jam by casting a different megastar opposite the Looney Tunes. At one point, the idea of a comedic action adventure film called Spy Jam was in development. Which massive action star did they plan on casting?
What was this 2000s reimagining of the Looney Tunes called?
The Looney Tunes characters can be many different things: silly, violent, kid-friendly, loud, witty etc. But if there's one thing that they really aren't and probably shouldn't be, it's dark and serious. This bizarre animated series aired on the WB and the CW between 2005 and 2007. It featured redesigned versions of the classic characters as a super-powered band of heroes in the post-apocalyptic future on a planet-sized city called Acmetropolis. The characters, which include the likes of Ace Bunny and Tech E. Coyote are said to be descendents of the original characters. What the show's title?
What are their names?
Yeah, the canine on the right might look like almost exactly like Wile E. Coyote, but he's actually a different character. The main visual differences between them is that this guy has darker fur and a red nose. This guy is also said to be wolf, but it's not like Looney Tunes is known for their accurate depictions of animals. The guy on the left is a sheepdog who spends most of his days protecting his flock and beating up the guy on the right. Both of their names are unusually normal for cartoon animals. What are they?
What was Elmer Fudd's hobby when he first encountered Bugs?
Both Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny didn't have clear first appearances. Instead, their personalities, voices and designs gradually emerged from distinct earlier characters. In Bugs' case, this character was a nameless rabbit who sounded more like Woody Woodpecker than Buzz. Elmer evolved from a character named Egghead, who was also a round-nosed hunter but otherwise had a very different voice and look. This picture shows the earliest appearance of the character's Elmer incarnation meeting an early version of Bugs. In this short however, he wasn't show hunting like usuals, but partaking in a different outdoor activity.
In what year was the final Looney Tunes theatrical short released?
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies together released over a thousand short animated films (usually around four to eight minutes) in theaters over several decades. At the time, it was common for things like short films and newsreels to be shown at the theater before the main film began and Looney Tunes shorts were the most popular shorts among moviegoers for over twenty years. Looney Tunes began in 1930 and regularly produced films for many years before eventually moving production to a studio and cutting their budget. All Warner Bros. cartoon shorts ended soon after.
Complete the quote: "I knew I should have taken a left turn at __________"
Bugs Bunny is one of the only Looney Tunes main characters for whom things don't always end terribly. Sure, Tweety and Road Runner never come into harm's way but they're not the main characters of their cartoons. Instead we follow Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote as they try in vain to catch their prey and the two birds just watch and crack (or meep) wise. Bugs is the hero and gets to actually outsmart his villains and ridicule them. These fights usually start with him minding his own business. This quote is often heard when he arrives somewhere by accident.
What's the name of this latest Bugs Bunny TV show?
This show is the only currently running Looney Tunes TV program. Unlike the previous series titled The Looney Tunes Show which placed the many characters in a more domestic sitcom-inspired setting, this series takes more cues from the original shorts by dividing each episode into two brief segments and focusing more on slapstick hijinks than its predecessor. Though Bugs Bunny is the main character of every segment, other Looney Tunes characters like Michigan J. Frog and Foghorn Leghorn do appear as well as Bugs' many enemies, some of whom have been dramatically updated.
What was the name of Looney Tunes' sister series?
When people talk about Looney Tunes, they are often referring simply to the various characters featured in the theatrical shorts being discussed in this quiz and their subsequent spinoffs, but not all of these shorts were actually called "Looney Tunes". Shortly after Looney Tunes' launch in 1930, a second series began which initially featured one-off stories instead of recurring characters. Both series' names were music-related since both initially were meant to take advantage of songs Warner Bros. had the rights to. Eventually, Looney and this second series became indistinguishable, with both featuring the classic characters we know today.
What is Foghorn Leghorn's signature phrase?
Foghorn Leghorn may not be the most famous Looney Tunes character, but he's proved quite popular since his debut in the 1948 short "Walky Talky Hawky". He is an overly-confident and dim-witted chicken with a distinctive thick Southern accent. Unlike many recurring characters, Foghorn's adventures vary somewhat in formula. Sometimes he is seen facing off against a barnyard dog, sometimes by manipulating the young and naive Henery Hawk into believing he is a chicken and other times he is seen trying to woo a Hen named Miss Prissy. Which of these expressions is he famous for using?
Who originally voiced nearly every Looney Tunes character?
It's difficult to believe that the dozens and dozens of voices across hundreds of cartoons were performed by the same man, and even more impressive how many of them are still iconic and recognizable to this day. He began voicing Warner Bros. cartoon characters in 1937 and regularly provided the voices of characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck until his death in 1989. His final Looney Tunes performance was in the 1988 cartoon/live-action hybrid Who Framed Roger Rabbit? which featured cameos from countless classic cartoon characters.
Which major character did Mel Blanc NOT originally voice?
We know that Mel Blanc was the man of a thousand voices, and in fact his voice work went beyond even the Looney Tunes. He also was the original voice of Woody Woodpecker, the original voice of Froot Loops mascot Toucan Sam, Mr. Spacely in the Jetsons and Barney Rubble in the Flintstones. However, he didn't voice every Looney Tunes character. One particular character was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan until his death 1959, after which Mel Blanc did replace him. Who was this iconic character?