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Wassup, Doc? By Beth Beutler
1 "Bugs Bunny is my favorite cartoon character," Keith said. "I love to watch him." He plopped down on the living room carpet with his heaping bowl of Fruit Crunchies.
2 Keith's sister Nancy asked him why he liked Bugs Bunny so much.
3 "I guess it's because he does such funny things," Keith replied while chewing on his cereal. "He seems to get the best of everyone!"
4 On Saturday mornings, Keith loved to watch Bugs Bunny. Of course, Bugs Bunny was around long before Keith was. Bugs Bunny was created in 1938. He is still widely recognized as one of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. A voice actor named Mel Blanc was the first person to put sound to Bugs's words. Mr. Blanc must have said, "Eh...what's up, doc?" thousands of times, since that is the phrase Bugs Bunny is most known for. After Mr. Blanc's death, several other voice actors have performed the role.
5 Throughout the years, Bugs has had run-ins with a variety of regularly-appearing characters, including Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote. Episodes of the cartoon were directed by different people and thus had a variety of flavors.
6 For example, director Chuck Jones wanted stories in which Bugs would always win against an opponent. However, he wisely knew that if Bugs always won, the audience might get tired of him. So, he made sure that the antagonist (which is an adversary of the hero) always mistreated Bugs in some way, so that the audience would rally behind him and want him to win. Often, Bugs would say, "Of course you know, DIS means war!" (This line was originally attributed to comedian Groucho Marx.)
7 Another director, Friz Freleng, would give Bugs situations in which he had to help others, which allowed Bugs to get into mischief to accomplish this. In these ways, the directors set up potentially funny scenes and story lines for all to enjoy.
8 Bugs is perhaps most well-known for leaning against a fence, chewing on carrots. This was actually inspired by a scene from It Happened One Night, in which Clark Gable leaned against a fence, eating carrots and talking with his mouth full. Early watchers understood the spoof, although many modern viewers probably do not see the connection.
9 Bugs is also known for a number of common sayings, including, "What a maroon," "I knew I should have taken that left toin at Albuquoique," or "Ain't I a stinker?" For regular viewers of the cartoon, these should be familiar, as well as the famous phrase, "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit," by Elmer Fudd, one of Bugs's chief antagonists.
10 Bugs Bunny has been a part of popular culture for over 65 years. In 2002, he won the honor of being the number one cartoon character as part of TV Guide's 50th anniversary celebration. With his funny outlooks and actions, it's no wonder that Bugs Bunny is timeless entertainment for all generations. Adults and children alike enjoy his comedy and successes over his adversaries. It is likely that he will be enjoyed for years to come.
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Name ______Date ______Wassup, Doc?
1. In what year did Bugs Bunny first appear? 2. Which of the following phrases is Bugs Bunny not known for? Eh, what's up, doc? Ain't I a stinker? I thot I taw a puddy tat. What a maroon. 3. Who is the first, and perhaps most well- 4. Which director set up situations where Bugs known, voice of Bugs Bunny? would win against an opponent?
5. True or false? Elmer Fudd was a famous 6. What is an antagonist? opponent of Bugs Bunny. False True
7. In the 2002 TV Guide listing of top cartoon 8. Who was Keith talking to in the beginning of characters, what place did Bugs Bunny the story? achieve?
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