What’s Up Doc? Classic Looney Tunes Facts

For close to a century, Looney Tunes has been a childhood staple in American pop culture. Without Looney Tunes, toddlers wouldn’t be able to grow up with Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the gang. The animated characters are so beloved and iconic that it’s difficult to imagine a world without them.

Looney Tunes, lobby card, from top: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig on stock lobby card, 1944. Photo by LMPC via Getty Images

Throughout the years, we saw the cartoon in various different ways; the most memorable has got to be Space Jam. We got to see Bugs Bunny play basketball with Michael Jordan in a world that combines our reality with the cartoon dimension. There is a reason that kids all over America are intrigued by this classic series.

Get ready, folks! Here is a look back at Looney Tunes.

Tweety is a Boy!

Tweety was undoubtedly my favorite Looney Tunes character. Tweety is a play on words and combines “sweetie” with “tweet.” Well, initially, Tweety was pink and named Orson. Yes, despite his feminine appearance Tweety is a boy.

Paintings of Tweety and Sylvester are on display at the Warner Bros. Studio store on October 23, 1996, in New York City. Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison

He made his on-screen debut in 1942 short, A Tale of Two Kitties. His character showed up two hungry cats: Babbit and Catello. He landed the name Tweety in his second short, Birdy and the Beast. The yellow feathers were drawn on later after the initially naked bird received criticism.

Poor Little Nimrod

Did you know that the modern definition of the word “Nimrod” was derived from Bugs Bunny? Initially, the term Nimrod is a biblical word meaning “mighty hunter.” But sometime in the 20th Century, it seemed to evolve into telling something more along the lines of “idiot” or “dipstick.”

Beanstalk Bunny, poster, from left: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, 1955. Photo by LMPC via Getty Images

As it turned out, Bugs Bunny used the term to refer to his asinine hunter nemesis, Elmer Fudd, and called him a “poor little Nimrod.” After that, the name was associated with someone with similar characteristics to the hunter. Who would have thought?!