Bugs Bunny is, without a doubt, an American cultural icon. He’s a cool and collected rabbit with razor-sharp wit, an easy attitude, a clever mind, and a cunning personality.
And despite being created nearly a century ago by Tex Avery, he’s still one of the most famous cartoon characters to grace our screens.
If you’re a Bugs Bunny fan, you’ll love learning these interesting facts about him.
Bugs Bunny was officially introduced to the world in A Wild Hare on July 27, 1940. However, an unnamed rabbit resembling Bugs had featured in several films prior, including the 1938 film Porky’s Hare Hunt.
If Bugs’ birthday is the date he first featured in A Wild Hare, he is 84 years old.
Bugs Bunny has a Brooklyn accent. Mel Blanc, the original voice actor behind the character, felt Brooklyn’s Flatbush accent suited Bugs’ mischievous personality.
While voicing Bugs Bunny, Mel Blanc munched carrots to ensure he sounded like a real carrot-chewing rabbit.
Playing Bugs Bunny wasn’t easy for Mel Blanc, who hated carrots. He had a small container beside him during shoots where he spat the carrots between takes.
Real rabbits don’t like carrots as much as Bugs Bunny does. They’d much rather eat hay or grass.
Mel Blanc is also the voice behind other famous Looney Tunes characters, such as Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
After a nasty car accident in 1961, Mel Blanc fell into a coma but was saved by Bugs Bunny. When the doctor asked the previously unresponsive Blanc, “How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?” Blanc responded with the famous catchphrase, “Eh… just fine, Doc. How are you?”.
Mel Blanc played Bugs Bunny for over 50 years, from 1938 to 1989. Other voices behind this American icon include Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Billy West, Joe Alaske, Sam Vincent, and Eric Bauza.
After Mel Blanc passed away in July 1989 at 81, his gravestone was inscribed with the iconic Looney Tunes line “That’s all folks!”
Bugs Bunny is the first cartoon character to appear on a US stamp. Released in 1997, the stamp featured Bugs Bunny leaning on a mailbox and holding a carrot.
Bugs Bunny served in the Marines. He wore a marine uniform at the end of the 1943 short Super-Rabbit and later became an honorary private in the US Marine Corps.
Bugs Bunny got his name from director Ben “Bugs” Hardaway when one of his coworkers wrote “Bugs’ Bunny” on the director’s early sketch of the character.
In 1941, A Wild Hare was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award.
Bugs Bunny eventually won an Academy Award in 1959 for Best Animated Short Film with Knighty Knight Bugs.
Bugs Bunny was the official mascot for the Kingman Army Air Field in Arizona from 1943 to 1946.
Scientists used Bugs Bunny to study the concept of false memories. After seeing a phony advertisement, some participants recalled meeting Bugs Bunny at Disneyland. This was clearly impossible, as Bugs Bunny is a Warner Bros character.
Bugs Bunny’s creators didn’t want him to seem like a bully. They ensured the audience sympathized with Bugs by making other characters provoke him first.
Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend is Lola Bunny, who first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam.
Bugs didn’t always have eyes for Lola, though. His first love was his wife, Mrs. Bugs Bunny, who looked almost identical to Bugs but wore a dress and had a bow in her hair.
Mrs. Bugs Bunny was just a once-off, though, only ever appearing in the 1942 cartoon Hold the Lion, Please.
Bugs Bunny’s full name was originally George Washington Bunny. This was later changed to Bugsworth Bunny.
Bugs Bunny has the same designer as Daffy Duck, Tom & Jerry, and Popeye. Bob Given was charged with redesigning the cunning rabbit seen on screens in the 1940s.
In 1985, Bugs Bunny earned a star on Hollywood Boulevard. He was the second fictional character in history to do so, after Mickey Mouse.
As of 2023, Bugs Bunny had been in 167 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated short films.
So, there you have it, folks! Bugs Bunny is a legendary character that has stood the test of time. From his Brooklyn accent to his love of carrots, Bugs Bunny has captured the hearts of generations.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or a new admirer, these fun facts about Bugs Bunny are sure to make you appreciate this mischievous rabbit even more.
And with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, an Academy Award, and even service in the Marines, it’s safe to say Bugs Bunny is one cool bunny!
