Where To Watch
Mel Blanc revealed that the laugh he gave to the original Bugs Bunny was later used for Woody Woodpecker
That awful laugh originally belonged to Bugs Bunny.
If you're a younger sibling, you have the absolute honor (or horror) of inheriting your older sibling's hand-me-downs. Whether it's clothes, shoes, or even toys, you can be sure that it's bound to get a second life with you.
Now stay with us on this. If you think of all of the cartoon characters that Mel Blanc voices as one big happy family, that means that you can look at a character like Elmer Fudd and a character like Sylvester and understand that they're sort of like siblings in a way. If you need further proof, look no further than Mel Blanc's memoir That's Not All Folks! Much like any thrifty parent, Blanc understood that just because one character had seemingly outgrown a voice didn't mean he had to throw it in the trash. Rather, it meant that it was time for a brand new character to enjoy that voice.
This was the case with one such character, Bugs Bunny. During the character's early life, when Warner Brothers artists were still deciding what Bugs was going to look like, the rabbit was a far cry from the Bugs we know and love today. In a brief description by Blanc himself, Bugs bore the following characteristics: "Oval-shaped head, jelly-bean nose, and wide, innocent eyes."
By the time the character had been drawn and redrawn over and over again, animators finally landed on the character design that we know to be Bugs Bunny today. However, because the drawing had changed so much from its original conception, Blanc felt that it was time to create a new voice for the character in order to properly reflect his new street-wise look. One of these changes was Blanc's implementation of a Brooklyn accent. Another was a smaller change at the time.
Blanc said, "The boisterous laugh I'd originally given him no longer fit."
Bugs' original laugh was sacked, but Blanc understood that it had the power to become infamous. Because of this, he never forgot about the laugh and saved it for a very special, very annoying character in his near future.
Blanc stated, "It was redeposited in my memory bank, to be withdrawn several years later for another Ben Hardaway creation: Woody Woodpecker."
Watch Bugs Bunny and Friends on MeTV!
One Full Hour
Saturdays at 9 AM
*available in most MeTV markets
5 Comments
