2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.
Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.
Elmer’s Candid Camera (1940)
Directed by Charles Jones
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Bob McKimson
I was surprised doing my research for “Elmer’s Candid Camera” that the crew behind this didn’t think much of the short after completion. In fact, Chuck Jones considered it a guide on “what NOT to do, and how NOT to do it,” when it applies to Bugs and Elmer Fudd. It’s surprising because while “Elmer’s Candid Camera” isn’t a masterpiece by any stretch, it’s still pretty good in its own right.
The worst thing I can say about this short is that Happy Rabbit is that he is once again a villain and antagonizes Elmer Fudd for no good reason. Elmer, instead of hunting apparel he dons a derby hat, high collar shirt, and green jacket. This is Fudd’s ninth appearance in animation form, as he’s apparently a creation of Tex Avery who’s appeared in “Little Red Walking Hood” from 1937. He’s voiced competently by Arthur Q. Bryan who injects Fudd’s Rhotacisms and signature “Hewwo,” all of which were established with his character Dan McFoo in the hilarious Tex Avery 1939 short “Dangerous Dan McFoo.”
Happy Rabbit now has white gloves, his black nose, a bushy cotton tail, and his ears are more pronounced with black tips. He also does a lot more jabbering than acting maniacal, and his Woody Woodpecker laugh is used in only one short instance. The set up is that he’s reading a book about nature photography and decides to shoot some animals. He decides to take a photo of Happy Rabbit who, without any reasoning, decides to start tormenting Elmer Fudd. Fudd does his best to battle Happy Rabbit, but Happy Rabbit insists on taunting and bothering the fellow.
He even traps him in a net, feigns death, and angers him in his quest to photograph animals. The set up is shockingly simplistic and doesn’t offer up any real preamble. The writers do, I’m assuming, learn their lesson by making Elmer Fudd more of an antagonist in future shorts featuring him as a gun wielding hunter. One thing that the short does address that I never realized is that in this short Bugs Bunny is still considered Happy Rabbit. So Elmer calls him “Wabbit.”
So it all kind of explains why Elmer still calls him “Wabbit” long after he becomes Bugs Bunny. “Elmer’s Candid Camera” isn’t Bugs Bunny’s finest hour, but it does lay the groundwork for future Bugs Bunny shorts. After this outing he’d become Bugs Bunny officially.
Find out what we think are the BEST and WORST Bugs Bunny shorts of all time!