Happy 82nd Birthday Bugs Bunny

 Today marks the 82nd Birthday of everybody's favorite wascally wabbit, Bugs Bunny. Bugs' first officially appearance was Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940), which first played in movie theaters on July 27th, 1940. To be fair the point as to whether this was the first Bugs cartoon has been argued. A wacky rabbit character first appeared in a Looney Tunes film with the Porky cartoon, Porky's Hare Hunt (1938). Some cartoon fans believe that to be the first Bugs cartoon, while others veiw it as a diffrent character. Never the less, Bugs first appeared fully formed as the character we know today in A Wild Hare. 

Like many cartoon stars of the day old movie magazines never got Bugs' birthday right. Neither July 27th or the day Porky's Hare Hunt was released, April 30th, where given as Bugs' birthday. Often times being a rabbit, his birthday was given as Easter Sunday, whatever day that happened to be on. These following articles should give you an idea what I mean. If you have trouble reading either of them click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in.




  

Box Office, 1947

Boxoffice, 1948

My favorite of these articles is the following one from 1961 which lists Bugs as being 25 years old. I'll let you do the math to figure out what is wrong with that. 

Boxoffice, 1961

I love that on Easter Sunday, a movie theater would have a special Bugs Bunny day as evidenced by the below page.

Showman's Trade Review, 1946

Film Daily, 1948


Like many movie fans, I have been a fan of Bugs since as far back as I can remember and my fondness for him has not died down in any way. His best films are timeless and will never lose any of their charm. If you have ever seen a Bugs cartoon in a movie theater, than you know just the effect Bugs still has on audiences. Bugs has never stopped staring in cartoons, whether for movie theaters, TV or streaming services, Bugs will always be up to something new because audiences will never stop wanting more Bugs Bunny. Just recently there Bugs Bunny show, Bugs Bunny Builders. 






 

A movie I am going to watch today to celebrate Bugs' birthday is the wonderful feature-length compilation movie, The Bugs Bunny/ Roadrunner Movie (1979). This was the first (and best) of three feature length compilation films starring Bugs Bunny and I watch the movie every year on Bugs' Birthday. 

Let us end this birthday celebration with a classic Bugs short film.