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No Ifs, Ands, or Bugs About It
The first time was in a 1938 cartoon called "Porky's Hare Hunt." It featured Porky Pig, Daffy Duck...and a spunky rabbit that a World War I veteran by the name of Joseph "Bugs" Hardaway had worked on. Another of these appearances was in a 1939 cartoon called "Hare-um Scare-um." In this cartoon, the hare in question was based on a model sheet by animator Charles Thorson. It was on this sheet that Thorson wrote the name "Bugs Bunny," but it's hard to say whether that was actually the name Thorson wanted to give him or whether he was simply making a joke aimed at Bugs Hardaway. When the mischievous bunny made his "A Wild Hare" appearance in 1940, still altered even more, it was speculated that his new appearance may've been inspired by Clark Gable. In a scene from It Happened One Night, Gable was nonchalantly chomping on a carrot. Soon after, Bugs emerged with his trademark carrot - as well as a pronounced mouth and strong jawline that many thought were reminiscent of the dashing leading man. But Bugs was a sign of the times not just in appearance, but also in name. That's because in those days, "bugs" was a popular word that was synonymous with something a little eccentric and unconventional. In fact, it's suspected that Joseph Hardaway got the nickname because he was such a wild man during his war days. "Bugs" was also a well-known name due to the publicity generated by gangsters Bugsy Siegel and George "Bugs" Moran. But even after Bugs' name was established, his evolution was not quite complete. Another revision, based on a model sheet by Robert McKimson, took place in 1942. It was at this time that Bugs took on the appearance of the wasckly wabbit we know and love today. As audiences got to know Bugs Bunny and started to fall in love with his various antics and super-charged adventures, it became clear that he had some things in common with another extremely popular character of the day - Donald Duck. While Donald was a slightly more naive character and Bugs a more street smart one, both were feisty little devils that always managed to come out on top - no matter who was plotting against them. Once World War II broke out, both characters were also used as different patriotic symbols for America and even starred in their own propaganda campaigns. But, despite all the comparisons made, whether to movie stars or cartoon stars, lovers of Bugs agree that he has always been a true original. No ifs, ands, or Bugs about it.
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