“What’s up, Doc?” Get ready to walk, run, or pop out of rabbit holes with the Bugs Bunny Virtual Challenge! For the next 97 kilometres (60 mile), I shall experience classic Looney Tunes sports moments as I work towards my fitness goals, guided by my Team Captain, Bugs Bunny!
If you’re a child of a certain age, you grew up watching the Looney Tunes. Created in the 1930s, Bugs Bunny was originally voiced by Mel Blanc. Bugs starred in more than 160 short films produced between 1940 and 1964. He has since appeared in feature films, television shows, comics, and other media. He has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character, is the ninth most-portrayed film personality in the world, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1997, the wily rabbit would become the first of his kind to get their own postage stamp. In 2020, the USPS introduced 10 new Forever stamps for the character’s 80th birthday featuring Bugs in some of his most iconic dress-ups.
What’s your favourite memory? Mine would have to be the Rabbit of Seville (1950). Bugs Bunny runs into the backstage area behind the Hollywood Bowl stage where the opera The Barber of Seville is being performed, followed closely by Elmer Fudd. Bugs traps Elmer on stage by raising the curtain, seizing the chance to battle on his terms. As the orchestra starts to play, Bugs enters the scene as the barber who will ensure that Elmer receives a grooming he won’t soon forget. It’s cruel what Bugs does to this little guy, all to the tune and lyrics of the well-known opera. But that only makes it more memorable.
When I finally went to watch The Barber of Seville as an adult, those were the images romping through my brain.
Growing up, it seems, is optional.
