Bugs Bunny Biography

Along with Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny was the most enduring American cartoon character of the 20th century.

The acknowledged star of the Warner Brothers cartoon menagerie, Bugs was a cocky, wisecracking, good-hearted hare who battled Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck and other slapstick nemeses in dozens of animated short films. Bugs’s debut as a star was the 1940 short A Wild Hare, where he first uttered his trademark line, “What’s up, Doc?”

Credit for the Bugs Bunny character generally goes to Tex Avery, who developed a preliminary character created by fellow animator Ben “Bugs” Hardaway. Many of the later Bugs Bunny cartoons were directed by Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones; the voice of Bugs was provided by Mel Blanc.