Bugs Bunny: Yes, There Are Facts/Stories You Didn't Know About Him

By | July 24, 2020

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Bugs Bunny debuted 80 years ago today. (Warner Bros.)

Happy 80th birthday, you wascally wabbit! Bugs Bunny made his official debut on July 27, 1940, and he's been chomping on carrots and thwarting hunters to the amusement of kids and adults alike ever since. You probably think you know the beloved cartoon rabbit as well as anyone you've known since you were a kid, but if there's anything this stinker is known for, it's always having a few tricks up his sleeve.

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"Porky's Hare Hunt." (Warner Bros.)

Bugs Is Actually Older Than He Appears

Officially, Bugs Bunny debuted in 1940's A Wild Hare, but he is actually a bit older than that. A 1938 Porky Pig cartoon called Porky's Hare Hunt featured a distinctly Bugs-like bunny, but the character, which was unnamed in this short, may not have appeared at all had it not been for the willingness of artists under pressure to take lazy shortcuts. The studio wanted a new Porky Pig film, so in a time crunch, they simply swapped the duck character in the previous year's Porky's Duck Hunt (which marked the debut of another future famous Looney Tune, Daffy Duck) with the rabbit.