History WesternAnimation / YosemiteSam

Yosemite Sam was introduced in 1945 by Creator/FrizFreleng as a less sympathetic enemy for Bugs Bunny than the rather mellow and well-mannered WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd. As an aggressive bully with a fondness for shootin', Sam gives Bugs moral license to unleash his KarmicTrickster on him without losing any audience sympathy. Sam was one of the rare characters to see exclusive use by only one of the Termite Terrace directors -- his creator, Freleng (save for ''Dumb Patrol'', which was directed by Freleng's longtime animator, Gerry Chiniquy). He never appeared in any Creator/ChuckJones or Creator/RobertMcKimson cartoons, with three exceptions: ''Hare-abian Nights'', a ClipShow from 1959 directed by Ken Harris (an animator from Jones' unit) featuring archive footage from Freleng shorts, ''Dog Tales'', a spot-gag short from 1958 directed by [=McKimson=] where he appears via reused animation from ''Piker's Peak'', and ''From Hare to Eternity'', a short from 1996 directed by Jones as a tribute to the then-recently deceased Freleng.

* InsufferableImbecile: He's no doubt an idiot who's only slightly smarter than Elmer but he's also far more short-tempered, hostile and aggressive. An abrasive and belligerent man that would shoot a gun at anyone.

* TheNapoleon: Initially lots of jokes were about his height, and he sure is irascible and vicious.

* PsychopathicManchild: Has the stature and temperament of a rude and temperamental child, but packs heat (and a mighty fine 'stache, to boot).

* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Of Bugs's two most notable enemies, Sam is the Manly Man to Elmer's Sensitive Guy. Clearly based on temperament.

* {{Catch Phrase}}s:

* ''Horse Hare''

* ''Pancho's Hideaway'' (1965): Recolored as [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Pancho Vanilla]].

!! Filmography
* ''WesternAnimation/AlongCameDaffy''
* ''WesternAnimation/BuccaneerBunny''
* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnyRidesAgain''
* ''WesternAnimation/HighDivingHare''
* ''WesternAnimation/BigHouseBunny''
* ''WesternAnimation/RabbitEveryMonday''
* ''WesternAnimation/BallotBoxBunny''
* ''WesternAnimation/FourteenCarrotRabbit''
* ''WesternAnimation/HareLift''
* ''WesternAnimation/HareTrimmed''
* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainHareblower''
* ''WesternAnimation/SaharaHare''
* ''WesternAnimation/RomanLegionHare''
* ''WesternAnimation/RabbitsonCrusoe''
* ''WesternAnimation/AStarIsBored''
* ''WesternAnimation/KnightyKnightBugs''
* ''WesternAnimation/WildAndWoollyHare''
* ''WesternAnimation/FromHareToHeir''
* ''WesternAnimation/LighterThanHare''
* ''WesternAnimation/HoneysMoney''
* ''WesternAnimation/DumbPatrol''
* ''WesternAnimation/HareAndLoathingInLasVegas''

Yosemite Sam was introduced in 1945 by Creator/FrizFreleng as a less sympathetic enemy for Bugs Bunny than the rather mellow and well-mannered WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd. As an aggressive bully with a fondness for shootin', Sam gives Bugs moral license to unleash his KarmicTrickster on him without losing any audience sympathy. Sam was one of the rare characters to see exclusive use by only one of the Termite Terrace directors -- his creator, Freleng (save for "Dumb Patrol", which was directed by Freleng's longtime animator, Gerry Chiniquy). He never appeared in any Creator/ChuckJones or Creator/RobertMcKimson cartoons, with three exceptions: "Hare-abian Nights", a ClipShow from 1959 directed by Ken Harris (an animator from Jones' unit) featuring archive footage from Freleng shorts, "Dog Tales", a spot-gag short from 1958 directed by [=McKimson=] where he appears via reused animation from "Piker's Peak", and "From Hare to Eternity", a short from 1996 directed by Jones as a tribute to the then-recently deceased Freleng.

!! "BEFORE ANY OF YOU START GITTIN' ANY IDEE-ERS, YA BETTER KNOW WHO YOU'RE TROPIN' WITH!":

* {{Angrish}}: "Raggar fraggar friggin frazzer" is one of his catchphrases. He turns it up to eleven in "WesternAnimation/FromHareToHeir".

** "Bunker Hill Bunny": Yosemite Sam charges towards Bugs Bunny's fortress... only to run inside a huge cannon. As soon as he realizes this, he screams "Retreat!". Doubles as an OhCrap moment.
** The same thing happens in "Captain Hareblower", in which, with a cry of "Charge!", Sam tries to board Bugs' ship, only to swing right into a cannon, after which he again screams "Retreat!"

* {{Bandito}}: The Mexican bandito 'Pancho Vanilla' in the WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales short "Pancho's Hideaway" is basically just Sam with brown hair.
* BlackKnight: His role in the "WesternAnimation/KnightyKnightBugs" short, where he also rides a dragon.

* ADayInTheLimelight: "WesternAnimation/HoneysMoney", the only short to feature Sam as the main protagonist and not contain any other Looney Tunes characters.
* DealWithTheDevil: Quite literally in "Devil's Feud Cake", as well as "Satan's Waitin'", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBugsBunnyShow''. In both cases, Sam is killed and sent to Hell and has to deliver Bugs in order to stay on Earth. His efforts are presented through StockFootage.

* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: A Southern sheriff in "Stage Door Cartoon" (1944) with the same voice, personality, and look, but without the hair-trigger temper and with a white mustache and eyebrows instead of red, was the prototype for Sam before his true debut in "Hare Trigger" (1945).

** The Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises short "Pancho’s Hideaway' features the bandit Pancho Vanilla, in terms of personality, role and design, Pancho's largest differences are his darker facial hair and Mexican accent.
** Creator/ChuckJones' "Mississippi Hare" has a character named Colonel Shuffle, who's similarly diminutive and hot-tempered but has a white beard and mustache with black eyebrows and talks in a thick Southern accent.
** Creator/RobertMcKimson's "Oily Hare" has a character named Devil Rich Texan who has the exact same personality and voice, a similar design, and even yells “OOOOOH!” when angered. The biggest differences are that his mustache is black, doesn’t cover his entire face, and he lacks a mask around his eyes.
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: When he, hunting for Bugs in "Rabbit Every Monday", catches an audience member excusing himself out of the theater and intimidates the man with his shotgun to sit down.
---> '''Sam:''' The first one is tries to get out of here to warn that rabbit gets his hide blown off! ''[turns towards the viewers] ''[[BreakingTheFourthWall And that goes for the rest of ya!]]

* GracefulLoser: In "Bunker Hill Bunny", after being soundly defeated by Bugs, he admits he's a "Hessian without no aggression" and decides to defect to Bugs' side in the end.

* HairTriggerTemper: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MYiIYBzrsc&list=PLFPBJZerHfE6WfVvdco9ucjM_s92Dd7G5&index=3 "Blow My Stack"]], his first musical number, in ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'' revolves around his temper. The 1960 short "From Hare to Heir" has Bugs exploit Yosemite's problems with anger management by deducting from his 1 million pound inheritance for each time he is observed (or even rumored to be) losing his temper (of course, [[TricksterMentor with Bugs aggravating him at every turn)]].
* HenpeckedHusband: He accidentally turns out to be one to a wealthy shrew in "Honey's Money". He ultimately decides the money [[WorthIt is worth the abuse]].

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: "WesternAnimation/FromHareToHeir" is a double whammy for him. Sawing through the ground right in front of the upstairs bathroom, covering the gap with a rug... WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong

** "Mutiny on the Bunny" is only the tip of the iceberg.

** In "WesternAnimation/RomanLegionHare", after bonking a lion over the head with a club for roaring at him, when the lion roars at him again after Bugs opens his cage, Sam begins hitting him over the head with the club again, until he realizes the cage is open.

** At the end of "WesternAnimation/HareLift" he bails out of a crashing plane with his bank-robbery loot and the last parachute.

* TheOtherDarrin: For his appearance in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', since Sam's loud, gruff voice became too hard on Mel Blanc's weakening chords, the character was voiced by Creator/JoeAlaskey (who even received credit for the role at the end of the film). Since then, the short-tempered cowboy has been brought to life by the likes of Creator/JeffBergman, Creator/GregBurson, Creator/FrankGorshin, Creator/CharlieAdler, Creator/BillFarmer, Creator/JimCummings, Creator/JeffBennett, Creator/EricBauza, Creator/FredTatasciore, Creator/MauriceLaMarche and others.

* RecycledInSpace: Has appeared in almost every stock villain role throughout his run, albeit always maintaining his bandit mask and western dialect. It literally happens in "Lighter Than Hare".
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: He and a black-haired lookalike brother are pitted against WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck in "WesternAnimation/AlongCameDaffy".

* TriggerHappy: Sam is a FieryRedhead with no manners, no patience, and loves to draw his two six-guns as a universal solution to any problem. Sam will even fire off his guns into the air when he's in a rare good mood, such as cheering for Fearless Freep in "High Diving Hare."

* VillainyFreeVillain: Though normally a true villain, in "Big House Bunny" he's a police officer who thinks Bugs Bunny is a prisoner trying to escape when Bugs had only ended up there trying to escape hunters.

* WorthIt: Played straight in "WesternAnimation/HoneysMoney" (see its own entry); subverted in "WesternAnimation/HareTrimmed" (when he beats a hasty retreat at the altar). Curiously, the former involved a $5 million inheritance and the latter was $50 million.

* WouldHurtAChild: In "WesternAnimation/HoneysMoney", he tries to get 7-year-old Wentworth killed, or at least injured out of commission by tricking him into grabbing a ball from the street and releasing alligators into a pool before he gets in.

-> ''[[TheStinger Ooooooh! I hate that trope!]]''

Yosemite Sam was introduced in 1945 by Creator/FrizFreleng as a less sympathetic enemy for Bugs Bunny than the rather mellow and well-mannered WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd. As an aggressive bully with a fondness for shootin', Sam gives Bugs moral license to unleash his KarmicTrickster on him without losing any audience sympathy. Sam was one of the rare characters to see exclusive use by only one of the Termite Terrace directors -- his creator, Freleng (save for "Dumb Patrol", which was directed by Freleng's longtime animator, Gerry Chiniquy). He never appeared in any Creator/ChuckJones or Creator/RobertMcKimson cartoons, with three exceptions: "Hare-abian Nights", a ClipShow from 1959 directed by Ken Harris (an animator from Jones' unit) featuring archive footage from Freleng shorts, "Dog Tales", a spot-gag short from 1958 directed by McKimson where he appears via reused animation from "Piker's Peak", and "From Hare to Eternity", a short from 1996 directed by Jones as a tribute to the then-recently deceased Freleng.

Yosemite Sam was introduced in 1945 by Creator/FrizFreleng as a less sympathetic enemy for Bugs Bunny than the rather mellow and well-mannered WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd. As an aggressive bully with a fondness for shootin', Sam gives Bugs moral license to unleash his KarmicTrickster on him without losing any audience sympathy. Sam was one of the rare characters to see exclusive use by only one of the Termite Terrace directors -- his creator, Freleng (save for "Dumb Patrol", which was directed by Freleng's longtime animator, Gerry Chiniquy). He never appeared in any Creator/ChuckJones or Creator/RobertMcKimson cartoons, with two exceptions: "Hare-Abian Nights", a ClipShow directed by Ken Harris (an animator from Jones' unit) featuring archive footage from Freleng shorts, and "From Hare to Eternity", a short from the 1990s directed by Jones as a tribute to the then-recently deceased Freleng.

!! Works with their own pages:

* HateSink: As shown below, Sam was created to be a more ruthless foe and a bigger jerk than Elmer Fudd, so that audiences would root more for Bugs.

* {{Bandito}}: Sam appears as Mexican bandito 'Pancho Vanilla' in the WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales short "Pancho's Hideaway".

* AmbiguouslyJewish: In ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', his last name is revealed to be Rosenbaum. Perhaps his nickname, Yo'''semite''' Sam, was a clue all along. Plus his [[Creator/FrizFreleng creator]] and [[Creator/MelBlanc original voice actor]] both having been Jewish.

* NoIndoorVoice: He yells a lot.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: In ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', his last name is revealed to be Rosenbaum. Perhaps his nickname, Yo'''semite''' Sam was a clue all along.