Line #253 WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elmer_fudd.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: "''Shhhh! Be vewwy, vewwy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits! Hahahaha!''"]]
3
4	Elmer Fudd is a major character of the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes franchise, and one of only three humans in the regular cast (the others being WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam & Tweety's owner Granny).
5
6	The ButtMonkey, often TooDumbToLive. An avid hunter, thus Creator/ChuckJones' favorite adversary for both WesternAnimation/BugsBunny & WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, reaching a peak in the iconic "Hunting Trilogy". Less popular with the other directors, who found him too weak. He also had an earlier, [[FlatCharacter less distinctive prototype]] named Egghead, who was sometimes referred to as Elmer.
7
8	Elmer Fudd was one of very few characters in the classic Looney Tunes era that was not voiced by the immortal Creator/MelBlanc. For almost all of the character's appearances, he was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan, a prolific character actor who did most of his work in radio. After Bryan died in 1959, Creator/HalSmith voiced Elmer in two shorts, but the character was soon retired. Mel Blanc did voice Elmer for a few later appearances after the Warner Brothers animation studio closed in 1969 (most notably for the short "Portrait of the Artist As a Young Bunny" in 1980), but Blanc himself said he never got the voice right.
9
10	On a side note, [[PopculturalOsmosis he didn't appear as often as most people think]]--in fact, he only appeared in about 36 (out of 167) of the original Bugs Bunny cartoons, although he did star in many other character shorts, along with several of his own solo appearances, amounting to 62 classic shorts total (75 If you count the Egghead shorts).
11
12	Go [[SelfDemonstrating/ElmerFudd here]] for his self-demonstrating page.
13
14	[[folder: Filmogwaphy]]
15	[[index]]
16	!1937
17	* WesternAnimation/EggheadRidesAgain (1937): Debut of Egghead.
18	* Little Red Walking Hood (1937)
19
20	!1938
21	[[index]]
22	* WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndEgghead (1938): Daffy Duck's first appearance in color.
23	[[/index]]
24	* The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938): One of the WesternAnimation/CensoredEleven.
25	* WesternAnimation/CinderellaMeetsFella (1938)
26	* A-Lad-In Bagdad (1938)
27	* A Feud There Was (1938): First appearance of the name Elmer Fudd.
28	* Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas' (1938)
29	* WesternAnimation/CountMeOut (1938)
30
31	!1939
32	* WesternAnimation/HamatuerNight (1939)
33	* WesternAnimation/ADayAtTheZoo (1939)
34	* Believe It or Else (1939)
35	* Hare-um Scare-um (1939): Egghead's last classic appearance, as "John Sourpuss", and the first pairing with what would become Bugs Bunny, who appears with grey fur for the first time.
36
37	!1940
38	[[index]]
39	* WesternAnimation/ElmersCandidCamera: Elmer's official debut, paired with the last appearance of the proto-Bugs[[note]]With the exception of his brief cameo in ''Patient Porky''[[/note]].
40	[[/index]]
41	* Confederate Honey
42	* The Hardship of Miles Standish
43	* WesternAnimation/AWildHare: Official debut of Bugs Bunny in his classic form.
44	* Good Night Elmer
45
46	!1941
47	* Elmer's Pet Rabbit: First on-screen appearance of Bugs's name, though both characters show elements of their prototypes, such as Elmer wearing the Egghead suit.
48	[[index]]
49	* WesternAnimation/WabbitTwouble: First appearance of a short-lived design where Elmer was made decidedly portly to resemble his voice actor, Arthur Q. Bryan.
50
51	!1942
52	* WesternAnimation/TheWabbitWhoCameToSupper
53	* WesternAnimation/AnyBondsToday
54	* WesternAnimation/TheWackyWabbit: The final use of the portly design.
55	* WesternAnimation/NuttyNews (only voice is heard, never seen)
56	* WesternAnimation/FreshHare
57	[[/index]]
58	* The Hare-Brained Hypnotist
59
60	!1943
61	* To Duck or Not To Duck (LT) First official pairing of Daffy and Elmer.
62	[[index]]
63	* WesternAnimation/ACornyConcerto: One of the exceedingly few times Elmer isn’t an antagonist.
64	* WesternAnimation/AnItchInTime (MM)
65
66	!1944
67	* WesternAnimation/TheOldGreyHare
68	[[/index]]
69	* WesternAnimation/TheStupidCupid (LT)-Co-starring Daffy Duck
70	* Stage Door Cartoon (MM)
71
72	!1945
73	[[index]]
74	* WesternAnimation/TheUnrulyHare (MM)
75	[[/index]]
76	* WesternAnimation/HareTonic (LT)
77
78	!1946
79	* Hare Remover (MM)
80	[[index]]
81	* WesternAnimation/TheBigSnooze
82
83	!1947
84	* WesternAnimation/EasterYeggs (LT)
85	* WesternAnimation/APestInTheHouse -Co-starring Daffy Duck
86	* WesternAnimation/SlickHare (MM)
87	[[/index]]
88
89	!1948
90
91	* WesternAnimation/WhatMakesDaffyDuck? (LT)
92	[[index]]
93	* WesternAnimation/BackAlleyOproar (First pairing with Sylvester) (MM)
94	[[/index]]
95	* Kit for Cat (with Sylvester) (MM)
96
97	!1949
98	* Wise Quackers - Starring Daffy (LT)
99	* Hare Do - Starring Bugs (MM)
100	* Each Dawn I Crow (MM)
101
102	!1950
103	* WesternAnimation/WhatsUpDoc (LT)
104	[[index]]
105	* WesternAnimation/RabbitOfSeville
106	* WesternAnimation/TheScarletPumpernickel: Cameo appearance.
107
108	!1951
109	* WesternAnimation/RabbitFire
110
111	!1952
112	* WesternAnimation/RabbitSeasoning
113	[[/index]]
114
115	!1953
116	* Upswept Hare (MM)
117	* Ant Pasted (LT)
118	[[index]]
119	* WesternAnimation/DuckRabbitDuck (MM) - Starring Daffy
120	[[/index]]
121	* Robot Rabbit (LT)
122
123	!1954
124	* WesternAnimation/DesignForLeaving (LT)
125	* Quack Shot (MM)
126
127	!1955
128	* Pests for Guests (MM)
129	* Beanstalk Bunny (MM)
130	* WesternAnimation/HareBrush (MM)
131	* This Is a Life? (MM)
132	* Heir-Conditioned - Starring Sylvester (LT)
133	[[index]]
134	* WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage (cameo appearance)
135	[[/index]]
136
137	!1956
138	[[index]]
139	* WesternAnimation/BugsBonnets (MM)
140	* WesternAnimation/AStarIsBored - Starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam (LT)
141	[[/index]]
142	* Yankee Dood It -Final pairing of Sylvester and Elmer (LT)
143	* Wideo Wabbit (MM)
144
145	!1957
146	* WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc
147	* Rabbit Romeo (MM)
148
149	!1958
150	* Don't Axe Me - Starring Daffy (MM)
151	* WesternAnimation/PreHystericalHare - voiced by Dave Barry (LT)
152
153	!1959
154	* A Mutt in a Rut (LT)
155
156	! 1960
157
158	* WesternAnimation/PersonToBunny (MM)
159	* Dog Gone People (MM)
160
161	! 1961
162	* What's My Lion?
163
164	! 1962
165	* Crows' Feat
166
167	!1972
168	* "WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndPorkyPigMeetTheGroovieGoolies"
169
170	!1974
171	* 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
172
173	!1980
174	* Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over: "WesternAnimation/PortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungBunny" (segment of TV special)
175
176	!1988
177	* Daffy Duck's Quackbusters: Egghead makes a cameo appearance near the end.
178
179	!1990
180	* Box-Office Bunny
181	* WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures (as a RecurringCharacter)
182
183	!1991
184	* WesternAnimation/BlooperBunny
185
186	!1992
187	* WesternAnimation/InvasionOfTheBunnySnatchers
188	[[/index]]
189	!1996
190	[[index]]
191	* Film/SpaceJam
192
193	!2001
194	* WebAnimation/ToonMarooned - Non speaking appearance
195	* WebAnimation/TheMatwix
196	* WebAnimation/JudgeGranny
197	* WebAnimation/MysteriousPhenomenaOfTheUnexplained
198
199	!2002
200	* WebAnimation/TheRoyalMallard
201
202	!2003
203	* WebAnimation/SportsBlab
204	* WebAnimation/AluminumChef
205	* Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction
206
207	!2011
208	* WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow
209	[[/index]]
210
211	!2012
212	* Daffy's Rhapsody
213
214	!2015
215	[[index]]
216	* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesRabbitsRun
217	* WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction
218	[[/index]]
219
220	!2020
221	[[index]]
222	* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons
223	[[/index]]
224
225	!2021
226	[[index]]
227	* Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy
228	[[/index]]
229
230	!!2023
231	[[index]]
232	* WesternAnimation/TinyToonsLooniversity
233	[[/index]]
234
235
236	[[/folder]]
237
238	!!'''I'm hunting twopes:'''
239
240	* AdaptationalBadass: The ''ComicBook/BatmanElmerFuddSpecial'' has Elmer going toe-to-toe with Gotham's protector himself, but rather than a pathetic, slow-witted schlub, he's an accomplished hunter and a former professional killer who handles a mean shotgun. As such, during their brief encounter, he puts up more of a fight than most of the goons Batman runs into.
241	* AffablyEvil: Generally a nice guy when not trying to blast (not-so-) innocent animals with his shotgun.
242	* AntiVillain: Sure, he's trying to kill Bugs on a regular basis, but he's just a hunter practicing his sport and at worst a pitiful fool -- it would be a huge stretch to call him evil. Creator/FrizFreleng cited this as a reason why he disliked using the character, feeling he was too pitiful to be a real threat to Bugs compared to Yosemite Sam.
243	* ArchEnemy: WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck.
244	* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: In “Ant Pasted”, he deliberately throws lit firecrackers at an ant nest [[ItAmusedMe because their complaints amused him]] and starting a war against them when they retaliate. At the end, the ants blow him up with his own fireworks (which are leaking and creating a trail), which is implied to have killed him.
245	* BaldOfEvil: There’s not a single strand of hair under that hat.
246	* BreakingTheFourthWall: It's not uncommon for him to face the audience, shush them and say his catchphrase.
247	* ButtMonkey: Even outside antagonist roles his abuse never ends.
248	* CardCarryingVillain: In [[Film/LooneyTunesBackinAction Looney Tunes: Back in Action]], he admits that he's secretly evil.
249	* CharacterCatchphrase: "Shhh! Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."
250	%%* CharlieBrownBaldness
251	* TheChessmaster: If one is to believe the theory that he [[ObfuscatingInsanity faked insanity]] so he wouldn't get arrested for tax evasion in "Hare Brush". His final line to [[BreakingTheFourthWall the audience supports this]]: "I may be a scwewy wabbit, but I'm not going to Alcatwaz!"
252	--> '''Bugs:''' "I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht."
253	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After the death of Arthur Q. Bryan in 1959, a replacement wasn't readily available (Creator/HalSmith sounded too different and Creator/MelBlanc wasn't comfortable with doing the voice). As a result, Elmer's appearances only got three more appearances until he was completely phased out in 1962 after ''Crows' Feat'', [[ActorExistenceLimbo where he has no lines]].
254	* DependingOnTheWriter: His EvilVegetarian entry is undermined by how many other shorts have him hunting Bugs because he's eager for some "fwesh wabbit stew". Whether he's looking to eat Bugs or just bag him for sport pretty much depends on what the writer thought would make for better gags in a given short.
255	* {{Determinator}}: He is dead-on point to hunt down Bugs or Daffy. At least he tries.
256	* TheDitz: Easily fooled by his adversaries, especially Bugs.
257	* DivergentCharacterEvolution: Egghead started off as something of a proto Elmer, but the two are officially considered separate characters. Egghead even got his own story in a ''Looney Tunes'' comic, and he made a cameo appearance to Daffy in one of the Looney Tunes compilation features.
258	* DumbBlonde: According to ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'' and the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons'' episode "Hare Restoration", he is a blonde, though as an adult he is completely bald. He's more "foolish" than outright ignorant.
259	* ElmuhFuddSyndwome: [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Twope Namuh]].
260	* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: His early Egghead look, plus his very brief change into a very obese design, before they settled into his standard look. In his [[WesternAnimation/AWildHare sole outing for]] Creator/TexAvery, he has a small red nose; this design would eventually be used in ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons''.
261	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In "Fresh Hare", one of his earlier appearances, he's an RCMP constable, and is chasing Bugs. At the end, he catches Bugs, who is then tried for several serious crimes and sentenced to death. Elmer asks Bugs what he wants, and he says "I wish..." and [[GainaxEnding the entire scene turns into a blackfaced minstrel of "I Wish I Was in Dixie"]]. Though not part of the "Censored Eleven," the ending is often censored in syndication.
262	* TheEveryman: Seemed to replace Porky in this role in the fifties and sixties shorts. This is despite him being less than identifiable in brains to the average person, he is still nonetheless the most conventionally-living compared to the rest of the cast: he calls home an actual house (often located in the suburbs), has a job and at times even a wife.
263	* EvilVegetarian: He mentions he's a vegetarian and hunts for sport when hunting more than one prey in ''WesternAnimation/RabbitFire'' and ''WesternAnimation/RabbitSeasoning''. It makes his hobby even less forgivable since nourishment isn't even part of his reasoning... and [[DependingOnTheWriter conveniently]] one escape route less for Bugs and Daffy.
264	* HiddenDepths: Who would have guessed that the same Elmer Fudd that seemingly can't tell the difference between an actual woman and Bugs Bunny in a dress [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2auI6Uz3D8I was an expert in economics]]? In ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', outside of being a teacher at Acme Looniversity he also shows up in a several episodes as MrExposition including, in one case, an expert in seismology.
265	* IdiotBall: Granted, [[TooDumbToLive he is not a very bright character to begin with]], but he reaches his peak in the "Rabbit Season" trilogy where he is a complete airhead, for example mistaking a rabbit with a fake mustache and ill-fitting uniform for a game warden (not to mention the usual Bugs in drag shenanigans).
266	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: But of course. He's so pathetic, that not only can he not top a wiseacre rabbit, he's had shorts where ants and even a living candle have gotten the better of him!
267	* InkSuitActor: The brief 1941-42 "Fat Elmer" design, instigated by Creator/TexAvery, was based on Arthur Q. Bryan's hefty build, because Avery thought Bryan was entertaining to watch when he recorded his lines, and thought it might translate well onto the screen. It didn't really, and they slimmed Elmer back down after five cartoons (''WesternAnimation/WabbitTwouble'', ''WesternAnimation/TheWabbitWhoCameToSupper'', ''WesternAnimation/TheWackyWabbit'', ''WesternAnimation/FreshHare'', ''WesternAnimation/AnyBondsToday''). Oddly, this turned out to be a case of ShortLivedBigImpact some seven decades later, because the brief gag in ''Wabbit Twouble'' where Bugs is drawn to look like Fat Elmer would give rise to the Big Chungus meme.
268	* JerkassBall: In some cartoons, especially those under Friz Freleng's direction. Examples include "Ant Pasted," "Quack Shot," "Hare Brush" and "This Is A Life?" Allegedly this was because Freleng and some other creative members thought Elmer's default character was too sympathetic to give the runaround.
269	* KarmaHoudini: In "Hare Brush" (mentioned above), he spends the whole cartoon [[ItMakesSenseInContext disguised as Bugs Bunny to get out of paying a massive IRS debt.]] At the end of the cartoon, Bugs is the one thrown in prison for tax evasion[[note]]because [[ItMakesSenseInContext the IRS agents believe he's Elmer]][[/note]], with Elmer left completely unscathed. This is one of only two cartoons where Elmer actually gets the best of Bugs (the other being "WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage").
270	* ManChild: He would throw fits up until WesternAnimation/TheStupidCupid .
271	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The feminine boy to Lola Bunny's masculine girl.
272	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: This is pretty much Elmer Fudd's reaction whenever he thinks he's finally killed Bugs. No matter how hard he's been trying throughout the episode to shoot Bugs he always breaks down in tears when he thinks he's finally done it, calling himself a murderer, which calls into question why he's a hunter in the first place. See "Manchild" above.
273	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: As Cupid Elmer, though he wears a diaper.
274	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Had occasional moments that took even Bugs by surprise. He's outrighted defeated him twice over. Heck, in "Quack Shot", he was actually on top of his game against nearly everything Daffy threw at him.
275	* ObfuscatingInsanity: ''Hare Brush". Fudd, the millionaire head of a major corporation, is in a mental hospital because he thinks he's a rabbit. He lures Bugs into taking his place, who is put in hypnotherapy and starts to think he's Elmer. The cartoon ends with Bugs-as-Elmer being arrested for tax evasion, and Elmer [[BreakingTheFourthWall says to the audience]], "I may be a scwewy wabbit, but I'm not going to [[TheAlcatraz Alcatwaz]]!"
276	* ObfuscatingStupidity: In ''What's My Lion?'', the last classic short Elmer has a speaking role in and the second to last short he appeared in at all, a Lion hides in Elmer's lodge during the hunting season, putting his head through the wall to pretend to be a trophy. Throughout the short, Elmer gets injuring it on the grounds that it's already dead and stuffed, but at the end, [[spoiler: after Elmer gets [[NewhartPhonecall a phone call and reveals that hunting season is over]], the lion - along with all other animals that had posed as animal heads as well - leaves the lodge, only for Elmer to reveal that he knew all along and set a new record, with it taking only three hours to get all those animals out of there.]]
277	* OutOfFocus: Following the death of his original actor, Arthur Q. Bryan, Elmer had noticeably less appearances, with only sporadic attempts to find a replacement (even Mel Blanc by his own admission didn't think he could replicate it). It was only after Blanc's own death in 1989, which necessitated recasting nearly all the ''Looney Tunes'' regulars anyway, that Elmer returned to his earlier prominence.
278	* PushyGunTotingVillain: He may be dim and easy to fool, but he is still presented as a formidable threat to Bugs and Daffy because of how much [[TriggerHappy shotgun-happy]] he is.
279	* PyrrhicVictory: In "Good Night Elmer", he finally managed to extinguish a candle after numerous attempts at doing so, at the expense of destroying his bedroom. Worse still, he did not even enjoy a good night sleep since the sun rose shortly after he extinguished the candle.
280	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Most commonly Bugs' ArchEnemy, though sometimes faced off against Daffy and Sylvester. Since both were more bungling and hubris driven than Bugs however, it tended to be less lop sided who came out on top, or even if Elmer was designated the "villain" between the two.
281	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Bugs' 2 most notable enemies, Sam's Manly Man and Elmer's Sensitive Guy. Clearly based on temperament.
282	* SignatureHeadgear: His hunting hat.
283	* SignatureLaugh: "Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh".
284	* SmartBall: He is oddly savvy in "Quack Shot", where he is ahead in Daffy's game several times.
285	-->'''Daffy:''' Smartypants.
286	* SnobbyHobby: "Hare Brush" establishes that Elmer Fudd is a millionaire who owns a mansion and a yacht. He also enjoys hunting, as he's commonly seen trying to shoot Bugs Bunny and/or Daffy Duck.
287	* SpeechImpediment: A textbook example of rhotacism.
288	* TeamRocketWins: [[spoiler:He was able to get his revenge on "that wascawy wabbit" in ''WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage'' and ''WesternAnimation/HareBrush''. And then there's ''What's Opera, Doc?'', wherein he [[OnlyMostlyDead seemingly]] ''kills'' Bugs. He also outwitted Bugs in one of their Tang commercials.]] Besides all that, he tended to have a better success rate when his opponent was someone other than Bugs. His win/lose ratio against Daffy was pretty even, and in "Crows' Feat" he is more than a match for two nuisance crows. He also makes a meal out of a murderous rooster (albeit accidentally) in "Each Dawn I Crow".
289	* ThrowTheDogABone: "Hare Brush," "To Duck or Not to Duck" and [[spoiler:"WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage"]], to name a few.
290	* TooDumbToLive: His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself.
291	* TookALevelInBadass: During the mid-50's, became quite a bit more crafty and smart than before. For example, the cartoon ''Robot Robot'' notably has him rejoicing right after Bugs pretends to "kick the bucket".
292	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He has a rather interesting relationship with grilled cheese.
293	* VillainousUnderdog: A particularly infamous (and unintentional) case, since he was so meek and incompetent against Bugs Bunny that even some of the Warner Bros creative team started to think Bugs was coming across more as a petty bully than a defensive trickster. As such the series went through a long list of more challenging opponents to rectify this, though almost all of them still fit this trope, while Elmer started to drift into more incidental roles.
294	* TheVoiceless: He doesn't speak in "Good Night Elmer", "Crows' Feat" and "WebAnimation/ToonMarooned".

Context WesternAnimation / ElmerFudd