Characters / Merrily We Roll Along

Directors

Robert McKimson

Robert Porter McKimson Sr.

Real person. Longtime director of the Looney Tunes series who joined in its 1930 debut, later promoted to Head Director for the Warner Cartoon Group.

For his IOTL counterpart, see his page.

• Old Shame: McKimson dislikes all of the new characters he created (singling out Hoppy as his worst), and is relieved to be able to work on the old characters again.
• Tempting Fate: Like IOTL, McKimson brags about outliving his peers after receiving a clean bill of health and learning of his family's history of living past 90. He dies of a heart attack two days later.
• Workaholic: McKimson joined the Looney Tunes series when it debuted in 1930, and stays on all the way until his death in 1977.

Chuck Jones

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones

Real person. A well-known Looney Tunes director who worked at Termite Terrace from 1933 until his firing in 1962. He would rejoin in 1972.

For his IOTL counterpart, see his page.

• Adaptational Villainy: Oh yeah, Jones is a lot more egotistical here. He is also revealed to have a history of sexually harassing women.
• Asshole Victim: After Chuck Jones is fired, his shorts are pulled, his final film with Warners is left to die, most of his characters are retired, and his body of work is re-evaluated. Given what he did, it's easy to not feel bad for him.
• Condemned by History: In-universe, Jones’ reputation as an artist craters after the Bugs Bunny: Superstar controversy and especially his firing. His Pepé Le Pew cartoons are criticized for normalizing sexual harassment, some of his best-known cartoon series receive criticism for being formulaic, his later works are criticized for losing their wit or being pretentious, his retools of characters such as Bugs and Daffy receive scorn, and whatever comedic charm his earlier works had is now credited to his writers such as Michael Maltese.
• Fatal Flaw: Pride. A major reason for Jones' downfall is that he's a pretentious egotist who goes as far as to openly disparage his colleagues.
• It's All About Me: Jones' intense egotism can be summed up with this line at the "Meet the 'Mation Makers" event:
  THEY'D (Michael Maltese and Maurice Noble) be NOTHING without ME! LOONEY TUNES would be NOTHING without ME! I AM LOONEY TUNES!
• Jerkass: Jones is a shining example, disparaging his colleagues and openly stating that only he could do cartoons right.
• Take That!: According to Word of God, TTL's portrayal of Jones and his subsequent fall from grace is due to his dislike of Jones as a person.
• Villainous Breakdown: Jones' meltdown at Clampett during the "Meet the 'Mation Makers" event in January 1977, in front of hundreds (potentially thousands) of animation fans, no less! Jones proceeds to disparage his colleagues, as well as boast about how he's better than Disney and UPA, and show hypocrisy by criticizing the Sylvester And Tweety and Speedy Gonzales series, but defending his Road Runner cartoons as "subversive masterpieces".

Friz Freleng

Isadore "Friz" Freleng

Real person. Another well-known Looney Tunes director employed from 1931 until 1962. With David H. DePatie, he formed De Patie Freleng Enterprises the following year.

For his IOTL counterpart, see his page.

Tex Avery

Frederick Bean “Tex” Avery

Real person. Employed at Termite Terrace from 1935 to 1941. Avery would buy into the Warner Cartoon Group in 1976, rejoining Looney Tunes.

For his IOTL counterpart, see his page.

Penelope Koshkin

Penelope Koshkin

Fictional character. A new director who joined in 1977 after a long tenure as an uncredited animator.

• Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Koshkin becomes the first female director in the Looney Tunes franchise.
• Canon Foreigner: Koshkin is a fictional character created for this timeline.
• Signature Style: She has a preference for rapid-paced slapstick comedy, strong female protagonists (as heroines and as villainesses), and puns.

Characters

Daffy Duck

Daffy Duck

Debut In-Universe: Porky's Duck Hunt (1937)

Voiced by In-Universe: Mel Blanc

Daffy Duck is among the characters who return after Kinney buys the Warner Bros. studio and begins loosening restrictions on classic characters.

For his IOTL counterpart, see this page.

• Took a Level in Kindness: His outings with Speedy under Kinney and later Warner Communications make him a reluctant friend, rather than an outright villain.

Road Runner

Road Runner

Debut In-Universe: Fast and Furry-ous (1949)

Voiced by In-Universe: Paul Julian (1949-1977), Penelope Koshkin (1977-1980)

Created by Chuck Jones, the Road Runner is among the characters that return in the 1970s. After Jones' firing, Penelope Koshkin takes over production of Road Runner shorts.

For his/her IOTL counterpart, see this page.

• Gender Flip: The Road Runner becomes female in Koshkin's shorts.
• Motor Mouth: She becomes one in the wraparound scenes on television, in both a stark contrast to the theatrical shorts and Wile E.'s posh, refined English accent in his outings with Bugs Bunny.
• Suddenly Voiced: The Road Runner begins speaking after Koshkin takes over.