For no particular reason, our story is laid in the "Stone Age" - millions and billions and trillions of years ago - probably before and of you people were even born''.
—A note from the director at the beginning of the short.
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur is a 1939 Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones. It would give audiences their first look at what Daffy would later become as he is presented as being more cunning than he was in his previous appearances.
The plot centers around a hungry caveman named Casper and his pet Brontosaurus, Fido, hunting for food, when they come across Daffy and decide to have him for breakfast. Unfortunately, Daffy soon proves to be quite a handful for Casper and Fido.
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur provides examples of:
- Concussions Get You High: After getting hit on the head, Fido dances around with a silly grin on his face before laying down to sleep.
- Did Not Think This Through: At the end of the short, Daffy gives Casper a knife that he uses to stab the large, inflatable duck, resulting in a huge explosion that kills him, Daffy and Fido. Up in Heaven, Daffy laments this mistake:Daffy Duck: You know, maybe that wasn't such a hot idea after all.
- Downer Ending: The cartoon ends with Daffy, Casper and Fido all dying after being caught in a huge explosion that was caused by Casper stabbing a huge, inflatable duck with a knife.
- Four-Fingered Hands: Casper is drawn with four fingers on each hand.
- Frothy Mugs of Water: When Casper is heavily dazed after striking a rock with his club, Daffy gives him a cup of frothy liquid to stop him from shaking.
- Hollywood Prehistory: The cartoon takes place "millions and billions and trillions" of years ago (according to the opening title card), when cavemen had dinosaurs as pets.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Casper's voice is based on Jack Benny.
- Oh, Crap!: Casper reacts this way when he sees the giant inflatable duck.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Fido is kind of adorable for a sauropod.
- Shout-Out: The signs leading to the giant duck spoof commercial slogans of the day.
