History YMMV / PepeLePew

* BaseBreakingCharacter: In this day and age, Pepé is hated by MoralGuardians and some fans due to ValuesDissonance. Those who don't hate Pepé see him as an EnsembleDarkhorse because the values dissonance of his cartoons presumably represent how free and audacious [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]] cartoons were. Others point out later reimaginings of him manage to keep his nature recognizable while avoiding the ValuesDissonance issue (such as ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'' making him a Franchise/JamesBond parody), and thus getting rid of him altogether is a poor choice.
** A lesser charge laid against Pepé by some fans is that his shorts are formulaic. Pepé's defenders point out that a) the outcome of each Pepé short is unique, and b) he is ''hardly'' the only "formulaic" member of the Looney Tunes. ''Most'' Looney Tunes could be accused of being formulaic to some degree, and that's without counting exceptions like WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird or WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner.

* ShipToShipCombat: Pepe x Penelope vs Penelope x Sylvester vs Pepe x Sylvester. Pepe has the most history being madly in love with Penelope, with several shorts ending with Penelope turnimg the tables on him. Sylvester is shown as a love interest to Penelope in ''Carrotblanca'', where he tells off Pepe for his unwanted touching of her. And there have also been multiple instances where Pepe has treated Sylvester no differently that he does Penelope. And then there's the scene in ''WesternAnimation/TweetysHighFlyingAdventure'' where Pepe flirts with ''[[ThreesomeSubtext both]]'' Penelope and Sylvester.

* ShipToShipCombat: Pepe x Penelope vs Penelope x Sylvester vs Pepe x Sylvester. Pepe has the most history being madly in love with Penelope, with several shorts ending with Penelope turnimg the tables on him. Sylvester is shown as a love interest to Penelope in ''Carrotblanca'', where he tells off Pepe for his unwanted touching of her. And there have also been multiple instances where Pepe has treated Sylvester no differently that he does Penelope. And then there's the scene in ''WesternAnimation/TweetysHighFlyingAdventure'x' where Pepe flirts with ''[[ThreesomeSubtext both]]'' Penelope and Sylvester.

* ShipToShipCombat: Pepe x Penelope vs Penelope x Sylvester vs Pepe x Sylvester. Pepe has the most history being madly in love with Penelope, with several shorts ending with Penelope turnimg the tables on him. Sylvester is shown as a love interest to Penelope in ''WesternAnimation/Carrotblanca'', where he tells off Pepe for his unwanted touching of her. And there have also been multiple instances where Pepe has treated Sylvester no differently that he does Penelope. And then there's the scene in WesternAnimation/TweetysHighFlyingAdventure where Pepe flirts with ''[[ThreesomeSubtext both]]'' Penelope and Sylvester.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: In this day and age, Pepe is hated by MoralGuardians and some fans due to ValuesDissonance. Those who don't hate Pepe see him as an EnsembleDarkhorse because the values dissonance of his cartoons presumably represent how free and audacious [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]] cartoons were. Others point out later reimaginings of him manage to keep his nature recognizable while avoiding the ValuesDissonance issue (such as ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'' making him a Franchise/JamesBond parody), and thus getting rid of him altogether is a poor choice.
** A lesser charge laid against Pepe by some fans is that his shorts are formulaic. Pepe's defenders point out that a) the outcome of each Pepe short is unique, and b) he is ''hardly'' the only "formulaic" member of the Looney Tunes. ''Most'' Looney Tunes could be accused of being formulaic to some degree, and that's without counting exceptions like WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird or WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner.
* BizarroEpisode: "Odor Of The Day" is completely detached from the standard formula, with Pepe (a mostly HeroicMime here) instead in a feud with a dog over shelter in the snow. The animation and visuals are also far different from Creator/ChuckJones' usual style, due to being created by Arthur Davis' unit. He also lacks his French accent for the one line he gets.

* DeathOfTheAuthor: In his autobiography, Chuck Jones said that a major rule of Pepe was that he couldn't even find out that he smelled bad because it'd crush him. This despite the fact that his very first "official" appearance, as well as one other short, has him find this out with little to no angst (save the fake suicide attempt).
** This idea was enforced in "Really Scent", which was directed by Jones understudy Abe Levitow. Pepe was indeed crushed when he realized his odor, but worked to correct the issue in that particular cartoon.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Depending on if you view him as a "villain" at least. Generally, most of his fans either portray him as a lonely [[TheWoobie woobie]] who just wants love because most living beings are terrified of skunks or a clueless nitwit who doesn't realize he's committing sexual harassment. [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Or both]].
* EnsembleDarkhorse: For never having a speaking role outside of a few odd specials and generally just setting up for gags, Penelope has a surprisingly large fanbase herself, to the point some wish that the writers would let her step out of being Pepe's co-star and become one of the Looney Tunes in her own right, which was obliged in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'', in which she is revealed to have joined the [=TuneSquad=] in a trailer. However, in the final film, [[spoiler:she, like Pepe, has been ExiledFromContinuity]].
* FairForItsDay: Like most of Looney Tunes' parodies, Pepe's status as a [[BlackComedyRape comical rapist]] is the result of PopCultureOsmosis, as his aggressive flirting was meant to be a parody of equally chauvinistic HandsomeLech male protagonists in romantic comedies from the early 20th century (and according to some sources, a StealthInsult to a '50's Warner Bros executive who got too hands-on with his secretaries). The fact that the women of Pepe's affection always react accordingly to his behavior, whereas the love interests in the movies being parodied simply get worn down before conceding to the man's persistence, arguably makes his cartoons ''less'' offensive than what they're derivative of. Divorced from this, however, it's easy to just read him as a creep.
* HilariousInHindsight: According to [[http://auction.howardlowery.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=3275685 model sheets]], the chihuahua on ''Scent-imental Over You'' is named [[https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Fifi Fifi]]. Guess what's the first name of Pepe's counterpart in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' is?
* MemeticMolester: He's always stalking after cats, holding them close, and planting forceful kisses on them... you know the deal. And Penelope Pussycat, one of his victims, turns into this on three occasions when she turns the tables on Pepe and pursues him.
** There is a short which ends revealing that Pepe has Penelope ''chained to his bed''. A much more innocent time, to be sure.

** Not that many people know this, but Pepe Le Pew was based on Creator/CharlesBoyer's character Pepe Le Moko from the movie ''Film/{{Algiers}}'' (which was actually referenced in a background gag on "The Cats' Bah").

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Suffice to say, many people were enraged at the news that Pepe would be removed from the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise (until further notice) for the controversy over his antics progressively been viewed by some as sexual harassment.
* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker and rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe will be ExiledFromContinuity, not appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects barring a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'' which {{Lampshade|Hanging}}s his exile.
* TheWoobie: Penelope, and any other cat character who has had the misfortune of being painted in skunk colors and left to be harrassed by Pepe. In cases such as "Odor-able Kitty" and "Scent-imental Over You" the victims actually had it pretty bad before they even met him.

* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe will be ExiledFromContinuity, not appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects barring a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'' which {{Lampshade|Hanging}}s his exile.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: In this day and age, Pepe is hated by MoralGuardians and some fans due to ValuesDissonance. Those who don't hate Pepe see him as an EnsembleDarkhorse because the values dissonance of his cartoons presumably represent how free and audacious [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]] cartoons were. Others point out later reimaginings of him (such as ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'') manage to keep his nature (such as making him a James Bond parody) manage to get rid of the ValuesDissonance while still keeping him recognizable, and thus getting rid of him altogether is a poor choice.

* BizarroEpisode: "Odor Of The Day" is completely detached from the standard formula, with Pepe (a mostly SilentProtagonist here) instead in a feud with a dog over shelter in the snow. The animation and visuals are also far different from Creator/ChuckJones' usual style, due to being created by Arthur Davis' unit. He also lacks his French accent for the one line he gets.

* IdiotPlot: The whole thing is RuleOfFunny but the plot would basically not happen if Pepe was aware of his stink the whole time and Penelope would actually TELL him she’s not a skunk and that he smells.

* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe will be ExiledFromContinuity, not appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects barring a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'' which {{Lampshades}} his exile.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: In this day and age, Pepe is hated by MoralGuardians and some fans due to ValuesDissonance and his shorts being formulaic. Those who don't hate Pepe see him as an EnsembleDarkhorse because the values dissonance of his cartoons presumably represent how free and audacious [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]] cartoons were. Others point out later reimaginings of him (such as ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'') manage to keep his nature (such as making him a James Bond parody) manage to get rid of the ValuesDissonance while still keeping him recognizable, and thus getting rid of him altogether is a poor choice.

* BizarroEpisode: "Odor Of The Day" is completely detached from the standard formula, with Pepe (a mostly SilentProtagonist here) instead in a feud with a dog over shelter in the snow. The animation and visuals are also far different from Creator/ChuckJones' usual style, due to being created by Arthur Davis' unit. He also lacks his French accent for the one line he gets.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Suffice to say, many people were enraged at the news that Pepe would be removed from the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise (until further notice) for the controversy over his antics progressively been viewed by some as sexual harrassment.
* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe will be ExiledFromContinuity, not appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects barring a cameo in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'' which {{Lampshades}} his exile.
* WeirdAlEffect:

** This idea was enforced in "Really Scent", which was director by Jones understudy Abe Levitow. Pepe was indeed crushed when he realized his odor, but worked to correct the issue in that particular cartoon.

* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe will be ExiledFromContinuity, not appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects.

* MST3KMantra: "It's a cartoon about a talking French skunk. Calm down." is a common fan response to people who accuse the cartoons for glorifying sexual assault, something Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese most likely weren't considering when the originally produced the cartoons. Other fans are quick to point out how the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' gender-flipped version not only [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale doesn't get nearly as much complaints]], but is still one of the most popular characters. Another thing that gets brought up is that technically none of the cats Pepe becomes smitten with actually have a problem with his affections but rather his odor. A few shorts have even shown that Penelope can quickly become attracted to Pepe when the smell isn't a factor.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: For never having a speaking role outside of a few odd specials and generally just setting up for gags, Penelope has a surprisingly large fanbase herself, to the point some wish that the writers would let her step out of being Pepe's co-star and become one of the Looney Tunes in her own right, which was obliged in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'', in which she is revealed to have joined the [=TuneSquad=] in a trailer.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Suffice to say, many people were enraged at the news that Pepe would be permanently removed from the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise for the controversy over his antics progressively been viewed by some as sexual harrassment.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: For never having a speaking role outside of a few odd specials and generally just setting up for gags, Penelope has a surprisingly large fanbase herself, to the point some wish that the writers would let her step out of being Pepe's co-star and become one of the Looney Tunes in her own right, which was obliged in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'', in which she is revealed to have joined the [=TuneSquad=] in a trailer. And with Pepe being scrapped from that film and other future projects, some fans hope they'll give her more opportunities to shine.

* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe would not be appearing in ''Film/SpaceJamANewLegacy'' and any future projects.

* ValuesDissonance: Not only do these cartoons perpetuate the (now long-dead) stereotype that French men are womanizers who never bathe, but Pepe himself is hardly seen as charmingly naïve in the 21st century and more of a stalker-cum-rapist, and there have been a number of fanart in which Pepe is slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit for the exact same kind of "romance" he attempted in the 1940s. There are fans who like him more as an adult [[CrossesTheLineTwice once they realize how politically incorrect the concept is]], however. Because of such values dissonance, in 2021, it was announced that Pepe would not be appearing in ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' and any future projects.

** The beginning of "The Cats Bah" is a parody of the original 1950s TV version of ''The Continental'' (way before Creator/ChristopherWalken would make a recurring sketch out of it on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'').

* BizarroEpisode: "Odor Of The Day" is completely detached from the standard formula, with Pepe (a mostly SilentProtagonist here) instead in a feud with a dog over shelter in the snow. The animation and visuals are also far different from Creator/ChuckJones' usual style, due to being created by Arthur Davis' unit.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: For never having a speaking role outside of a few odd specials and generally just setting up for gags, Penelope has a surprisingly large fanbase herself, to the point some wish that the writers would let her step out of being Pepe's co-star and become one of the Looney Tunes in her own right, which was obliged in ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'', in which she is revealed to have joined the [=TuneSquad=] in a trailer. And with Pepe being scrapped from that film and other future projects, some fans hope they'll give her more opportunities to shine.