I'm a bad boy!
A Day at the Zoo is a 1939 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Tex Avery.
The short (like most of Tex Avery's theatrical cartoon work both on WB and when we worked at MGM) is a series of visual and verbal gags, usually based on outrageous stereotypes, corny yet clever wordplay, and topical references. It's presented as a narrator (Gil Warren) describes a "tour" of the "Kalama Zoo" where the animals have nonsensical names, display anthropomorphic behavior, or illustrate punny gags. The only thing remotely related to a narrative is the running gag of Egghead (the prototype Elmer character) teasing a lion and paying for it in the end.
Tropes:
- Ax-Crazy: When asked by the narrator why he's acting loopy and crazy, the Rocky Mountain wildcat says this:"They called my name out at bank nightnote , AND I WASN'T THERE!" (starts going crazy again)
- Bowdlerization: The scene of the camels smoking cigarettes was cut on TBS, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang.
- Brotherhood of Funny Hats: "Two Elks" are two average-looking men who are members of the Elk Lodge.
- Bullying a Dragon: Egghead believes that taunting a hungry lion is a good idea, no matter how many times the narrator warns him off.
- Hurricane of Puns: The cartoon crams as many animal puns as possible into seven minutes.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: With everyone keeping their distance from his cage, a skunk reads How to Win Friends and Influence People.
- I Warned You: The narrator repeatedly tells Egghead to stop bothering that lion or he'll really suffer for it. Suffice to say, Egghead should've listened.
- Informed Species: One monkey cage is labelled "Baboon", but the primate in it looks like a chimpanzee. Later, the groundhog is depicted as a slender, long-tailed animal more reminiscent of a marten or weasel.
- Institutional Apparel: The "Alcatraz Jailbird" is shown wearing stripes and claiming he's innocent. The Stool Pigeon claims to have seen the whole thing.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Egghead's constant teasing of the lion gets him eaten, despite the narrator warning him to stop.Egghead: I'm a ba-a-ad boy!
- Off with His Head!: The narration introduces a man reading a newspaper, saying he became famous for sticking his head in a lion's mouth. He puts down the newspaper and walks away, despite having no head.
- Pink Elephants: One exhibit shows floating pink elephants, a good two years before the Trope Namer comes out.
- Pun-Based Creature: The zoo's animals include a pack of cigarette-smoking camels, a black-and-white striped "jailbird" who babbles desperately about having been framed, and a stool-perching pigeon who snitches on the jailbird.
- Silly Animal Sound: The ostrich makes a chicken-like cluck after laying an egg.
- Smug Smiler: When the narrator thinks that Egghead simply went home, the lion does this while shaking his head.
- The Stool Pigeon: One is present as a visual gag in the form an actual pigeon who sits on a stool and snitches on people.
- Suddenly Shouting: "HEY SISTER! CAN'T YA READ?!" shouts a monkey after an old woman tries feeding him some peanuts, the latter ignoring a "Don't Feed The Animals" sign. He even shows her the sign as a bonus.
- Too Dumb to Live: Egghead continues teasing the lion even though the narrator tells him to stop, and eventually gets eaten.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Egghead laughs hysterically, while teasing the lion. The lion eats him in the end and happily smirks about it.
