"Bugs' Bonnets" is a 1956 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones, starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. It starts off with a typical Bugs/Elmer chase, until a passing truck full of hats accidentally spills its contents all over the place. This results in various different hats landing on Bugs' and Elmer's heads at random, causing their personalities to change, depending on the headgear they have on.
Notably, this is one of the few Chuck Jones shorts not written by Mike Maltese as usual, but by Tedd Pierce, who used to write for Jones in the 1940s, but who had relocated to Robert McKimson's unit in the early '50s. Pierce also wrote Jones' "Broom-Stick Bunny", "Rocket Squad" and "Barbary Coast Bunny" the same year, as well as "Knight-mare Hare" the previous year. Pierce would again write for Jones one last time on "The Abominable Snow Rabbit" in 1961.
"Bugs' Bonnets" provides examples of:
- Bowdlerization:
- On ABC, two scenes were cut:
- Elmer becoming a Pilgrim when a Pilgrim hat lands on his head and Bugs becoming a stereotypical Indian when an Indian wig lands on his head.
- Bugs acting like a mobster when a mobster's fedora lands on his head was partially edited to remove Bugs blowing cigar smoke in Elmer's face.
- On CBS, as on ABC, the scene of Bugs blowing cigar smoke in Elmer's face was cut.
- On pre-2001 Cartoon Network, the following edits were made (post-2001, however, the cartoon was uncut):
- The scenes of Elmer acting as General MacArthur and later Bugs acting as a mobster were both edited to remove the respective scenes of their smoking while in their respective roles.
- The entire scene of Bugs, acting as a game warden, accusing Elmer of shooting sergeants out of season, and Elmer, and before Elmer can answer, has a Pilgrim's hat fall on his head and reply that he's shooting turkeys for the first Thanksgiving dinner, after which an Indian's wig (consisting of long black hair done in braids and two feathers on top) lands on Bugs' head and Bugs begins acting like a stereotypical Native American.
- The now-defunct WB network retained all of the scenes which had been cut from ABC, CBS and Cartoon Network, but made some cuts of its own:
- The opening scene of the man in pirate regalia was partially edited to mute his line: "Kill the women and children first! Blood! Gore!"
- Moments later, two other lines of dialogue were similarly muted: Elmer saying, "Come out and wet me see the cowor of your spurting bwood!" and Bugs responding, "My spurting blood?! Yipe!"
- The scene of Bugs as a mobster trying to bribe Elmer (acting like a policeman about to arrest mobster Bugs) with money, followed by a judicial wig landing on Bugs' head, which causes him to act like a judge and accuse policeman Elmer of taking a bribe.
- The short aired uncut on MeTV in May of 2021, but in November of that year, the scene of Bugs acting like an Indian and shooting at Elmer with his own gun was cut. In contrast to other edits of the cartoon, however, MeTV's edit was bizarre, yet very obvious: the camera zoomed in on Elmer's face with the audio muted briefly, before continuing as normal in the next scene. However, the short was again uncut when shown in March of 2022.
- On ABC, two scenes were cut:
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: As Bugs marries Elmer, he turns to the audience and says "You know, I think it always helps a picture to have a romantic ending."
- Bribe Backfire: Parodied: At one point, Bugs as a gangster tries to bribe Elmer as a cop. Elmer tries to give the bribe back, but at that point a Judicial Wig lands on Bugs, who then sentences him for corruption.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Bugs becomes one when a soldier's helmet lands on his head.Bugs: FORWAAAAAAARD... march.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Parodied: When a general's cap lands on Elmer's head, he starts talking like General MacArthur and smokes a pipe, which is conveniently attached to the brim ("I haaave weturned!"). Later, when a mobster's fedora lands on Bugs' head, he smokes an accompanying cigar, whose smoke he blows in Elmer's face while threatening to "rub [him] out".
- The Hat Makes the Man: The narrator explains that any article of clothing, even a hat, can have an influence on one's personality. For example, Elmer is a mild-mannered individual ordinarily, but when a hunter's cap is put on his head, he turns into a bloodthirsty barbarian.
- The Hilarity of Hats: What this cartoon's plot revolves around.
- Judicial Wig: See Bribe Backfire above.
- Talk Like a Pirate: The cartoon opens with a demonstration of how clothes can alter one's personality, as evidenced by an ordinary man, who behaves like a bloodthirsty pirate when put in something more... romantic (i.e., pirate regalia)."BATTEN DOWN THE KEELHAUL! YAHOO! KILL THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST! BLOOD! GORE! SPIT 'EM ON THE TATTERS!"
- Tonto Talk: Bugs talks like a stereotypical Indian when an Indian wig falls on his head.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Happens to Elmer when a bride's hat lands on his head and asks Bugs to marry him.
