Hare Conditioned is a 1945 Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones and starring Bugs Bunny. It is noted for being the second Bugs Bunny cartoon to be under the Looney Tunes brand rather than Merrie Melodies.
The cartoon opens with Bugs having a job at "Stacy's" helping to advertise a camping gear display in the department store window.
However, after closing time, with the summer sale over, the manager informs him he's being transferred to a new department - "Tax-ee-doy-mee".
Upon realizing the manager intends to turn him into a stuffed animal, Bugs runs for his life, with the manager chasing after him in a cartoon-long game of cat and mouse, with wacky hijinks at every turn.
Tropes appearing in this cartoon:
- Bait-and-Switch: The cartoon opens on Bugs out in the forest, hopping in and out of his burrow. Then an alarm sounds and the camera pulls back to reveal he's actually in a window display at the camping department of a store, telling the crowd to break it up because the show is over.
- "Bang!" Flag Gun: When Bugs aims a shotgun at the manager and pulls the trigger, three signs come out of the muzzle saying "Bang! Bang! Bang!". The manager responds by having three signs come out of his mouth saying "Ouch!" "Ouch!" "Ouch!"
- Delayed Reaction: It takes a while for Bugs to realize that the manager intends to cut him open and stuff him, with him even asking the manager if he said "Stuffed". When he finally catches on, he screams like a banshee and runs for it.
- Disguised in Drag: Bugs, as usual. Here, he's dressed as a lady shopping for shoes whom the manager flirts with.
- Disney Villain Death: In the end, Bugs scares the manager with a scary face, causing him to jump off the top of the building. Out of curiosity, Bugs does the same face in a hand mirror, then gets scared himself and jumps off as well.
- Elevator Failure: Bugs tricks the manager into stepping onto an empty elevator shaft, falling to his doom. Unfortunately for Bugs, the manager survives.
- Elevator Floor Announcement: While pretending to be an elevator operator, Bugs calls out "Fifth floor! Rubber tires, sugar, bourbon, butter, and other picture postcards!"
- Elevator Gag: The manager attempts to pursue Bugs Bunny in an elevator, only to watch Bugs appear on each floor he passes, using a different edge of the elevator opening as a floor.
- Franken-X: Just as the manager has Bugs cornered in the roof, Bugs starts talking about a book he read about a "Frankincense monster" sneaking up behind the villain. He then makes a face so horrifying he scares the manager into jumping off.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The store manager is a parody of Harold Peary's character from Fibber McGee and Molly, Gildersleeve (who was spun off into his own show, The Great Gildersleeve). Bugs hangs a lampshade on this when he says he sounds like "that guy on the radio, the Great Gildersneeze."
- Outfit Decoy: The manager has Bugs cornered behind a desk. As he aims his rifle, Bugs has his hands up; however, it turns out Bugs has put his gloves on his ears so he can aim a rifle of his own at the manager.
- Pantomime Animal: When Bugs and The Manager come out of the costume department, they are both wearing a two person horse costume, all while the manger is still chasing after Bugs.
- Scooby-Dooby Doors: The manager chases Bugs through different departments and they both come out in increasingly ridiculous outfits that match the department they were just in.
- Stairs Are Faster: The manager tries to outrun Bugs on the elevator by running up the stairs to the roof. Once there, however, Bugs dressed as an elevator operator sends him down an empty elevator shaft.
- Wartime Cartoon: The items mentioned on Bugs' Elevator Floor Announcement were all heavily rationed during the war, hence the "other picture postcards" punchline.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The reason the manager intends to stuff Bugs is that with the summer sale over, Bugs is no longer needed in the camping gear display window, and there's no other purpose for him.
