Bully For Bugs
Encyclopedia
Bully for Bugs is a 1952 Warner Brothers Looney Tunes
theatrical cartoon short released in August 1953. It was directed by Chuck Jones
and written by Michael Maltese
.
On his way to the Coachella Valley
for the "big carrot festival, therein," Bugs Bunny gets lost in a bullring
in the middle of a bullfight
between Toro the bull and a very nervous matador
. Bugs famously declares he "shoulda make a left toin at Albuqoique". As he asks the matador for directions, the matador escapes into the stands, leaving Bugs to fend for himself against Toro. After irritating Bugs and getting a slap for "steaming up my tail," Toro chalks up the points of his horns like a pool cue and rams the rabbit out of the bullring. As he sails into the air, Bugs mutters his famous line from Groucho Marx
: "Of course you realize, dis means war".
Toro takes his applause for claiming his latest victim, but it is short-lived because Bugs re-enters the bullring in matador garb. Bugs defeats Toro using an anvil
hidden behind his cape. While Toro is still dazed from his collision, Bugs makes the bull follow the cape up to a bull shield, accompanied by a lively underscore of "La Cucaracha
", where his horns pierce it. Bugs bends the horns down like nails and, thinking he's got him at bay, makes fun of Toro using puns ("What a gull-a-bull, what a nim-cow-poop"). Unaware that the bull can detach his horns and strike back, Toro proceeds to bash Bugs in the head, which knocks him unconscious.
While Toro sharpens his horns, Bugs interrupts him by placing an elastic band around the horns and using it as a giant slingshot
to smack him in the face with a boulder
. Toro charges back at Bugs, right in the buttocks
. Bugs then returns, this time in a large sombrero
doing a little dance and slapping Toro on the face in tempo to the tune of "Las Chiapanecas". Toro tries to punch him twice but is slapped each time. Bugs dances more and then disappears under the sombrero, but not before honking Toro's nose.
While Toro once again sharpens his horns (this time with a much more irritated look on his face), Bugs has prepared a booby trap for the bull, composed of a double-barreled shotgun
hidden behind the cape. Toro charges towards the cape, and somehow the shotgun previously in Bugs's hand enters Toro's body and stops at his tail, firing a bullet from one of Toro's horns when he flicks his tail (and the shotgun) on the ground. Now having the upper hand, Toro chases Bugs shooting at the hare, but Toro eventually runs out of bullets. Toro "reloads" by swallowing several "elephant bullets" (with explosive heads), but when he attempts to test-fire he instead explodes, gun and all.
Bugs taunts Toro once again by calling him, among other things, an "imbecile" (which Bugs pronounces "im-BESS-il") and an "ultra maroon," but realizes that he is cornered by the bull behind barred gates. Awaiting certain death (he writes a will
and says his prayers), Bugs miraculously opens the gates like a garage door, sending Toro out of the bullring and into the horizon
. Toro runs back to the bullring, not anticipating that Bugs has laid out a Rube Goldberg–like contraption of axle grease, a ramp, and some platforms on the bull's path. The grease and ramp send Toro airborne over some glue
, a sheet of sandpaper
, a protruding matchstick, and a barrel of TNT which explodes when Toro flies by. Still in the air and in shock
, Toro finally crashes into a wooden bull shield.
The cartoon ends with the unconscious bull's hindquarters sticking out of the shield, and the victorious Bugs holding up the cape with the words "THE END" etched on it.
, on the grounds that he perceived them as not being funny, which led to Jones and Maltese to do For Scent-imental Reasons
, which won an Oscar, which Selzer accepted), the only possible option was to make the cartoon. The sounds of the crowd are recorded from a genuine bull-fighting crowd in Barcelona, Spain. The boulder to the face gag was reused from Rabbit Punch
which was also directed by Chuck Jones five years earlier.
(though the release date for this cartoon was in August). It should also be noted that while the Coachella Valley is a major agricultural region which grows some carrots, it does not hold an annual carrot festival. The immediate area's carrot growing region is outside of the valley in the Imperial County town of Holtville
which does in fact hold an annual carrot festival.
auditioning with other cartoon cows at the Maroon Cartoon Studios for a part in a cartoon. Toro also appears in the films Space Jam
and Looney Tunes: Back in Action
. In the Tiny Toon Adventures
episode Starting from Scratch Bugs' apprentice Buster Bunny tries the now famous slap dance on a bedbug only to see it backfire on him, prompting Buster to remark, "Well it worked for Bugs Bunny.". In the Codename: Kids Next Door
episode M.A.T.A.D.O.R., the opening scene is similar to Bully for Bugs.
The opening segment of the cartoon (prior to Bugs' entry), was reused in the 1963 Speedy Gonzales
cartoon Mexican Cat Dance. Part of the cartoon was also used in Hare-Abian Nights
in 1959.
In recent years Bully for Bugs has been adapted into various levels in Bugs Bunny video game. Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage has a level where Bugs tricks Toro to run into steel girders. Bugs Bunny In Double Trouble
has a level where Bugs searches underground for various items for the booby trap. Bugs Bunny Lost in Time features a level based on the short in the 1930s era called La Corrida. Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf
, also known as Sheep Raider, has placed Toro sleeping amongst newly fallen leaves that, if stepped on by the player, will awake Toro and send him charging after Ralph Wolf. He is also seen guarding a goal needed to progress but is distracted by the red monster Gossamer
whose color sends Toro into a charging frenzy. He appears one more time where Ralph has to have him chase him over the edge of a cliff where he presumably falls to his death. The Sega Genesis game Taz: Escape from Mars
; Toro appears as the end-of-world boss in Mexico. Looney Tunes: Back in Action
the video game features Toro in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Daffy must change into his Duck Danger costume and mount Toro, then driving him into several vases which knocks him out.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
theatrical cartoon short released in August 1953. It was directed by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
and written by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
.
Synopsis
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
for the "big carrot festival, therein," Bugs Bunny gets lost in a bullring
Bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
in the middle of a bullfight
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
between Toro the bull and a very nervous matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
. Bugs famously declares he "shoulda make a left toin at Albuqoique". As he asks the matador for directions, the matador escapes into the stands, leaving Bugs to fend for himself against Toro. After irritating Bugs and getting a slap for "steaming up my tail," Toro chalks up the points of his horns like a pool cue and rams the rabbit out of the bullring. As he sails into the air, Bugs mutters his famous line from Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
: "Of course you realize, dis means war".
Toro takes his applause for claiming his latest victim, but it is short-lived because Bugs re-enters the bullring in matador garb. Bugs defeats Toro using an anvil
Anvil
An anvil is a basic tool, a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The inertia of the anvil allows the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece. In most cases the anvil is used as a forging tool...
hidden behind his cape. While Toro is still dazed from his collision, Bugs makes the bull follow the cape up to a bull shield, accompanied by a lively underscore of "La Cucaracha
La Cucaracha
"La Cucaracha" is a traditional Spanish folk corrido that became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. It has additionally become a verse played on car horns.-Origins:...
", where his horns pierce it. Bugs bends the horns down like nails and, thinking he's got him at bay, makes fun of Toro using puns ("What a gull-a-bull, what a nim-cow-poop"). Unaware that the bull can detach his horns and strike back, Toro proceeds to bash Bugs in the head, which knocks him unconscious.
While Toro sharpens his horns, Bugs interrupts him by placing an elastic band around the horns and using it as a giant slingshot
Slingshot
A slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
to smack him in the face with a boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
. Toro charges back at Bugs, right in the buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
. Bugs then returns, this time in a large sombrero
Sombrero
Sombrero in English refers to a type of wide-brimmed hat originating in Mexico. In Spanish, however, it is the generic word for "hat", which originates from "sombra", meaning "shade"....
doing a little dance and slapping Toro on the face in tempo to the tune of "Las Chiapanecas". Toro tries to punch him twice but is slapped each time. Bugs dances more and then disappears under the sombrero, but not before honking Toro's nose.
While Toro once again sharpens his horns (this time with a much more irritated look on his face), Bugs has prepared a booby trap for the bull, composed of a double-barreled shotgun
Double-barreled shotgun
A double-barreled shotgun is a shotgun or combination gun with two parallel barrels, allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession.-Construction:...
hidden behind the cape. Toro charges towards the cape, and somehow the shotgun previously in Bugs's hand enters Toro's body and stops at his tail, firing a bullet from one of Toro's horns when he flicks his tail (and the shotgun) on the ground. Now having the upper hand, Toro chases Bugs shooting at the hare, but Toro eventually runs out of bullets. Toro "reloads" by swallowing several "elephant bullets" (with explosive heads), but when he attempts to test-fire he instead explodes, gun and all.
Bugs taunts Toro once again by calling him, among other things, an "imbecile" (which Bugs pronounces "im-BESS-il") and an "ultra maroon," but realizes that he is cornered by the bull behind barred gates. Awaiting certain death (he writes a will
Will
Will may refer to:* Shall and will, the word will as a modal verb* Will , instructions for the disposition of one's property after death...
and says his prayers), Bugs miraculously opens the gates like a garage door, sending Toro out of the bullring and into the horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
. Toro runs back to the bullring, not anticipating that Bugs has laid out a Rube Goldberg–like contraption of axle grease, a ramp, and some platforms on the bull's path. The grease and ramp send Toro airborne over some glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
, a sheet of sandpaper
Sandpaper
Sandpaper, also known as glasspaper, is a heavy paper with abrasive material attached to its surface.Sandpaper is part of the "coated abrasives" family of abrasive products. It is used to remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to make them smoother , to remove a layer of material...
, a protruding matchstick, and a barrel of TNT which explodes when Toro flies by. Still in the air and in shock
Shock
Circulatory shock, commonly known simply as shock, is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs due to inadequate substrate for aerobic cellular respiration...
, Toro finally crashes into a wooden bull shield.
The cartoon ends with the unconscious bull's hindquarters sticking out of the shield, and the victorious Bugs holding up the cape with the words "THE END" etched on it.
Development
In his biography Chuck Amuck Chuck Jones claims that he made this cartoon after producer Eddie Selzer burst into Jones' workspace one day and announced, for no readily apparent reason, that bullfights were not funny, and they were not to make a cartoon about them. Since Selzer had, in Jones' opinion, consistently proven himself to be wrong about absolutely everything (having once barred Jones from doing any cartoons featuring Pepe Le PewPepé Le Pew
Pepé Le Pew is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945. A French skunk that always strolls around in Paris in the springtime, when everyone's thoughts are of "love", Pepé is constantly seeking "l'amour" of his own...
, on the grounds that he perceived them as not being funny, which led to Jones and Maltese to do For Scent-imental Reasons
For Scent-imental Reasons
For Scent-imental Reasons is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short released in 1949. It was directed by Chuck Jones, written by Michael Maltese, and featured the characters Pepe Le Pew and Penelope Pussycat . It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film...
, which won an Oscar, which Selzer accepted), the only possible option was to make the cartoon. The sounds of the crowd are recorded from a genuine bull-fighting crowd in Barcelona, Spain. The boulder to the face gag was reused from Rabbit Punch
Rabbit Punch
- Plot :The World's Championship Fight is about to begin in a gigantic boxing stadium near Bugs Bunny's hole. Tonight's fight features the battle between the Champ, "Battling McGook" , and his challenger "Dyspectic McPlaster". During the fight, Crusher does not even give his challenger a sporting...
which was also directed by Chuck Jones five years earlier.
Factual Errors
Despite the fact that it has carrots, some fans have come to the conclusion that Bugs' reason for his journey to the carrot festival was to celebrate Cinco de MayoCinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...
(though the release date for this cartoon was in August). It should also be noted that while the Coachella Valley is a major agricultural region which grows some carrots, it does not hold an annual carrot festival. The immediate area's carrot growing region is outside of the valley in the Imperial County town of Holtville
Holtville, California
Holtville is a city in Imperial County, California. Holtville is located east of El Centro, The population was 5,939 at the 2010 census, up from 5,612 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'El Centro, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area'...
which does in fact hold an annual carrot festival.
In other media
The short has been referenced in some form in film and television. Toro the bull can be seen in the beginning of Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
auditioning with other cartoon cows at the Maroon Cartoon Studios for a part in a cartoon. Toro also appears in the films Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
and Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
. In the Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
episode Starting from Scratch Bugs' apprentice Buster Bunny tries the now famous slap dance on a bedbug only to see it backfire on him, prompting Buster to remark, "Well it worked for Bugs Bunny.". In the Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton and produced by Curious Pictures in Santa Monica, California.. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 6, 2002 and aired its final episode on...
episode M.A.T.A.D.O.R., the opening scene is similar to Bully for Bugs.
The opening segment of the cartoon (prior to Bugs' entry), was reused in the 1963 Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
cartoon Mexican Cat Dance. Part of the cartoon was also used in Hare-Abian Nights
Hare-Abian Nights
Hare-Abian Nights is a 1959 Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The cartoon, directed by Ken Harris of Chuck Jones' unit at Warner Bros. Cartoons, was animated by Harris and Ben Washam and recycles footage from Bully for Bugs, Water, Water Every Hare, and Sahara Hare...
in 1959.
In recent years Bully for Bugs has been adapted into various levels in Bugs Bunny video game. Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage has a level where Bugs tricks Toro to run into steel girders. Bugs Bunny In Double Trouble
Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble
Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble is a video game developed by Atod AB for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear, released in 1996.The game stars Bugs Bunny and features pre-rendered 3D graphics...
has a level where Bugs searches underground for various items for the booby trap. Bugs Bunny Lost in Time features a level based on the short in the 1930s era called La Corrida. Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf
Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf
Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf is a puzzle-platform style game/stealth style game for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows, developed by Infogrames in France. Unlike a standard platformer, the game incorporates stealth and strategy.The game is based on the popular Warner Bros. series of cartoons Sam Sheepdog...
, also known as Sheep Raider, has placed Toro sleeping amongst newly fallen leaves that, if stepped on by the player, will awake Toro and send him charging after Ralph Wolf. He is also seen guarding a goal needed to progress but is distracted by the red monster Gossamer
Gossamer (Looney Tunes)
Gossamer is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The character is a hairy, red monster. His rectangular body is perched on two giant tennis shoes, and his heart-shaped face is composed of only two oval eyes and a wide mouth, with...
whose color sends Toro into a charging frenzy. He appears one more time where Ralph has to have him chase him over the edge of a cliff where he presumably falls to his death. The Sega Genesis game Taz: Escape from Mars
Taz: Escape from Mars
Taz in Escape from Mars is a video game developed by HeadGames and released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Game Gear featuring Taz, the Looney Tunes Tasmanian devil cartoon character. The Game Gear version was ported by TecToy to the Sega Master System and released in 1996 only in...
; Toro appears as the end-of-world boss in Mexico. Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (video game)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a platforming video game released in 2003 by Electronic Arts. The game is based on the film of the same name.-Gameplay:...
the video game features Toro in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Daffy must change into his Duck Danger costume and mount Toro, then driving him into several vases which knocks him out.
Censorship
- When this cartoon aired on ABC, the part where the bull swallows a box of elephant gun bullets and explodes was cut. Also cut was the end gag with the famous glue-and-sandpaper-and-lit-match-and-dynamite end sequence. The edited version just has the bull go up the ramp and hit the wall.http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/b/
- The CBS airing of this cartoon in the 1980s edited the famous glue-and-sandpaper-and-lit-match-and-dynamite end sequence as well, but just edited the lit match and dynamite part so now the edited cartoon shows the bull getting slathered with glue and stuck with sandpaper on his underside before hitting the wall, looking worse for the wear without explanation.http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/b/
Availability
- Bully For Bugs is available, uncut and restored, on Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1