.gif)
Gossamer (Looney Tunes)
Encyclopedia
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 two hulking arms ending in dirty, clawed fingers. The monster's main trait, however, is bright uncombed red hair. In fact, a gag in the 1980 short Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
lampoons this by revealing that Gossamer is, in fact, composed entirely of hair. He was originally voiced by Mel Blanc
and has been voiced by Joe Alaskey
, Jim Cummings
, and Dee Bradley Baker
.
The word "Gossamer" is derived from the Middle English gossamer
(a soft sheer gauzy fabric), from "gos" meaning goose and "somer" meaning summer, which translates to something light, delicate, or insubstantial. The name is meant to be ironic, since the character is large, menacing, and destructive. In fact, he is so terrifying that, in his first appearance, his own mirror image flees from him; it is also revealed that he's afraid of people.
Chuck Jones
introduced the monster character in the 1946 cartoon Hair-Raising Hare
. In it, Bugs Bunny
is lured to the lair of a mad scientist
as food for Gossamer. The monster (unnamed here) serves as the scientist's henchman. Part of this plot was repeated in the 1950 Jones cartoon Water, Water Every Hare
, in which the monster's character was referred to as "Rudolph". The mad scientist in need of a live-brain for his giant robot, released Rudolph from his chamber for a mission to capture Bugs Bunny in order to obtain a living brain, to which Rudolph showed a sudden burst of joyousness and quickly set out when the mad scientist promised the reward of "spider
goulash
" for capturing the rabbit. The monster next appears in Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
in 1980. This is the first cartoon where the character is called "Gossamer", and is so named by Marvin the Martian
. Jones gave the monster this name "because he's the opposite looking of gossamer. He's a big, hairy thing."
, including a prominent role in a Frankenstein
parody segment in the Tiny Toons Night Ghoulery special. He appears briefly in the 1996 movie Space Jam
(in a car before the big game and after Bugs gets crushed by one of the Monstars), and he has also been featured in a number of episodes of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
. He was used as an enemy in Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 4 and his silhouette appears on the cover of the game. He is a boss character in the Looney Tunes video games Taz: Escape from Mars
, Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf
and Taz: Wanted
. Gossamer also makes a cameo in the Pinky and the Brain
episode Star Warners. Gossamer appeared in the Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
episode "Monsters are Real" where he was shown on the Gromble's monitor as one of the best monsters to scare people and animals.
In recent years, Warner Bros marketers seem to have seized upon the character. Gossamer's image is available on all sorts of Warner's merchandise, from T-shirts to ball caps to plush toys. This sort of marketing helped propel The Tasmanian Devil
to new-found stardom, and it is seemingly helping Gossamer's popularity to some extent. In 2001, Gossamer returned in the Sheep Raider video game. He (or a descendant) also appears in the Loonatics Unleashed
series as a wrestling rival for Slam Tasmanian named Gorlop, who hails from "the planet Gossamer." A younger Gossamer appeared in an episode of Baby Looney Tunes
as a helper in Pepe Le Pew
's garden. He also appears in 2006's Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
as a Security Guard who has to work overtime without pay for greedy Daffy Duck
.
A clip in the deleted-scenes featurette on the Looney Tunes: Back in Action
DVD
features Gossamer being harassed by Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman
), suggesting that Gossamer was planned to make an appearance in the film, but it was deleted. However, a full look at this scene is not shown in the full deleted scenes clips on the DVD-ROM.
Gossamer appeared in The Looney Tunes Show
episodes "Monster Talent", "Newspaper Thief" and "Sunday Night Slice" voiced by Kwesi Boakye
. Strangely, Witch Lezah
is somehow his mother. Gossamer is a child in this incarnation, a lonely boy who just wants to make friends. To that end, he seeks the dubious advice of Daffy Duck
. Like Lezah, this incarnation of Gossamer speaks in an African-American accent
..In Monster Talent Makes his Debut.In Newspaper Thief appears as a guest at the Dinner with Witch
Lezah,Granny and Yosemite Sam.In Sunday Night Slice is a Client of the Pizzeria
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
character in the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Looney Tunes
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...
and Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
series of cartoons. The character is a hairy, red monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
. 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 two hulking arms ending in dirty, clawed fingers. The monster's main trait, however, is bright uncombed red hair. In fact, a gag in the 1980 short Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century is a 1980 cartoon starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Marvin Martian. It is the sequel of Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. It was the first Daffy and Porky cartoon since 1965...
lampoons this by revealing that Gossamer is, in fact, composed entirely of hair. He was originally voiced by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
and has been voiced by Joe Alaskey
Joe Alaskey
Joseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices...
, Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
, and Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
.
The word "Gossamer" is derived from the Middle English gossamer
Gossamer
Gossamer commonly refers to:* Gossamer , very fine spider silk used for ballooning or kiting by various species of spiders* Gossamer , very light, sheer, gauze-like fabricGossamer may also refer to:- Technology :...
(a soft sheer gauzy fabric), from "gos" meaning goose and "somer" meaning summer, which translates to something light, delicate, or insubstantial. The name is meant to be ironic, since the character is large, menacing, and destructive. In fact, he is so terrifying that, in his first appearance, his own mirror image flees from him; it is also revealed that he's afraid of people.
History
AnimatorAnimator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
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...
introduced the monster character in the 1946 cartoon Hair-Raising Hare
Hair-Raising Hare
Hair-Raising Hare is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, released in 1946. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce...
. In it, Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
is lured to the lair of a mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
as food for Gossamer. The monster (unnamed here) serves as the scientist's henchman. Part of this plot was repeated in the 1950 Jones cartoon Water, Water Every Hare
Water, Water Every Hare
Water, Water Every Hare is a 1950-produced Looney Tunes cartoon released in 1952 featuring Bugs Bunny and Gossamer. The title is a pun on the line "Water, water, everywhere / Nor any drop to drink" from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner...
, in which the monster's character was referred to as "Rudolph". The mad scientist in need of a live-brain for his giant robot, released Rudolph from his chamber for a mission to capture Bugs Bunny in order to obtain a living brain, to which Rudolph showed a sudden burst of joyousness and quickly set out when the mad scientist promised the reward of "spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
goulash
Goulash
Goulash is a soup or stew of meat, noodles and vegetables , seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Scandinavia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia...
" for capturing the rabbit. The monster next appears in Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century is a 1980 cartoon starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Marvin Martian. It is the sequel of Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. It was the first Daffy and Porky cartoon since 1965...
in 1980. This is the first cartoon where the character is called "Gossamer", and is so named by Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
. Jones gave the monster this name "because he's the opposite looking of gossamer. He's a big, hairy thing."
Later appearances
Gossamer has also appeared in a cameo role in a number of recent Warner Bros productions. He appeared in 1990s episodes of Tiny Toon AdventuresTiny 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....
, including a prominent role in a Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
parody segment in the Tiny Toons Night Ghoulery special. He appears briefly in the 1996 movie 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...
(in a car before the big game and after Bugs gets crushed by one of the Monstars), and he has also been featured in a number of episodes of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, is an animated television series which aired from 1995 to 2001 on Kids' WB and was later re-run on Cartoon Network...
. He was used as an enemy in Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 4 and his silhouette appears on the cover of the game. He is a boss character in the Looney Tunes video games 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...
, 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...
and Taz: Wanted
Taz: Wanted
Taz: Wanted is an action-adventure video game released in 2002 by Blitz Games. The game is based on the Looney Tunes' character, Tasmanian Devil.-Plot:...
. Gossamer also makes a cameo in the Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
episode Star Warners. Gossamer appeared in the Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
AAAHH!!! Real Monsters
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is an American animated television series about adolescent monsters in training, developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon...
episode "Monsters are Real" where he was shown on the Gromble's monitor as one of the best monsters to scare people and animals.
In recent years, Warner Bros marketers seem to have seized upon the character. Gossamer's image is available on all sorts of Warner's merchandise, from T-shirts to ball caps to plush toys. This sort of marketing helped propel The Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)
The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros...
to new-found stardom, and it is seemingly helping Gossamer's popularity to some extent. In 2001, Gossamer returned in the Sheep Raider video game. He (or a descendant) also appears in the Loonatics Unleashed
Loonatics Unleashed
Loonatics Unleashed is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran on the Kids' WB for two seasons from 2005 to 2007 in the United States, Teletoon in Canada, Kids Central in Singapore, Cartoon Network's Boomerang in Australia, Cartoon Network in the UK,...
series as a wrestling rival for Slam Tasmanian named Gorlop, who hails from "the planet Gossamer." A younger Gossamer appeared in an episode of Baby Looney Tunes
Baby Looney Tunes
Baby Looney Tunes is a Canadian-American animated television series that shows Looney Tunes characters as toddlers. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation....
as a helper in Pepe Le Pew
Pepé 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...
's garden. He also appears in 2006's Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas is a 2006 animated direct-to-video film starring the Looney Tunes and directed by Charles Visser and produced by Warner Bros. Animation...
as a Security Guard who has to work overtime without pay for greedy Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
.
A clip in the deleted-scenes featurette on the 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...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
features Gossamer being harassed by Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
), suggesting that Gossamer was planned to make an appearance in the film, but it was deleted. However, a full look at this scene is not shown in the full deleted scenes clips on the DVD-ROM.
Gossamer appeared in The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
episodes "Monster Talent", "Newspaper Thief" and "Sunday Night Slice" voiced by Kwesi Boakye
Kwesi Boakye
Kwesi Boakye is an American actor who is most notable for his role as Manny in the Tyler Perry film I Can Do Bad All By Myself. He is the youngest of three brothers who are also actors; Kwame Boateng, 18, and Kofi Siriboe, 17. His family is originally from Ghana...
. Strangely, Witch Lezah
Witch Hazel (Looney Tunes)
Witch Hazel is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Disney, MGM, Famous Studios, and the Little Lulu comic book also had characters named Witch Hazel, and Rembrandt Films had one named Hazel Witch. This article is chiefly concerned...
is somehow his mother. Gossamer is a child in this incarnation, a lonely boy who just wants to make friends. To that end, he seeks the dubious advice of Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
. Like Lezah, this incarnation of Gossamer speaks in an African-American accent
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
..In Monster Talent Makes his Debut.In Newspaper Thief appears as a guest at the Dinner with Witch
Lezah,Granny and Yosemite Sam.In Sunday Night Slice is a Client of the Pizzeria