"Person to Bunny": How a Looney Tunes Short Plays a Role in Today's Society

So while I was watching Looney Tunes on MeTV Toons (I love that channel so much), a certain short popped up on the two-hour block. Today's generation knows the one I'm talking about: Person to Bunny. Before I talk about the trivial facts, which include a certain part of the short, let's dive in to this.

The centerpiece of the short is Bugs Bunny's home, but the overall story is that Bugs is being interviewed by famous host Cedric R. Burroughs (an homage to Edward R. Murrow). The topic of the interview is Bugs' career and popularity, but all of a sudden, Daffy Duck drops in for a visit, and sees all of the lights and cameras, as well as Burroughs. Daffy goes in complete fanboy mode, much to Bugs' annoyance, and Bugs ejects Daffy, but he would not be done yet.

Bugs is later asked by Burroughs about his abilities to outwit that clever hunter, Elmer Fudd. Bugs laughs at the "clever" description and absolutely tears into Fudd:

"The fact is that Elmer Fudd is the dumbest hunter I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. In short: his I.Q. is P.U."

Bugs Bunny: the originator of the "pipe bomb."

Elmer Fudd was watching, and needless to say, he was pissed. With his hunting outfit and rifle in hand, Fudd appeared at Bugs' front door and demanded that he come out. Once Bugs does, Fudd points the rifle at Bugs and gives him until the count of five to publicly apologize for insulting him, only for Bugs to plug the rifle with a carrot, and Fudd gets blasted. All the while, Daffy takes the opportunity to try to show off his own talents. Bugs returns, but so does Fudd, as he was looking to blast Bugs, who lures Daffy into the eye of the rifle.

Daffy gets blasted, and afterwards, he lets Bugs have it, saying that all Bugs had going for him was being a rabbit, adding that anyone could do it. Daffy appears in a rabbit costume and chews a carrot to mock Bugs, only to get blasted (again!) by Fudd. Bugs runs off and deals with Fudd, while Daffy does yet another number. Much more on that later.

Bugs outwits Fudd for the same reason why the Packers beat the Bears, because of course he did. So Bugs returns to the broadcast just as Daffy's finishing his latest act. After seeing Daffy's desperation, Bugs states that the only way that he and Burroughs will be rid of Daffy is if he goes on, so Daffy gets what he wants--he's the star. A jubilant Daffy asks Bugs if his friends will see him on TV. Bugs said that not only would Daffy's friends see him, but 40 million others would as well, and that causes Daffy to pass out at cartoon's end.

And now, for the trivia:

The Rivalry

Person to Bunny was theatrically released on April 1, 1960, and this cartoon was part of the ongoing rivalry between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It was Chuck Jones who started this rivalry with the famous "Hunting Trilogy" in the early 1950s, but Friz Freleng's version told us what the rivalry was really about: star power. This short was Freleng's third and last installment in this rivalry; he previously directed A Star is Bored (1956) and Show-Biz Bugs (1957), both of them featuring Daffy attempting to upstage Bugs, and the first of the cartoons also featuring Elmer Fudd.

Speaking of Fudd:

Farewell, Mr. Bryan

On a heartbreaking note, Person to Bunny marked the final short to feature Arthur Q. Bryan as the voice of Elmer Fudd. Bryan had been a staple on Looney Tunes for two decades, with one of his earliest notable shorts being Dangerous Dan McGoo, which saw Bryan voice the titular character with the voice he would go on to use for Elmer Fudd. Bryan's Elmer Fudd debut came in 1940's Elmer's Candid Camera, with his next Fudd short being the more notable A Wild Hare. Bryan provided Fudd's voice in several different shorts, including the award-winning What's Opera, Doc? in 1957. On November 30, 1959, Bryan passed away at the age of 60, with this short being released just over three months after his passing.

And now, the centerpiece of this cartoon:

The Meme

Recognize this? Today's generation certainly does. I mentioned that Daffy does another number while Bugs deals with Fudd, and the number? A tap-dancing number. In 1960, it was just part of a cartoon. Now? It's an important part when it comes to racial issues. One of the more popular GIFs in social media is the scene of Daffy tap-dancing from this short, and it's used to call out, well... sellouts. I'm cleaning it up when I say that word. Basically, the "Daffy tap-dancing" GIF and meme calls out any Black person who is blind to racial issues that affect us, or even agrees with the "old guard" when they do anything that stands against any form of diversity. Even now, closing in on 65 years after this short was released, that very meme and GIF serves an important role on social media.

Person to Bunny was quite a hilarious short, serving as a memorable chapter in the Bugs/Daffy rivalry. Today, it remains a favorite of Looney Tunes fans, but also is partially used as a key tool against those who ignore gripping issues.