# Bugs Bunny, 1939-2005; or, Latest New Lows Set By TV Execs. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489 "2005-02-17T04:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/41 "2005-02-17T15:58:41Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > While I watched many of the series of that era (yes, I was a geeky nerd, as I was a little old for them), the only one I though was well done was _Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers_. Odd note on the _Galaxy Rangers_. The animators slipped one past the censors as a gag. In at least 2 episodes, a character in a crowd/background scene appears. She is dressed as a Dom, & is smoking with a holder. I guess the editors weren’t paying attention that day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/42 "2005-02-17T16:05:18Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I don’t know any guy in his mid-20s who doesn’t well up a little at the thought of Optimus Prime’s heroic death in battle, shudder at the shocking deaths of Prowl, Brawn, Ratchet, and Ironhide, or get pumped up from the opening synthesizer strains of Stan Bush’s “You Got the Touch.” I’m far past my mid-20s, but I always preferred “Instruments of Destruction” and I cheered their deaths (even though I liked Brawn and Ironhide) because I was so tired of all the shooting and no one getting hurt. I shed a tear for Starscream’s death, because he was my favorite Decepticon. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > But as a series, G.I. Joe (like Transformers) had some really good moments of character development, terrific voice acting (I still will stand behind this), and some real mind-fuck episodes that still stand up well today, even if the rest of the series was mediocre at best. Keep in mind I’m comparing these against contemporaries like Masters of the Universe, Centurions, M.A.S.K., and Thundercats, and keep in mind these two properties are the ones that are still popular with a whole new generation, 20+ years later. They were definitely doing something right. GI Joe predates the series by decades. I was playing with GI Joes long before there was a Cobra. That’s part of its lasting power. All those other shows were nothing but toy-line ties ins where they threw lots at the consumer to see which would stick. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I never saw Galaxy Rangers, but I think the best of the '80s cartoons was probably The Real Ghostbusters, which featured outstanding voice work and some great writing by the likes of J. Michael Straczynski, Keith Giffen, and J.M. DeMatteis. I never watched The Real Ghostbusters. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/43 "2005-02-17T16:24:46Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > GI Joe predates the series by decades. I was playing with GI Joes long before there was a Cobra. That’s part of its lasting power. All those other shows were nothing but toy-line ties ins where they threw lots at the consumer to see which would stick. Oh, don’t worry, I know G.I. Joe toys have been around since 1964. (I’m a collector and sometime dealer.) But G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the 3 3/4" action figures where they introduced Cobra as the villains, have been around since 1982. ---
**Author:** ![TonyF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TonyF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonyF)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/44 "2005-02-17T20:05:01Z")
… If I see another cock-eyed trumped-up bad-attitude cartoon character, I will **destroy the world!** :mad: ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/45 "2005-02-17T20:15:20Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I **LOVED** _Transformers_, _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_, _He-Man_, _Thundercats_, _G.I. Joe_, and all the other Saturday morning fare that I grew up on as a child of the 80’s but watching them now that I’ve grown up is like watching your sister get raped and then murdered. As someone who has _Transformers: The Movie,_ the season 1 and season 2 _Transformers_ DVD boxed sets, and various bootleg VHS videotapes of the Japanese-only _Transformers_ shows, and got front-row seating for Stan Bush/Vince DiCola at BotCon '97, I have to respectfully disagree. 🙂 > [@Aesiron](#): > > Horrible animation, terrible voicework, the worst dialogue imaginable, and plotlines, when extant, that make the latest Bruckheimer film seem like Shakespeare. But that’s part of the whole _appeal_ of those shows – they’re the video equivalent of eating Froot Loops washed down with chocolate milk for breakfast, after all. It’s colorful, unadulterated, black-and-white morality plays, with more than a touch of over-the-top silliness. _Transformers_ was especially noted for the latter, given that it was targeted at a younger audience than its sibling _G.I. Joe_ was, but – as **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** noted – they weren’t completely dumbing down to the audience, either. _Joe’s_ “A Nice Little Town Called Springfield” still sends shivers down my spine, and I don’t know a _Transformers_ cartoon fan who can’t recall Beachcomber’s irony-laced last line in “The Golden Lagoon.” Granted, they weren’t the best-written animated shows ever produced for TV (all bow down before **Batman: The Animated Series!** ), but “raped and murdered” is a bit much. Hey, if y’all want to spin off a thread on Marvel’s 80s cartoons, I’ll be there. 🙂 Just don’t spoil _Transformers: The Movie_ for my son, since he still hasn’t seen it yet. 😉 And back to the heavily-hijacked OP… Can you imagine anyone wanting to make a plush toy for Buzz Bunny? Me neither. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/46 "2005-02-17T20:51:40Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > II think we may be living in the golden age of television animation. I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. The First Golden age was the post WWII WB cartoons. Nothing can touch those with a ten foot science pole. Currently, we are just at the end of a Silver Age, if you will. The Silver Age had it’s peak three or four years ago. Some of the cartoons you mentioned are only in syndication, like Futurama, Simpsons is WAAAAAAY past it’s prime and has been for four or five years (and even five years ago it was nowhere near what it was in seasons 3-8.) No, I think the Silver Age was back in the 95-2002 range. Here are my reasons: Gargoyles Aladdin the Series Beast Wars Reboot Futurama Batman: TAS Batman Beyond Decent Simpsons episodes ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/47 "2005-02-17T21:06:35Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. The First Golden age was the post WWII WB cartoons. Nothing can touch those with a ten foot science pole. Currently, we are just at the end of a Silver Age, if you will. The Silver Age had it’s peak three or four years ago. Some of the cartoons you mentioned are only in syndication, like Futurama, Simpsons is WAAAAAAY past it’s prime and has been for four or five years (and even five years ago it was nowhere near what it was in seasons 3-8.) No, I think the Silver Age was back in the 95-2002 range. Here are my reasons: > > Gargoyles > Aladdin the Series > Beast Wars > Reboot > Futurama > Batman: TAS > Batman Beyond > Decent Simpsons episodes Yes, the 40s and 50s were definitely the golden age of cartoons. IMO, nothing has ever surpassed the early WB, Tex Avery, and Max Fleischer cartoons. And I suspect nothing ever will. The Simpsons was great because of the humor, and Batman and the like are great because of the animation, but none of those examples _combine_ the two effectively. The only ones that even come close to getting both humor and decent animation that I can think of off the top of my head are _Ren & Stimpy_, _The Tick_, and _Venture Bros_. But even those don’t equal the attention to detail that you see in the early WB cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/48 "2005-02-17T21:26:45Z")
And I’m still waiting to see _Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarves_! ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/49 "2005-02-17T21:31:01Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And I’m still waiting to see _Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarves_! I think you can see streaming video of that on-line. I’m sorry I don’t have a link handy, but I remember seeing it before. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/50 "2005-02-17T22:18:23Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Yes, it looks incredibly stupid but it’s an adaptation being marketed to a new generation – not yours or mine – and, from my understanding, isn’t meant to supercede the original, only supplement it, much like _Tiny Toons_ and _Animaniacs_. The original is being untouched and is still there for your enjoyment. > > So why burst a blood vessel? Just ignore it. But, the Looney Tunes were left unchanged in TT. OTTOMH, I can’t remember the LTs appearing in any Animaniacs episodes. Loonatics OTOH, has changed Bugs into this demonic anime thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/51 "2005-02-17T22:30:09Z")
But it’s not Bugs. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/52 "2005-02-17T22:32:02Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. The First Golden age was the post WWII WB cartoons. Nothing can touch those with a ten foot science pole. Currently, we are just at the end of a Silver Age, if you will. The Silver Age had it’s peak three or four years ago. Some of the cartoons you mentioned are only in syndication, like Futurama, Simpsons is WAAAAAAY past it’s prime and has been for four or five years (and even five years ago it was nowhere near what it was in seasons 3-8.) First of all: TE-LE-VISION. We’re in the golden age of TELEVISION animation. WB cartoons (and I don’t even agree that the post WWII were the best, unless you include the WWII era ones) were theatrical, and thus aren’t included. It’s not even fair to include them if you wanted to - they were made for theaters, and had big, theatrical budgets that television animation isn’t granted. Second, you just listed the Silver Age. Now (and until recently) we have: Power Puff Girls Invader Zim Dexter’s Laboratory Venture Brothers Spongebob Squarepants Fairly Oddparents South Park Drawn Together …okay, most of those shows are over, but I’d still give them a more recent status than 95-2002. I’d say the Golden Age includes your list and is continuing now. It looks like more and more animated shows are on the horizon due to the popularity of the shows mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/53 "2005-02-17T22:44:51Z")
> [@Kaspar Hauser](#): > > But it’s not Bugs. Yes, they say ‘It’s his descendent in the 28th century’. However, this is clearly just an attempt to pacify us purists. Bugs, and the rest, certainly pop up in enough time periods in the classic cartoons. OTTOMH, Bugs surrounded by knights in armor- sometime in the 1500s, Bugs involved in the American Revolution-late 1700’s, Bugs in the wild west-mid to late 1800’s. So why are supposed to accept that this abomination is descended from Bugs, rather than a hideous attempt to ‘update’ Bugs? ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/54 "2005-02-17T22:48:52Z")
He looks completely different and has a different name. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/55 "2005-02-17T23:24:59Z")
He looks like a special guest villain on “_Batman Beyond._” ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/56 "2005-02-17T23:49:02Z")
> [@xgxlx](#): > > Who should write it, though? Gaiman or Moore? Good question. They can split it up and take turns. > [@Aesiron](#): > > AFG, no offense to you but if you’re going to insult today’s animation and cartoons, please don’t try to use Thundercats and the other action-adventure cartoons of the 80’s as counter-evidence. I LOVED Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, and all the other Saturday morning fare that I grew up on as a child of the 80’s but watching them now that I’ve grown up is like watching your sister get raped and then murdered. They were showing G.I. Joe at night on Cartoon Network awhile back. I think you’re missing what’s so great about it: it’s **hilarious**. Seriously funny, from the sound effects ripped from Star Wars to the silly characterization to the teaching kids lessons part. It had a different theme song than the one I remember though. The one it had when I was a kid was “GOT TO GET TOUGH! GO JOE!!!” > [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > It’s not Bugs Bunny. It’s his descendent from the 28th Century. Is that so? Damn those television people, trying to corrupt our children by encouraging interracial relationships! > [@bouv](#): > > … > Reboot > … I forgot about Reboot. That was a great show! … I never really liked Bugs Bunny. Well, I actually did when I was really young, but I stopped liking him when I was about ten. He really was a jerk. I liked Daffy Duck. Especially the earlier Daffy Duck stuff when he was crazier. Sure, he was a jerk too, but they didn’t pretend he wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/57 "2005-02-17T23:55:30Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And I’m still waiting to see Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarves! Not _Pitch Black and the Seven Big Honkies_? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/58 "2005-02-17T23:58:23Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Bugs, and the rest, certainly pop up in enough time periods in the classic cartoons. OTTOMH, Bugs surrounded by knights in armor- sometime in the 1500s, Bugs involved in the American Revolution-late 1700’s, Bugs in the wild west-mid to late 1800’s. > > So why are supposed to accept that this abomination is descended from Bugs, rather than a hideous attempt to ‘update’ Bugs? Maybe because those were one-offs, and couldn’t support a series? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/59 "2005-02-18T00:04:41Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Not _Pitch Black and the Seven Big Honkies_? Dandy! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489/60 "2005-02-18T00:17:47Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > They were showing G.I. Joe at night on Cartoon Network awhile back. I think you’re missing what’s so great about it: it’s **hilarious**. Seriously funny, from the sound effects ripped from Star Wars to the silly characterization to the teaching kids lessons part. > It had a different theme song than the one I remember though. The one it had when I was a kid was “GOT TO GET TOUGH! GO JOE!!!” G.I. Joe and Transformers both went through a few different theme songs, usually with each new season, when the opening sequences were changed to include images of the newest characters you could buy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-1939-2005-or-latest-new-lows-set-by-tv-execs/290489.md?page=4)