July 27, 2010 - 9:01 am
On July 27th, 1940, “A Wild Hare” hit theaters, marking the first appearance of Bugs Bunny. It also refined the character of Elmer Fudd from the earlier “Egghead” character.
Elmer’s nose is oddly reddish brown and Bugs’ head is quite different, but they’re characters are unmistakable. The cartoon is (supposedly) crammed full of 1940 pop culture references that made it a huge hit. It was nominated for an Oscar along side the first ever Tom and Jerry cartoon, but lost to a completely forgettable animated short, “The Milky Way”. (So much for the Oscars knowing anything about anything!)
YouTube link.
