Nearly everyone has heard of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, and Yosemite Sam, but few can name all the other characters in the Looney Tunes universe. Since its conception, Looney Tunes has become a worldwide franchise, generating television series, feature films, comic books, video games, amusement park rides, and, of course, graphic tees!
There may be around 20 main characters in the Looney Tunes bunch, but did you know there have been over 70 characters in the franchise over the years? That’s a lot of goofy cartoons! Below we’re breaking down all the characters of the beloved series and when they first appeared.
Original Characters (1930-1936)
When Warner Brothers introduced the animated Looney Tunes series in 1930, they shared with us some beloved classic characters. Inspired by Walt Disney’s musical series, Silly Symphonies, Looney Tunes started as a musical show featuring original compositions. When the animation studio’s show became profitable and garnered more attention, voice actor Mel Blanc joined the cast, and the rest is history. Here is the original cast of characters:
- Bosko
- Buddy
- Porky Pig
- Beans the Cat
- Oliver Owl
- Ham and Ex
Color picture and new characters (1936-1944)
After success with the original character debuts, Warner Bros. debuted some of the biggest stars in the franchise with the introduction of color movies. Bugs Bunny made his debut in 1944 with the release of Buckaroo Bugs. Fun fact: Bugs Bunny only appeared in one black and white Looney Tunes short, which was Porky Pig’s Feat. At this time, the following new characters made their debut:
- Daffy Duck
- Bugs Bunny
- Elmer Fudd
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes (1944-1964)
During this time period, Looney Tunes was soaring on all charts, and fans couldn’t get enough. The color movies were a huge success, and Warner Bros. rolled out even more famous characters that are still beloved today. When you think of Looney Tunes, most of these lovable characters are who come to mind:
- Tweety
- Yosemite Sam
- Pepe Le Pew
- Foghorn Leghorn
- Marvin the Martian
- Road Runner
- Wile E. Coyote
- Granny
- Speedy Gonzales
- Witch Hazel
- Tasmanian Devil
In the 1970s, Looney Tunes’ popularity grew, even more, when it became syndicated on television. As a way to grow their audience to new generations, the studio was creating shorts that would play as previews before Warner Bros. movies on the big screen, and television specials were added to the line up through the 1990s. But everything changed when a feature film featuring a popular basketball star was released. You know the one — Space Jam!
Space Jam (1996-2000)
Despite critics having mixed feelings about Space Jam, the cult classic caught the attention of many basketball fans and young adults bringing in almost $100 million dollars in the United States. From 1996-1998 it was the highest grossing non-Disney cartoon film ever. The film also introduced a new love interest for Bugs Bunny — Lola Bunny. If you want to relive the glory days of Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes taking on the Monstar team, check out the original Space Jam website.
Bonus: Looney Tunes Cameos in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
We can’t talk about Looney Tunes characters on the big screen without mentioning Disney’s beloved film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which includes plenty of fun Looney Tunes cameos in the film. The backstory for how Disney was able to include Warner Brothers characters is pretty interesting. From Goliath, “It was Disney who purchased the rights to the film, and they managed to convince Warner Bros to “lend” them some of their classic characters. Warner Bros agreed, but insisted that their characters get the same amount of screen time as Disney’s characters, and were treated as being just as important to the film as the Disney characters. This is why Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse often share scenes, and also why Donald Duck and Daffy Duck appear to be equally talented during their piano duel.” This historic film marked the only time that Looney Tunes and Disney characters shared the same screentime, like this memorable Duck vs. Duck scene. Go back and watch the movie, and be on the lookout for those exciting appearances of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and Yosemite Sam.
The Millennium (2000 - today)
At the turn of the millennium, Warner Bros. sold the exclusivity of Looney Tunes to Time Warner, the owner of Cartoon Network, taking away the rights to show the characters from Nickelodeon and ABC. Since being sold, numerous shows and shorts have been developed, but the most successful is The Looney Tunes Show on the Cartoon Network. This show includes classic favorites, as well as some of the more recently introduced characters. Here is a list of the current characters on The Looney Tunes Show on Cartoon Network:
- Bugs Bunny
- Daffy Duck
- Porky Pig
- Speedy Gonzales
- Yosemite Sam
- Lola Bunny
- Tina
- Tasmanian Devil
- Foghorn Leghorn
- Mac and Tosh
- Pepe Le Pew
- Gossamer
- Marvin the Martian
- The Witch
- Tweety
- Sylvester the Cat
- Granny
- Road Runner
- Wile E. Coyote
The Future of Looney Tunes
Last year, Warner Bros. Animation announced that a new series, Looney Tunes Cartoons, was being developed for streaming television platforms and would feature over a thousand minutes of new cartoons featuring the beloved characters. This is a really big deal, as over 1000 minutes of brand new Looney Tunes animation will be produced, available across digital, mobile, and broadcast platforms alike. According to Animation Scoop, “Looney Tunes Cartoons echoes the high production value and process of the original Looney Tunes theatrical shorts with a cartoonist-driven approach to storytelling. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and other marquee Looney Tunes characters will be featured in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories. Each cartoon will vary from one to six minutes in length and, from the premise on through to the jokes, will be ‘written’ and drawn by the cartoonists allowing their own personality and style to come through in each cartoon.” Consider us excited!
If you have a love of these characters (and how could you not?!), what better way to show it off than a Looney Tunes tee shirt? Browse our extensive collection of Looney Tunes tees here.