While many of us recognize Looney Tunes cartoons from their run on television, they actually ran in movie theaters for 39 years, from 1930 to 1969. They were Warner Bros.’s first theatrical animated series. The term Looney Tunes also refers to the animated cast of characters in Warner Bros. Cartoons. The term is often spelled Looney “Toons.”

The original purpose of Looney Tunes cartoons was to showcase musical “tunes” for the movie-going audience. Early characters had short adventures set to a musical score. Later characters became hugely popular, like the ones that are still popular today even though they’ve been around for decades. Even small children, born long after the heyday of Looney Tunes and that type of cartoon in general recognize the likes of Elmer Fudd and his constant foil, Bugs Bunny. Sylvester and his hard-to-catch snack, Tweety Bird are Looney Tunes characters as are the stuttering Porky Pig, lisping Daffy Duck, and the Tasmanian Devil, who in recent years has gained new popularity and now goes by the shortened nickname, Taz.

Other Looney Tunes cartoons featured characters like Marvin the Martian, who always seemed to want to blow up the earth, Wile E. Coyote and his would-be-dinner, the Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, suave but smelly Pepe Le Pew, rootin’ tootin’ Yosemite Sam, Speedy Gonzales and a long list of popular and smaller characters that children and even adults love to watch.

Originally, Looney Tunes cartoons were produced and own by Leon Schlesinger Productions, but were sold to Warner Bros. In 1944. They were most popular animated features in theaters through their run in 1969, with the last theater short being one featuring the character Cool Cat called “Injun Trouble.” Merrie Melodies was another popular animated series, but Looney Tunes used the same characters over and over, where Merrie Melodies typically did not.

The most famous character featured in Looney Tunes cartoons is Bugs Bunny, even though he wasn’t the first. Bugs appeared for the first time in 1940. When the theater shorts were shown on television in the 1950s, Looney Tunes became even more popular. Because Looney Tunes featured scenes that contained mild sexual innuendos, phrases and actions that were being viewed as racist, and violence, the cartoons shows on television in the 1970s were typically edited with this kind of content removed.

Looney Tunes cartoons weren’t produced for the theater going audience from 1969 until 1987, when new cartons were made for theatrical release. None have been made since 2004, but old and new ones alike can be seen regularly on television. Several Looney Tunes characters have appeared in movies now, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

For collectors, acquiring a complete collection is a fun challenge, but the earliest Looney Tunes cartoons and those aired during WWII are the hardest to find. These are no longer sold or aired because of the way that Germans, Asians, Jews and African-Americans are racially stereotyped in the cartoons.

Originally posted 2008-11-20 05:00:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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