Honey Bunny
Encyclopedia
Honey Bunny is a female rabbit
cartoon character, designed by Robert McKimson
and is the former girlfriend
of Bugs Bunny
who was used for merchandising
purposes beginning in the late 1960s.
The more well-known version of Honey Bunny debuted in Bugs Bunny Comic Book #108 (November 1966) and was a semi-regular fixture in the series of Looney Tunes
comic books published by Gold Key
throughout the 1960s and 1970s, usually co-starring with Bugs Bunny. Their relationship through the comics was somewhat variable at times; while they were often depicted as a dating couple, there were times when their relationship could be decidedly un-romantic and even adversarial if a particular story demanded it.
Honey's physical appearance also varied considerably over time. In some appearances, she had yellow or pale tan fur and wore a bow between her ears (which were worn down instead of pointing up). She was later drawn to a very "Bugs Bunny-like" model with gray fur that made her look nearly identical to Bugs himself, aside from her female clothing. Eventually, however, Honey was redesigned to a more visibly feminine model. While she still shared Bugs' basic coloration and design, her facial features (primarily her mouth and muzzle) and tail-tuft were made a bit smaller to give them a softer, more delicate appearance, her eyes were made a little larger and drawn with more prominent feminine eyelashes, and her female curves were given a bit more emphasis. This later version, which began appearing in the early 1970s, became the new "official" model and was used frequently in various Looney Tunes merchandise throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
Looney Tunes
characters, even though she has never officially appeared in a single animated short; her appearances were limited solely to promotional and ancillary merchandising items. However, a female rabbit with Honey Bunny's yellow character design (who is unnamed in the cartoon but credited as Honey Bunny) makes a cameo appearance in the closing scene of the Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet
animated television special in 1978. She also appeared in The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle
video game in 1989 and the Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball pinball game in 1990.
The most recent mention of Honey was in the book "Looney Tunes: The Official Visual Guide," where Honey is referred to as a former travel companion of Bugs Bunny.
, depicts Bugs married to a female rabbit (credited as Mrs. Bugs Bunny) who looks identical to him except for a bow in her hair and a yellow dress. She tells the audience that she wears the (literal) pants in the family. This character has not been seen since. Throughout the years, other female rabbits shown attraction to Bugs Bunny, including a female rabbit in a Hawaiian outfit in the 1944 cartoon Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
, a shapely robotic female rabbit used as a bait for Bugs by Gossamer
's creator in the 1946 cartoon Hair-Raising Hare
, Daisy Lou (who bears a strong resemblance to Honey Bunny's eventual character design from the 1970s-1990s) in the 1948 cartoon Hare Splitter
, Witch Hazel
(who is transformed into an attractive female rabbit) in the 1954 cartoon Bewitched Bunny
, and Millicent (an overweight rabbit) in the 1957 cartoon Rabbit Romeo
. . Mama Bear (in Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
), Penelope Pussycat
(in Carrotblanca
) and Elmer Fudd (in Bugs Bonnets and Rabbit of Seville
) have also shown attraction to him.
The release of the 1996 film Space Jam
introduced a new female rabbit character, Lola Bunny
, who almost completely supplanted Honey as both a merchandising figure and Bugs's sweetheart. During the time the movie was in the theaters, and for some time thereafter, Lola appeared on practically every merchandising item released by Warners or its licensees (whether or not they were tied-in to the movie), while Honey seemed all but forgotten.
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
cartoon character, designed by Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
and is the former girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....
of Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
who was used for merchandising
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
purposes beginning in the late 1960s.
Comic books and merchandising
A prototype version of Honey Bunny first appeared in the Bugs Bunny's Album comic book from 1953. Instead of being portrayed as his love interest, this version of Honey Bunny is a small white rabbit (and famous African explorer) who is his cousin.The more well-known version of Honey Bunny debuted in Bugs Bunny Comic Book #108 (November 1966) and was a semi-regular fixture in the series of Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
comic books published by Gold Key
Gold Key
In fiction, a gold key is a special token granting access to and control of a mythical or ultra-private or secret bank account or vault, such as a Swiss bank account. In reality, the key is often a code word and accounts are not completely anonymous....
throughout the 1960s and 1970s, usually co-starring with Bugs Bunny. Their relationship through the comics was somewhat variable at times; while they were often depicted as a dating couple, there were times when their relationship could be decidedly un-romantic and even adversarial if a particular story demanded it.
Honey's physical appearance also varied considerably over time. In some appearances, she had yellow or pale tan fur and wore a bow between her ears (which were worn down instead of pointing up). She was later drawn to a very "Bugs Bunny-like" model with gray fur that made her look nearly identical to Bugs himself, aside from her female clothing. Eventually, however, Honey was redesigned to a more visibly feminine model. While she still shared Bugs' basic coloration and design, her facial features (primarily her mouth and muzzle) and tail-tuft were made a bit smaller to give them a softer, more delicate appearance, her eyes were made a little larger and drawn with more prominent feminine eyelashes, and her female curves were given a bit more emphasis. This later version, which began appearing in the early 1970s, became the new "official" model and was used frequently in various Looney Tunes merchandise throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
Animation and other media
Officially, she is considered a member of the Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
characters, even though she has never officially appeared in a single animated short; her appearances were limited solely to promotional and ancillary merchandising items. However, a female rabbit with Honey Bunny's yellow character design (who is unnamed in the cartoon but credited as Honey Bunny) makes a cameo appearance in the closing scene of the Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet
Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet
Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet was an animated television special released on November 15, 1978; it starred Bugs Bunny and incorporated parts of several Looney Tunes cartoons.-Cast:*Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester and Taz....
animated television special in 1978. She also appeared in The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle
Crazy Castle series
The Crazy Castle series is an action-puzzle game series created by Kemco and released on the Famicom Disk System, NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. It stars different popular cartoon characters, most notably the Warner Bros...
video game in 1989 and the Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball pinball game in 1990.
The most recent mention of Honey was in the book "Looney Tunes: The Official Visual Guide," where Honey is referred to as a former travel companion of Bugs Bunny.
Comparison to Bugs Bunny's other girlfriends
The 1942 cartoon, Hold the Lion, PleaseHold the Lion, Please
Hold the Lion, Please is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon, first released on June 13, 1942, distributed by the Vitaphone Corporation and Warner Bros.. This skit is Bugs Bunny's tenth appearance and Chuck Jones' 39th Warner Bros...
, depicts Bugs married to a female rabbit (credited as Mrs. Bugs Bunny) who looks identical to him except for a bow in her hair and a yellow dress. She tells the audience that she wears the (literal) pants in the family. This character has not been seen since. Throughout the years, other female rabbits shown attraction to Bugs Bunny, including a female rabbit in a Hawaiian outfit in the 1944 cartoon Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips is a Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theaters on April 22, 1944 by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation....
, a shapely robotic female rabbit used as a bait for Bugs by Gossamer
Gossamer (Looney Tunes)
Gossamer is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The character is a hairy, red monster. His rectangular body is perched on two giant tennis shoes, and his heart-shaped face is composed of only two oval eyes and a wide mouth, with...
's creator in the 1946 cartoon Hair-Raising Hare
Hair-Raising Hare
Hair-Raising Hare is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, released in 1946. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce...
, Daisy Lou (who bears a strong resemblance to Honey Bunny's eventual character design from the 1970s-1990s) in the 1948 cartoon Hare Splitter
Hare Splitter
Hare Splitter is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The title is a play on "hair splitting", or focusing too much on fine details, reflecting how Bugs tries to "split up" Casbah and Daisy so that Bugs can date her himself.-Plot:A fight for Daisy begins as...
, Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel (Looney Tunes)
Witch Hazel is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Disney, MGM, Famous Studios, and the Little Lulu comic book also had characters named Witch Hazel, and Rembrandt Films had one named Hazel Witch. This article is chiefly concerned...
(who is transformed into an attractive female rabbit) in the 1954 cartoon Bewitched Bunny
Bewitched Bunny
Bewitched Bunny is a Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. Jones created the character Witch Hazel which debuted in this episode. Witch Hazel later appeared in Broom-Stick Bunny , A Witch's Tangled Hare , and in A-Haunting We Will Go...
, and Millicent (an overweight rabbit) in the 1957 cartoon Rabbit Romeo
Rabbit Romeo
Rabbit Romeo is a Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The film is notable as one of the few parings of Bugs and Elmer in which Bugs is not hunted throughout the entire picture , and also notable as a cartoon in which Bugs has a romantic encounter.- Plot...
. . Mama Bear (in Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears is a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1944, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce...
), Penelope Pussycat
Penelope Pussycat
Penelope Pussycat is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic cat featured in the Warner Bros. classic Looney Tunes animated shorts. Though typically a non-speaker, her "meows" and "purrs" were most often provided by Mel Blanc using a feminine voice. In the 1959 short "Really Scent", she was...
(in Carrotblanca
Carrotblanca
Carrotblanca is a 1995 8-minute Looney Tunes cartoon. It was originally shown in cinemas alongside The Amazing Panda Adventure and The Pebble and the Penguin...
) and Elmer Fudd (in Bugs Bonnets and Rabbit of Seville
Rabbit of Seville
Rabbit of Seville is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese....
) have also shown attraction to him.
The release of the 1996 film Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
introduced a new female rabbit character, Lola Bunny
Lola Bunny
Lola Bunny is a cartoon character from Warner Bros. Studios. She is an anthropomorphic rabbit and has been established as having a romantic involvement with Bugs Bunny, as well as being his main love interest and girlfriend.-Space Jam:...
, who almost completely supplanted Honey as both a merchandising figure and Bugs's sweetheart. During the time the movie was in the theaters, and for some time thereafter, Lola appeared on practically every merchandising item released by Warners or its licensees (whether or not they were tied-in to the movie), while Honey seemed all but forgotten.