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The Three Bears (Looney Tunes)

2025-10-16T20:01:00Z

2607:FEA8:761F:4600:CDB8:156C:68EC:DC: /* Film appearances */

{{short description|Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon characters}}
{{italic title|noerror|string=Looney Tunes|all=yes}}
{{Infobox character
| name = The Three Bears
| series = [[Looney Tunes]]
| image = 3bears cartoon cel.jpg
| caption = The Three Bears as seen in ''[[What's Brewin', Bruin?]]''
| first = ''[[The Bear's Tale]]'' (1940, early versions) ''[[Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears]]'' (1944, official versions)
| creator = [[Chuck Jones]]
| voice = '''Henry Bear''': [[Mel Blanc]] (1944–1949) [[Billy Bletcher]] (1948–1951) [[Frank Welker]] (1990–1991) [[Jeff Bergman]] (1991) [[Ed Asner]] (1993) [[Will Ryan]] (2003) [[Maurice LaMarche]] (2013) Andrew Dickman (2023) [[Fred Tatasciore]] (2023–present) '''Harrietta Bear''': [[Bea Benaderet]] (1944–1951) Mel Blanc (1948) [[Tress MacNeille]] (1990–1991) [[June Foray]] (1991) [[Joe Alaskey]] (2003) [[Grey DeLisle]] (2013) [[Candi Milo]] (2023) Stephanie Southerland (2023–present) '''Junior Bear''': [[Kent Rogers]] (1944) [[Stan Freberg]] (1948–2003) [[Joe Alaskey]] (2005) [[John DiMaggio]] (2013) [[Stephen Stanton]] (2023) [[Ben Diskin]] (2023–present)
| species = [[Grizzly bear]]s
| gender = Male (Papa and Junior) Female (Mama)
| nationality = American
}}
'''The Three Bears''' are [[animation|animated cartoon]] characters in the [[Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' series of cartoons. The [[dysfunctional family]] consists of Henry "Papa" Bear, Mama Bear, and Junior Bear (sometimes spelled Junyer or Joonyer).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/260/mode/2up/ |pages=261–262}}</ref> The characters were featured in five theatrical cartoons released between 1944 and 1951, based on [[Goldilocks and the Three Bears]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/147/mode/2up |page=147}}</ref>

==Characters==
*'''Papa Bear''' (also known as '''Henry Bear''') is the father of Junior Bear and the husband of Mama Bear. Papa Bear is an obnoxious, loud-mouthed, short-tempered and stubborn [[Dwarfism|dwarf]] bear. He often [[Child abuse|abuses]] Junior if he does or says something wrong. While Papa and Junior are the two who are constantly at each other's hair, usually Junior is at the receiving end of Papa's wrath and Papa will spontaneously become enraged.
*'''Mama Bear''' (also known as '''Harrietta Bear''') is the mother of Junior Bear and the wife of Papa Bear. Mama Bear is an intelligent, long-suffering, mild-mannered, and deadpan bear. When she tries to tell Henry something important, he usually tells her to "[[shut up]]" and refuses to listen. While she does not seem to show it, she has a great deal of affection for her husband and son, although she resorts to thwack Papa or Junior with a newspaper to keep the peace.
*'''Junior Bear''' (sometimes spelled '''Junyer''') is the child of Henry Bear and Mama Bear. Junior Bear is an oversized, dim-witted, naive, childish, but good-natured bear. He is 7-years-old, yet he is twice as tall as his parents, and has a heavy voice. He idolizes his father Henry, who is often abusive toward him. Junior wears a [[diaper]].

==Appearance==
===First theatrical film===
[[Animator]] [[Chuck Jones]] introduced the trio in the 1944 cartoon ''[[Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears]]'', in which [[Bugs Bunny]] invades the home of the three bears, and Mama Bear takes a fancy to him.<ref name=Liebman_280/> In the short, Papa Bear tries to feed his starving family by having them act out their roles in the traditional [[fairy tale]] from which they derive their name. Unfortunately for them, when they were out of porridge, Mama substitutes carrot soup for it, and the "Goldilocks" they lure turns out to be Bugs. Purcell and Liepien, in ''Parallel Curriculum Units for Social Studies, Grades 6-12'', recommended this film as part of the study of the sociological implications of humor;<ref name=PurcellLeppien/> Steven Case, in ''Toons That Teach'', also mines this work for [[Pedagogy|pedagogic]] value.<ref name=Case/>

===Further theatrical appearances===
Jones brought back the Bears for his 1948 cartoon ''What's Brewin', Bruin?'', this time without Bugs.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Beck|first1=Jerry|last2=Friedwald|first2=Will|title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons|date=1989|publisher=Henry Holt and Co|isbn=0-8050-0894-2|page=182}}</ref> Here, Papa Bear decides that it is time for the Bears to [[hibernation|hibernate]]; however, various disturbances interfere.<ref name=Liebman_292/> Junior's voice is here supplied by [[Stan Freberg]].<ref name=Variety/>

Other Three Bears cartoons included ''Bee-Deviled Bruin'' and ''[[Bear Feat]]'', both released in 1949.<ref name=IMDb_1/> The final Three Bears cartoon of the classic era, ''[[A Bear for Punishment]]'' (1951), parodies cultural values surrounding the celebration of [[Father's Day]].

===Film appearances===
The entire Bear Family appears in the 2003 film ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'' movie as tourists from Paris (Papa Bear is voiced by [[Will Ryan]], Mama Bear by [[Joe Alaskey]] and [[Stan Freberg]] returns as the voice of Junior Bear).

The Three Bears make a cameo appearance in the 2006 direct-to-video film ''[[Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas]]'' as Daffy's employees.

The Three Bears make a cameo appearance in the 2021 film ''[[Space Jam: A New Legacy]]'' in Bugs Bunny's flashback alongside other Looney Tunes leaving Tune World.

===Television appearances===
The Bear Family made several appearances in Warner Bros. 1990 animated series ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'', all in Season 1:

* "Prom-ise Her Anything": Ma Bear cameos as a canteen cook at the ACME Looniversity junior prom.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0979177/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt|title = Prom-ise Her Anything|website = [[IMDb]]|date = 8 October 1990|access-date = 12 November 2020|archive-date = 31 December 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211231183419/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0979177/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt|url-status = live}}</ref>
* "Bear Necessities", a short that was part of the episode "Fairy Tales for the 90s". Framed as modern re-telling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", the episode is a satire on 1990s suburbia, where the Bears have moved to a modern home, complete with updated technology. Elmyra, a neighbor, enters the house after the Bears leave for a shopping trip to ACME Acres Mall. Elmyra goes through the requisite porridge sampling and trying out the various beds (eventually falling to sleep in Junior's). When the Bears return, Elmyra instantly is smitten and smothers each of them – especially Pa – with over-affection. Eventually, the police are called, but the officers mistake the Bears as the trespassers and they are sent to the zoo to live ... which frustrates Papa but Junior likes.
* "Teddy Bears Picnic", as part of "The Acme Home Shopping Show". Once again, the Bears are teamed with Elmyra, who follows the family to a picnic and singing happily about the antics that follow. Junior tries to get Pa enthused about the various activities, but Pa gets the worst end of either Junior's clumsiness or, more than once, the ire of a larger, muscular bear that doesn't like or appreciate having his picnic interrupted by Pa. In the end, after Pa, Junior and the larger father bear get the worst end of a gas grill explosion, Junior lands on Elmyra, crushing her just seconds after she finishes her song.

The entire Bear Family appears in a painting on the bedroom wall in the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' episode "Nighty-Night Toon".

Papa Bear (listed in the credits as Vern) appears in the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' episode "Garage Sale of the Century" (voiced by [[Ed Asner]]) as a [[bachelor]], where he has a [[garage sale]], swindling his customers out of their money, and refusing to give [[Product return|refund]]s, but the Warners took the expression too literally and wanted to buy his garage. Papa Bear refused to sell his garage, and after the Warners attempted to bargain with him and [[auction]] off his garage, he saw through their ruse, but his customers demanded refunds. Papa Bear attempted to lie about donating all of his "profits" to [[Charity (practice)|charity]], but Wakko used his garage door opener (which he repaired after accidentally breaking it earlier) to expose his money, and his customers (including [[Batman]], [[List of Tiny Toon Adventures characters#Buster Bunny|Buster Bunny]], [[List of Tiny Toon Adventures characters#Babs Bunny|Babs Bunny]], [[List of Tiny Toon Adventures characters#Dizzy Devil|Dizzy Devil]]), and especially an old woman who he rudely refused her a refund (a [[penny]]) and threw into a tree earlier in the episode, got their refunds by force, leaving Papa Bear broke, and so he caved in and sold his garage to the Warners for 26¢ (even though the actual value was $20,000) as it was attached to his house.

The Three Bears appear in ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'' episode "Ridiculous Journey" from its second season (Papa Bear voiced by [[Maurice LaMarche]], Mama Bear voiced by [[Grey DeLisle]] and Junior Bear voiced by [[John DiMaggio]]). They are seen driving on a vacation trip, with Junior frequently causing mishaps.

The Three Bears star in the ''[[Looney Tunes Cartoons]]'' episodes "Moody at the Movies" and "Life's a Beach", featuring their ill-fated trips to the theatre and the beach. The Bears also make a cameo appearance in the episode "Happy Birthday Bugs Bunny!"

The Three Bears appear in the ''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]'' episode "Honey Bunny". Here, while ill-fated and unlucky as usual, Henry is depicted without his short temper or abusive nature, due to the show being aimed towards preschoolers.

==See also==
*[[Baby Huey]]
*[[Barney Bear]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=Liebman_280>{{cite book |last=Liebman |first=Roy |title=Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REaeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA280 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |year=2010 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0786446971 |page=280 |archive-date=July 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729011216/https://books.google.com/books?id=REaeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA280 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=Liebman_292>Liebman, 2010. p292</ref>



<ref name=PurcellLeppien>{{cite book |last1=Purcell |first1=Jeanne H. |last2=Leppien |first2=Jann H. |title=Parallel Curriculum Units for Social Studies, Grades 6-12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wYF1AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |year=2009 |publisher=Corwin |isbn=978-1412965408 |page=122 |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505093904/https://books.google.com/books?id=wYF1AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=Case>{{cite book |title=Toons That Teach: 75 Cartoon Moments to Get Teenagers Talking |series=Videos That Teach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AgnuAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |year=2005 |publisher=Zondervan/Youth Specialties |isbn=9780310259923 |page=24 |archive-date=May 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510102147/https://books.google.com/books?id=AgnuAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=Variety>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/stan-freberg-comedian-satirist-dies-dead-1201467899/ |title=Comedian and Voice Actor Stan Freberg Dies at 88 |author=Pat Saperstein |date=April 7, 2015 |work=Variety |access-date=November 13, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117032012/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/stan-freberg-comedian-satirist-dies-dead-1201467899/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=IMDb_1>{{IMDb title|qid=Q3519914|id=tt0041167|title=The Bee-Deviled Bruin}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Well, IMDn is not a very reliable source. It's reliability is inversely proportional to the level of detail. It's reasonably reliable to show the ''existence'' of an entity.|date=November 2015}}
}}

==External links==
*All about [https://chuckjones.com/characters/the-three-bears/ The Three Bears] on [[Chuck Jones]]' Official Website.
{{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies}}
{{Goldilocks and the Three Bears}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Bears}}
[[Category:Anthropomorphic bears]]
[[Category:Fictional families]]
[[Category:Fictional trios]]
[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1944]]
[[Category:Animated characters introduced in 1944]]
[[Category:Looney Tunes characters]]
[[Category:Characters created by Chuck Jones]]

Hubie and Bertie

2025-10-16T19:54:17Z

2607:FEA8:761F:4600:CDB8:156C:68EC:DC: /* Later appearances */

{{short description|Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Hubie and Bertie
| series = [[Looney Tunes]]/[[Merrie Melodies]]
| multiple = yes
| image = [[Image:Hubie and Bertie.jpg|frameless]]
| caption = Bertie & Hubie in ''[[Mouse Wreckers]]''.
| first = ''[[The Aristo-Cat]]'' (1943)
| creator = [[Chuck Jones]]
| voice = '''Hubie''': [[Tedd Pierce]] (1943) Dick Nelson (1946) [[Stan Freberg]] (1947-1949) [[Mel Blanc]] (1950–1951) [[Jim Cummings]] (1995–2000) [[Bob Bergen]] (1996) [[Joe Alaskey]] (2005) [[Jeff Bennett]] (2017) [[Eric Bauza]] (2019–present) Sean Kenin (2021–2023) '''Bertie''': [[Michael Maltese]] (1943) [[Mel Blanc]] (1945, 1949) [[Stan Freberg]] (1946–1951) {{nowrap|[[Jeff Bennett]] (1995–2000, 2017)}} [[Bob Bergen]] (1996) Steve Kehela (1996) [[Joe Alaskey]] (2005) [[Eric Bauza]] (2019–present) Sean Kenin (2021–2023)
| species = [[Peromyscus maniculatus|Deer mouse]]
| lbl21 = Annoyances Enemies
| data21 = [[Cat]]s
}}
'''Hubie and Bertie''' are [[animation|animated cartoon]] [[mouse]] characters in the [[Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' series of cartoons. Hubie and Bertie represent some of [[animator]] [[Chuck Jones]]' earliest work that was intended to be funny rather than cute.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/128/mode/2up/ |page=128}}</ref> Seven Hubie and Bertie cartoons were produced between 1943 and 1952.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/94/mode/2up |page=94}}</ref>

==Debut==
Jones introduced Hubie and Bertie in the [[short film|short]] ''[[The Aristo-Cat]]'', first released on June 19, 1943.<ref name=toonopedia>[http://www.toonopedia.com/hub-bert.htm Hubie and Bertie] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527173139/https://www.webcitation.org/6f3zi5vEG?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/hub-bert.htm Archived] from the original on February 5, 2016.</ref> The plot of the cartoon would serve as the template for most future Hubie/Bertie outings: a character with some mental illness or degree of naïveté (here, a cat who doesn't know what a mouse looks like) is psychologically tormented by the pair. They tell the hungry cat that he is a lion and a bulldog his prey, leading to several painful encounters for the cat.<ref name=crave>{{cite web |url=http://www.craveonline.com/culture/194407-the-top-5-chuck-jones-mouse-cartoons |title=The Top 5 Chuck Jones Mouse Cartoons |date=August 21, 2012 |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] |access-date=October 22, 2016 |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161022155750/http://www.craveonline.com/culture/194407-the-top-5-chuck-jones-mouse-cartoons |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Hubie and Bertie as designed by Jones are mice with long snouts, large ears, and big, black noses. The two are [[anthropomorphic]], walking on their stubby hind legs and using their forelimbs as arms. They are primarily distinguished by their color: one is brown with a lighter-colored belly and face, while the other is gray. Hubie has a [[Brooklyn]] accent ("Hey, Boit! C'mere!"). Bertie has large buck teeth, and a habit of responding to Hubie with "Yeah-yeah, sure-sure!" or snickering "Riot!" if Hubie has just proposed some scheme with comic potential.

[[Mel Blanc]] voiced Hubie. While historians differ on who voiced Bertie in the initial cartoon, [[Stan Freberg]] voiced him subsequently.<ref name=toonopedia />

==Development==
Bertie made a cameo in ''[[Odor-able Kitty]]''.

''[[Trap Happy Porky]]'' (February 24, 1945) was their second appearance.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=158}}</ref> Nameless, indistinguishable except for color, they appear only in the first act, stealing food from Porky in nightshirt and cap. They are silent except for a single "I'm only three and a half years old", and retreat when a cat shows up.

Jones would repeat the theme of mind games several more times in his Hubie and Bertie shorts, as in their third cartoon, ''Roughly Squeaking'' on November 23, 1946. This time, Jones has the mice exploit a cat's stupidity by convincing him he is a [[lion]] and a [[dog]] is a [[moose]] he wants to eat. By the short's end, the cat thinks he is a lion, the dog believes he is a [[pelican]], and a bystanding bird (driven mad from watching the two) has pulled his feathers out and imagines himself a [[Thanksgiving]] [[Turkey meat|turkey]]. The mice are here voiced by Dick Nelson (Hubie) and [[Stan Freberg]] (Bertie).

The short was followed by ''[[House Hunting Mice]]'' on September 6, 1947, where Hubie and Bertie run afoul of a housekeeping [[robot]].

In the next cartoon, ''[[Mouse Wreckers]]'', and for the remainder of the series, Blanc and Freberg would handle the voices of Hubie and Bertie, respectively.

==Cat and mouse==
Jones introduced a permanent "antagonist" of sorts for the mice in ''[[Mouse Wreckers]]''. The short was released in 1949 and was the first in which they are officially called "Hubie" and "Bertie". In the cartoon, the duo moves into a new home, only to discover that it is protected by champion mouser [[Claude Cat]] (the character's debut), voiced by Mel Blanc. The mice torment the cat both physically and mentally. The short was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film|Academy Award]].

The mice would antagonize Claude in two more films: ''[[The Hypo-Chondri-Cat]]'', released in 1950, featured Hubie and Bertie making Claude think he is sick with various ailments and, ultimately, that he has died. In 1951's ''[[Cheese Chasers]]'', however, Hubie and Bertie inadvertently torment Claude when, after going overboard on a cheese raid and getting sick of their favorite food, they decide to commit suicide by trying to get Claude to eat them, but Claude thinks that they are poisonous and refuses, deciding to commit suicide as well by getting a bulldog to attack him but the bulldog gets confused.

After these seven cartoons, Jones retired Hubie and Bertie, but continued to use the characters (or mice resembling them) in [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] roles in other shorts whenever he needed a generic mouse for a gag, such as the unnamed mouse in ''[[Chow Hound]]'', who resembles Bertie, or the "killer" mice in ''[[Scaredy Cat]]'', who resemble Hubie.

==Filmography==
* ''[[The Aristo-Cat]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Trap Happy Porky]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Roughly Squeaking]]'' (1946)
* ''[[House Hunting Mice]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Mouse Wreckers]]'' (1949)
* ''[[The Hypo-Chondri-Cat]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Cheese Chasers]]'' (1951)

==Later appearances==
Hubie and Bertie have made several cameos and recurring appearances in various Warner Bros. productions:
* Hubie and Bertie were going to have a cameo in the 1988 film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]],'' but were later dropped for unknown reasons.
* They also appeared in ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''.
* Hubie and Bertie appear in ''[[The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries]]''. Just like in ''[[The Aristo-Cat]]'', their colors have swapped until their appearances in ''[[Duck Dodgers (TV series)|Duck Dodgers]]''.
* In the 1996 film ''[[Space Jam]]'', Hubie and Bertie play the [[public address]] [[announcer]]s during the basketball game where [[Michael Jordan]] and the Looney Tunes compete against the Monstars. Bertie's announcer voice was provided by Steve Kehela.
* Hubie and Bertie appear in the 2000 direct-to-video film ''[[Tweety's High-Flying Adventure]]''.
* Hubie and Bertie appear in the ''[[Duck Dodgers (TV series)|Duck Dodgers]]'' episode "Too Close for Combat." They are hired by Queen Tyr'Ahnee and Martian Commander X-2 to break up Duck Dodgers and the Eager Young Space Cadet with their vocal impersonations of them. It nearly worked until Duck Dodgers and Cadet discovered them. They managed to persuade Hubie and Bertie into using their tricks on Queen Tyr'Ahnee and Martian Commander X-2.
* Hubie and Bertie briefly appear in ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'' opening.
* Hubie and Bertie appear in the ''[[New Looney Tunes]]'' segments "Appropriate Technology", "Daffy the Stowaway", "Tweet Team", "Darkbat", "Bonjour, Darkbat!", "Smoothie Operator".
* Hubie and Bertie have also appeared in some video games.
* Hubie is seen alone in the ''[[Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time]]'' level "The Carrot Factory".
* Both can be seen in the ''[[Space Jam (video game)|Space Jam]]'' video game.
* Hubie and Bertie made appearances in the [[HBO Max]] series ''[[Looney Tunes Cartoons]]'' starring in shorts such as "Happy Birthday, Bugs Bunny!" and "Frame the Feline".
* Female versions of Hubie and Bertie known as Ruthie and Gertie appeared in ''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]'', voiced by [[Kari Wahlgren]] and [[Candi Milo]].

==Home media==
All of the Hubie and Bertie cartoons are available, remastered, on ''[[Looney Tunes Mouse Chronicles: The Chuck Jones Collection]]'' on DVD and Blu-Ray.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://chuckjones.com/characters/hubie-and-bertie/ All about Hubie and Bertie] on [[Chuck Jones]] Official Website.

{{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies}}
{{Hubie and Bertie in animation}}
{{Chuck Jones}}

[[Category:Anthropomorphic mice and rats]]
[[Category:Fictional tricksters]]
[[Category:Looney Tunes characters]]
[[Category:Male characters in animation]]
[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1943]]
[[Category:Animated duos]]
[[Category:Animated characters introduced in 1943]]
[[Category:Characters created by Chuck Jones]]

Cecil Turtle

2025-10-16T19:46:29Z

2607:FEA8:761F:4600:CDB8:156C:68EC:DC: /* Other appearances */

{{short description|Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Cecil Turtle
| series = [[Looney Tunes]]''/''[[Merrie Melodies]]
| image = Cecil Turtle.png
| caption =
| first = ''[[Tortoise Beats Hare]]'' (1941)
| creator = [[Tex Avery]]
| voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (1941–1947) [[Frank Welker]] (1998) [[Joe Alaskey]] (2003) [[Jim Rash]] (2012–2015) Matt Craig (2017) [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]] (''[[Looney Tunes Cartoons]]''; 2021) [[Eric Bauza]] (''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem'') [[Bob Bergen]] (''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]''; 2022–2024)
| species = [[Turtle]]
| gender = Male
}}
'''Cecil Turtle''' is a fictional character in the [[Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' series of films. Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil has the unusual distinction that he is one of the very few characters who were able to outsmart [[Bugs Bunny]], and the only one to do so three times in a row and at the rabbit's own game.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/48 48]}}</ref> Cecil often gives Bugs the taunting nickname of "Speedy" when addressing the rabbit.

==History==
===''Tortoise Beats Hare''===
[[Animator]] [[Tex Avery]] introduced Cecil in the [[short film|short]] ''[[Tortoise Beats Hare]]'', released on March 15, 1941.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=114}}</ref> Even from the cartoon's opening titles, Avery lets on that Bugs Bunny is about to meet his match. Bugs wanders onto the screen munching his obligatory carrot and absent-mindedly begins reading the title card, grossly mispronouncing most of the credits, such as {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|v|ɛr|i}} for "Avery" rather than the correct {{IPAc-en|ˈ|eɪ|v|ər|i}}. When he finally gets to the title itself, he becomes outraged, tears apart the title card, and rushes to Cecil Turtle's house. He then bets the little, sleepy-eyed [[turtle]] ten dollars that he can beat him in a [[racing|race]].

Cecil accepts Bugs' bet, and the race begins several days later. Bugs races away at top speed just before finishing the shout of, "Get on your mark, get set, go!" Cecil quickly (for him, anyway) goes to a public telephone and calls up Chester Turtle, one of his relatives. After talking to Chester about the bet, he tells him to call "the boys" (cousins), and tell them to be ready when he comes to their position, and to "''give him the works''". Chester calls the relatives, all of whom look and sound like Cecil (some have deeper voices, some have higher voices), and relays the message. As Bugs runs relentlessly toward the finish line, Cecil and the other turtles take turns showing up at just the right moment to baffle the bunny. In the end, Bugs is convinced he has won, only to see Cecil (or one of his kin) across the finish demanding the money. Bugs suggests that he has been tricked, and all nine turtles approach and reply, "It's a possibility!" Voice actor [[Mel Blanc]] supplies Cecil's drowsy drawl, which is like a slowed-down version of Blanc's later characterization of [[Barney Rubble]].

"Tortoise Beats Hare" follows one of the many folk variants of the [[Aesop]] [[fable]] "[[The Tortoise and the Hare]]" in which the faster beast is deceived by look-alikes placed along the course. More directly, it is Avery's [[parody]] of the 1935 [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] ''[[Silly Symphony]]'', ''[[The Tortoise and the Hare (film)|The Tortoise and the Hare]]''. Avery left Warner Bros. before he could produce any new cartoons featuring Cecil. However, he introduced a similar character in 1943 named [[Droopy Dog]]. Droopy would even take some of his tricks from his slow-and-steady predecessor, such as using his relatives to help him outsmart a [[wolf]].

===''Tortoise Wins by a Hare''===
[[Bob Clampett]] took Avery's scenario and altered it for his film ''[[Tortoise Wins by a Hare]]'' released on February 20, 1943.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=138}}</ref> The title is an appropriate pun on "hair". Bugs again challenges Cecil to a race after viewing footage from their previous encounter two years earlier (which seems to depict Cecil as having won fairly instead of by cheating Bugs with his cousins). Bugs then goes to Cecil's tree home disguised as an old man (a parody of [[Bill Thompson (voice actor)|Bill Thompson]]'s "Old Timer" character from the radio series ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]'') to ask the turtle his secret. Cecil, not in the least bit fooled by the disguise remarks, "Clean livin', friend. Clean livin'...". And then reveals his streamlined [[Exoskeleton|shell]] lets him win, and produces a set of blueprints for his "air-flow [[chassis]]". The turtle ends the conversation with the comment, "Oh, and another thing... Rabbits aren't very bright, either!" just before slamming the door in the enraged bunny's face. Not getting the hint that the turtle's story is a [[humbug]], Bugs builds the device and prepares for the race.

Meanwhile, a bunny [[mafia|mob]] learns of the upcoming match-up and places all its bets on Bugs. ("In fact, we don't even think that the toitle will finish... Do we, boys?" "Duh, no, Boss, no!") The race begins, and Bugs still outpaces his reptilian rival. However, in his new get-up, the dim-witted gangsters mistake him for the turtle. Cecil reinforces this misconception by dressing in a gray rabbit suit and munching on some delicious [[carrot]]s. The mobsters thus make the shelled Bugs' run a [[nightmare]], ultimately giving the race to Cecil (in an aside to the audience, as the rabbits cheer him, Cecil remarks "I ''told'' you rabbits aren't very bright!"). When Bugs angrily tears off the chassis, and shouts, "You FOOLS! I'M the rabbit!" the rabbit gangsters remark, in mock-Bugsy style, "Ehhh, ''now'' he tells us!" and commit [[suicide]] by shooting themselves with a single bullet that goes through the sides of all of their apparently soft heads. (The final gag is often cut when shown on [[Basic cable|basic cable television]], but can be found uncut on the ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection]]'': Volume 1.)

===''Rabbit Transit''===
Cecil and Bugs would have one final match up in [[Friz Freleng]]'s cartoon, ''[[Rabbit Transit (film)|Rabbit Transit]]'', released on May 10, 1947. The title is a play of [[Rapid transit|Rapid Transit]]. Unlike ''Tortoise Wins by a Hare'', this cartoon presumes that Bugs and Cecil have never met before now. While relaxing in a steam bath, Bugs reads about the original fable and, as he did reading the credits of ''Tortoise Beats Hare'', becomes incensed at the idea of a turtle outrunning a rabbit. Cecil, also in the steam bath, claims that he could outrun Bugs, prompting Bugs to challenge him to a race (again, as in ''Tortoise Beats Hare'', although at least here Bugs receives some provocation). This time, Bugs and Cecil agree to no [[cheating]]. Cecil, however, quickly reveals that his shell is now [[rocket propulsion|rocket propelled]], allowing him to go a surprising combination between fast ''and'' slow. Bugs does his best to steal, dismantle, and destroy the device, but all to little effect. In the end, however, Bugs does manage to top the turtle and crosses the finish line first. Nevertheless, it is Cecil who has the last laugh when he rooks the rabbit into confessing to "[[speeding|doing 100 easy]]"—in a 30-miles-per-hour zone. Bugs is taken away by the police to [[Pyrrhic victory|enjoy his victory — behind bars]]. Cecil closes out the cartoon by saying Bugs' famous line, "Ain't I um...a stinker?" [[Wipe (transition)|Iris]]-out.

==Other appearances==
The Warners directors retired Cecil after his third showdown with Bugs. Nevertheless, Cecil has made occasional [[cameo role|cameos]] in later projects. He is seen briefly in the 1996 film ''[[Space Jam]]'' as an audience member during the game and its 2021 sequel ''[[Space Jam: A New Legacy]]'' in Bugs' flashback leaving Tune World in front of [[Charlie Dog]]. He also appears in the 2003 DVD ''Looney Tunes: Reality Check'', voiced by [[Joe Alaskey]]. He also made a cameo in one episode of ''[[The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries]]'', voiced by [[Frank Welker]].

He features in some issues of the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' comic book.

His only notable Warner Bros. Animation ''Looney Tunes'' appearance was featured in the 1954 short ''[[Devil May Hare]]'', which was directed by [[Robert McKimson]] and pitted Bugs against the [[Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)|Tasmanian Devil]], who made his debut here.

Cecil Turtle appears in ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'', voiced by [[Jim Rash]]. He and Bugs are once again enemies like in the classic shorts, and he has a habit of mispronouncing Bugs's name as "Buges Buney." In Cecil's appearances in this show, he is the one who gets outwitted by Bugs, the first time in Looney Tunes history. His next appearance was in the episode ''The Shell Game''. Now working as a scammer, Cecil tricks both Bugs and Porky into thinking they damaged his shell. However, Bugs started seeing through Cecil's con, and confronted him with Porky and took down his shell scam and sending him to prison, as well as scoring another victory over Cecil. Cecil also appears as one of the main antagonists in the spinoff film ''[[Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run]]'', voiced again by Rash and appearing as a spy working for the Mexican general [[Foghorn Leghorn]] until the near climax reveals that he has been working for [[Marvin the Martian]].

Cecil makes recurring appearances in ''[[New Looney Tunes]]'', voiced by series producer Matt Craig. In the show, he and Bugs have races against each other which ends with both of them losing.

Cecil appears in ''[[Looney Tunes Cartoons]]'', voiced by [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]]. He appears in the episode "Shell Shocked", where traveling from Bronx to Brooklyn, Bugs beats a Public Transit Train and comments how nobody is faster than him. However, Bugs becomes infuriated when he comes across advertisements showcasing Cecil Turtle as the "actual fastest thing in New York City". Bugs runs into Cecil and challenges him to a footrace to a nearby lamppost. Bugs gains the early lead but Cecil ties the street Bugs is on to a taxi going to [[St. Louis]], allowing Cecil to win. Bugs then challenges Cecil to see how fast they can multiply numbers, but Cecil wins again by multiplying himself. Bugs becomes enraged and has one more challenge for Cecil: how fast he can eat carrots. However, Bugs disguised a bomb as a carrot. When the bomb doesn't go off, Bugs looks and sees all the carrots have been eaten by Cecil. Bugs looks into Cecil's shell, coming face-to-face with the bomb that explodes right in his face. As Cecil proclaims victory, Bugs says there is one thing he's better at than Cecil: losing and starts crying.

Cecil appeared in ''[[Bugs Bunny Builders]]'', where he is voiced by [[Bob Bergen]]. Unlike in the original shorts, he and Bugs appear on friendly terms.

==Legacy==
Because of Cecil's modest amount of popularity, Warner Bros. created a protégé of the character in ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' named Tyrone Turtle. Unlike Cecil and Bugs, however, Tyrone is on friendly terms with Bugs's Tiny Toons counterpart, Buster Bunny.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010521151929/http://tultw.com/pics/cecil.html Cecil image gallery]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060326095519/http://www.nonstick.com/characters/cecil.html WAV file of Cecil's voice]

{{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies}}
{{The Tortoise and the Hare}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turtle, Cecil}}
[[Category:Looney Tunes characters]]
[[Category:Fictional turtles]]
[[Category:Male characters in animated films]]
[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1941]]
[[Category:The Tortoise and the Hare]]
[[Category:Characters created by Tex Avery]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic turtles]]
[[Category:Animated characters introduced in 1941]]