Beans the Cat is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons from 1935-1936. Beans was the third Looney Tunes cartoon character star, after Bosko and Buddy.
When the cartoon animators/directors Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising left Leon Schlesinger's studios in 1933, they took their main creation, Bosko, with them. Schlesinger had to rebuild his animation studio for Warner Bros. without so much as a marketable character to draw audiences. In Bosko's absence, the less popular Buddy was introduced.
In 1935, animator Friz Freleng attempted to jumpstart the studio with his Merrie Melodies cartoon "I Haven't Got a Hat". Its cast consisted of cute animal characters with funny names, e.g., Ham and Ex, Porky Pig and Beans, Oliver Owl, and Little Kitty. Schlesinger hoped that some would catch on with audiences and become bankable stars.
The short was a success. Warners retired Buddy and began to push Beans the Cat as their next cartoon star. In 1935, Beans starred in his first solo Looney Tunes film, "A Cartoonist's Nightmare", followed by "Hollywood Capers". Beans then began appearing with characters from the cast of "I Haven't Got a Hat", most frequently Porky Pig. However, after a number of Porky and Beans outings, it became clear that the character audiences were talking about was Beans' stuttering sidekick, Porky, rather than Beans himself.
In April 1936, Beans starred in "Westward Whoa", his last cartoon short along with the rest of the "I Haven't Got a Hat" ensemble. For the rest of this decade, all Looney Tunes starred Porky Pig and his sidekicks, including Gabby Goat and later Daffy Duck.
Beans made a cameo in Space Jam on one of the several portraits depicting 1930s era Looney Tunes characters. His portrait is most visible on the right side of the entrance of the meeting hall when the Looney Tunes put their arms up as the Nerdlucks threaten them with their laser weapon.
Beans made a cameo in The Day the Earth Blew Up A Looney Tunes Movie as the mascot of Beans Brew, a coffeehouse.
While Beans himself has not appeared in any recent media, his history, both his origins and retirement seem to have been used as inspiration for characters from Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures respectively.
- In the Animaniacs case, the Warners (a group of meta-fictional 1930s cartoons) were said to have replaced the character Buddy, due to the latter being boring. In real life, this is the reason Beans was created.
- In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Fields of Honey", Bosko and Honey are said to have been retired due to being overshadowed by the more popular Porky Pig. This is what essentially what happened to Beans in real life.
Notes[]
- Beans has appeared in eleven regular Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts to date.
- Beans could have been modeled after Waffles, a feline from the Van Beuren Studio, as both characters are black-furred cats in overalls.
Filmography[]
| Title | Release date |
| I Haven't Got a Hat | March 2, 1935 |
| The Country Mouse (cameo) | July 13, 1935 |
| A Cartoonist's Nightmare | September 14, 1935 |
| Hollywood Capers | October 19, 1935 |
| Gold Diggers of '49 | November 2, 1935 |
| Alpine Antics | January 18, 1936 |
| The Phantom Ship | February 1, 1936 |
| Boom Boom | February 29, 1936 |
| The Fire Alarm | March 2, 1936 |
| Westward Whoa | April 25, 1936 |
| Space Jam (picture cameo) | November 10, 1996 |
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