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Elmer's Pet Rabbit is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short directed by Charles M. Jones.

Plot[]

Elmer goes to a pet store to find a rabbit at a discount of 98¢. After purchasing it, he heads home only for the rabbit, Bugs Bunny, to peep out of the box. Bugs proves to be an inconsiderate pet, expecting to be treated as human.

When Elmer builds a pen for Bugs to reside in, Bugs hates it, and he reluctantly eats the vegetables that Elmer calls dinner while ranting his mouth off. Seeing Elmer reside peacefully inside the house, Bugs intends to find a way to claim the home as his.

Bugs first knocks on the door, then runs in and haphazardously turns on every light downstairs, prompting an angry Elmer to throw Bugs out. Bugs sneaks back in later, and takes the bathroom for himself. When Elmer realizes that Bugs is hogging the room, he busts the door open and forces the rabbit out of the shower and into the bathtub. Bugs tricks Elmer to think he drowned in the bathtub, forcing Elmer to fish him out. After being pulled out of the tub, Bugs kisses Elmer, and says to the audience, "How do you like that? He saves my life and after all the things I did to him in this picture." He offers Elmer to let him kick him in the tail. At first, Elmer didn't want to do it, but when he did anyways, Bugs turns toward Elmer and angrily exclaims, "Of course, you know! This means war!" Then Bugs removes one of his gloves and proceeded to slap Elmer in the face twice with it before putting it back on.

Bugs then flees into Elmer's bedroom, now occupying his bed. As Elmer tries to turn on the light, Bugs yells at him to turn it off. A large fight ensues, where Elmer appears to have successfully have chased Bugs out of the house, complete with barring up the front door. However, as Elmer reenters his bedroom, Bugs is still on the now-destroyed bed, and shouts at Elmer to turn off the light. Elmer turns the light off, ending the story.

Caricatures[]

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Notes[]

  • This is the first cartoon in which Bugs is given his name (on the title card).
  • The music in the cartoon includes a variation on "While Strolling Through the Park One Day" (Ed Haley), arranged by Carl W. Stalling, performed by Elmer and Bugs. Elmer, as usual, has trouble with many of the words, due to his "rounded L and R" speech impediment.
  • Bugs Bunny wears yellow gloves, has a deep voice, and has no buck teeth (except on "Featuring BUGS BUNNY" screen). Although this cartoon was released after "A Wild Hare", in which Bugs' recognizable "Bronx/Brooklyn" voice characterization appears for the first time, Mel Blanc used the voice from "Elmer's Candid Camera" in this short.
  • This was the second cartoon for Bugs and the 23rd cartoon that Chuck Jones directed.
  • In this cartoon, Bugs' personality is radically different from his other incarnations; as opposed to his usual fun-loving and comic relief personality, he has a much more aggressive, selfish, arrogant, disrespectful, almost thuggish personality. Also, he is more sarcastic than wisecracking.
  • This is the only cartoon where Bugs claims to not eat carrots (although he eats them and other vegetables while complaining).
  • The title card for this is similar to the title cards from "Good Night Elmer" and "Porky's Ant".
  • The film was copyrighted on 19 December 1940.[2]

Gallery[]

References[]


Bugs Bunny Shorts
1938 Porky's Hare Hunt
1939 Prest-O Change-OHare-um Scare-um
1940 Elmer's Candid CameraA Wild Hare
1941 Elmer's Pet RabbitTortoise Beats HareHiawatha's Rabbit HuntThe Heckling HareAll This and Rabbit StewWabbit Twouble
1942 The Wabbit Who Came to SupperAny Bonds Today?The Wacky WabbitHold the Lion, PleaseBugs Bunny Gets the BoidFresh HareThe Hare-Brained HypnotistCase of the Missing Hare
1943 Tortoise Wins by a HareSuper-RabbitJack-Wabbit and the BeanstalkWackiki WabbitFalling Hare
1944 Little Red Riding RabbitWhat's Cookin' Doc?Bugs Bunny and the Three BearsBugs Bunny Nips the NipsHare Ribbin'Hare ForceBuckaroo BugsThe Old Grey HareStage Door Cartoon
1945 Herr Meets HareThe Unruly HareHare TriggerHare ConditionedHare Tonic
1946 Baseball BugsHare RemoverHair-Raising HareAcrobatty BunnyRacketeer RabbitThe Big SnoozeRhapsody Rabbit
1947 Rabbit TransitA Hare Grows in ManhattanEaster YeggsSlick Hare
1948 Gorilla My DreamsA Feather in His HareRabbit PunchBuccaneer BunnyBugs Bunny Rides AgainHaredevil HareHot Cross BunnyHare SplitterA-Lad-In His LampMy Bunny Lies over the Sea
1949 Hare DoMississippi HareRebel RabbitHigh Diving HareBowery BugsLong-Haired HareKnights Must FallThe Grey Hounded HareThe Windblown HareFrigid HareWhich Is WitchRabbit Hood
1950 Hurdy-Gurdy HareMutiny on the BunnyHomeless HareBig House BunnyWhat's Up Doc?8 Ball BunnyHillbilly HareBunker Hill BunnyBushy HareRabbit of Seville
1951 Hare We GoRabbit Every MondayBunny HuggedThe Fair Haired HareRabbit FireFrench RarebitHis Hare Raising TaleBallot Box BunnyBig Top Bunny
1952 Operation: RabbitFoxy by Proxy14 Carrot RabbitWater, Water Every HareThe Hasty HareOily HareRabbit SeasoningRabbit's KinHare Lift
1953 Forward March HareUpswept HareSouthern Fried RabbitHare TrimmedBully for BugsLumber Jack-RabbitDuck! Rabbit, Duck!Robot Rabbit
1954 Captain HareblowerBugs and ThugsNo Parking HareDevil May HareBewitched BunnyYankee Doodle BugsBaby Buggy Bunny
1955 Beanstalk BunnySahara HareHare BrushRabbit RampageThis Is a Life?Hyde and HareKnight-Mare HareRoman Legion-Hare
1956 Bugs' BonnetsBroom-Stick BunnyRabbitson CrusoeNapoleon Bunny-PartBarbary-Coast BunnyHalf-Fare HareA Star Is BoredWideo WabbitTo Hare Is Human
1957 Ali Baba BunnyBedevilled RabbitPiker's PeakWhat's Opera, Doc?Bugsy and MugsyShow Biz BugsRabbit Romeo
1958 Hare-Less WolfHare-Way to the StarsNow, Hare ThisKnighty Knight BugsPre-Hysterical Hare
1959 Baton BunnyHare-abian NightsApes of WrathBackwoods BunnyWild and Woolly HareBonanza BunnyA Witch's Tangled HarePeople Are Bunny
1960 Horse HarePerson to BunnyRabbit's FeatFrom Hare to HeirLighter Than Hare
1961 The Abominable Snow RabbitCompressed HarePrince Violent
1962 Wet HareBill of HareShishkabugs
1963 Devil's Feud CakeThe Million HareHare-Breadth HurryThe UnmentionablesMad as a Mars HareTransylvania 6-5000
1964 Dumb PatrolDr. Devil and Mr. HareThe Iceman DuckethFalse Hare
1979 Bugs Bunny's Christmas CarolFright Before Christmas
1980 Portrait of the Artist as a Young BunnySpaced Out Bunny
1990 Box Office Bunny
1991 (Blooper) Bunny
1992 Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
1995 Carrotblanca
1997 From Hare to Eternity
2004 Hare and Loathing in Las VegasDaffy Duck for President
Elmer Fudd Cartoons
1937 Little Red Walking Hood
1938 The Isle of Pingo PongoCinderella Meets FellaA Feud There WasJohnny Smith and Poker-Huntas
1939 Hamateur NightA Day at the ZooBelieve It or Else
1940 Elmer's Candid CameraConfederate HoneyThe Hardship of Miles StandishA Wild HareGood Night Elmer
1941 Elmer's Pet RabbitWabbit Twouble
1942 The Wabbit Who Came to SupperAny Bonds Today?The Wacky WabbitNutty NewsFresh HareThe Hare-Brained Hypnotist
1943 To Duck .... or Not to DuckA Corny ConcertoAn Itch in Time
1944 The Old Grey HareThe Stupid CupidStage Door Cartoon
1945 The Unruly HareHare Tonic
1946 Hare RemoverThe Big Snooze
1947 Easter YeggsA Pest in the HouseSlick Hare
1948 What Makes Daffy DuckBack Alley Op-RoarKit for Cat
1949 Wise QuackersHare DoEach Dawn I Crow
1950 What's Up Doc?The Scarlet PumpernickelRabbit of Seville
1951 Rabbit Fire
1952 Rabbit Seasoning
1953 Upswept HareAnt PastedDuck! Rabbit, Duck!Robot Rabbit
1954 Design for LeavingQuack Shot
1955 Pests for GuestsBeanstalk BunnyHare BrushRabbit RampageThis Is a Life?Heir-Conditioned
1956 Bugs' BonnetsA Star Is BoredYankee Dood ItWideo Wabbit
1957 What's Opera, Doc?Rabbit Romeo
1958 Don't Axe MePre-Hysterical Hare
1959 A Mutt in a Rut
1960 Person to BunnyDog Gone People
1961 What's My Lion?
1962 Crows' Feat
1980 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Bunny
1990 Box Office Bunny
1991 (Blooper) Bunny
1992 Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
2012 Daffy's Rhapsody
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