Merlin the Magic Mouse

This article is about the character. For the 1967 cartoon of the same name, see Merlin the Magic Mouse (short).

Merlin the Magic Mouse is a character from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. He is a magician mouse who has a sidekick (or better: magician's assistant), appropriately named Second Banana. He first appeared in "Merlin the Magic Mouse", a 1967 short.

Background[]

Merlin is a stage magician (he usually preferred to be called a prestidigitator, though he could never pronounce this correctly) who traveled around for work with Second Banana. Much of the humor of the character derived from the fact that, while he was often regarded as a cheap stage magician, he knew some very real and powerful magic tricks. His magic words were typically "Atascadero Escondido!" He bears a green and purple magic hat (although in his debut cartoon and in post-Golden Age media, his hat is black and white), and in the later Alex Lovy-directed cartoons, foot spats.

Daws Butler provided the voice of Merlin and Second Banana in the first short. Larry Storch performed the voices for the other four films.

He appears in Tiny Toons Looniversity as Buster Bunny's mentor.

Filmography[]

Cartoons[]

In other media[]

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries episode:

"El Dia de los Pussygatos"

Tiny Toons Looniversity

"Extra, So Extra"

Comics[]

Daffy Duck (Gold Key)[]

Daffy Duck - Comic cover of Daffy Duck feat. Merlin and Second Banana - Daffy Duck #56 Gold Key March 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Show Biz Whiz - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #56 Gold Key March 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Sword Box Switcheroo - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #58 Gold Key July 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Low Caliber Partner - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #59 Gold Key Sep 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Water Wizardry - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #61 Gold Key Jan 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Flying Carpet Caper - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #63 Gold Key May 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Mystic Violin - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #64 Gold Key July 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Big Cheese Trick - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #65 Gold Key Sep 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Dressing Room Robber - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #66 Gold Key Nov 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Tootville Trip - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #67 Gold Key Jan 1971
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Rug-Napped - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #68 Gold Key March 1971
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Mystic Violin - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #140 Gold Key Feb 1982

Golden Comics Digest (Gold Key)[]

Merlin the Magic Mouse - Chickening Out - 7 pages - Golden Comics Digest #1 Gold Key May 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Catch the Culprit - 1 page puzzle - Golden Comics Digest #3 Gold Key July 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Spook Cabinet - 8 pages - Golden Comics Digest #6 Gold Key Oct 1969
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Great Escaper - 8 pages - Golden Comics Digest #10 Gold Key May 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Big Disappearing Act - 8 pages - Golden Comics Digest #14 Gold Key Oct 1970
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Twin Tricks - 1 page puzzle - Golden Comics Digest #17 Gold Key May 1971
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Crossword Magic - 1 page puzzle - Golden Comics Digest #21 Gold Key Jan 1972
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Show Biz Whiz - 6 pages - Golden Comics Digest #30 Gold Key July 1973
Merlin the Magic Mouse - Low Caliber Partner - 6 pages - Golden Comics Digest #39 Gold Key Sep 1974

International[]

Merlin the Magic Mouse - The Tootville Trip - 6 pages - Daffy Duck #25122 Rosnock 1975 (Australia)

Merlin - Le Château de la Sorcière (The Witch's Castle) - 6 pages - Titi Géant #63 Sagedition 1979 (France)
Merlin - Le Château de la Sorcière (The Witch's Castle) - 6 pages - Titi Géant Album #21 Sagedition 1979 (France)

Bugs Bunny - Preinvierno - 19 pages - El Conjeo de la Suerte #804 Editorial Novaro March 17, 1985 (Mexico)

Notes[]

Merlin is loosely based on W. C. Fields.
Merlin was originally going to appear in a live-action/animated hybrid special titled Innocents Abroad, which would have featured Mark Twain characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The special never got off the ground.

Gallery[]

Characters
Main Characters
Bugs Bunny (Prototype Bugs Bunny) • Daffy Duck • Elmer Fudd • Foghorn Leghorn • Lola Bunny (Honey Bunny) • Marvin the Martian (K-9) • Pepé Le Pew (Penelope Pussycat) • Porky Pig • Road Runner • Speedy Gonzales • Sylvester (Sylvester Jr.) • Taz • Tweety • Wile E. Coyote • Yosemite Sam
Recurring Golden Age Characters
1930s debuts	Bosko • Honey • Bruno • Foxy • Piggy • Goopy Geer • Buddy • Cookie • Beans • Little Kitty • Oliver Owl • Ham and Ex • Petunia Pig • Piggy Hamhock • Gabby Goat • Egghead • Big Bad Wolf • Little Red Riding Hood • Yoyo Dodo • Mrs. Daffy Duck • The Two Curious Puppies • Sniffles • Inki • Minah Bird
1940s debuts	Willoughby • Three Little Pigs • Cecil Turtle • Beaky Buzzard • Mama Buzzard • Leo the Lion • Babbit and Catstello • Conrad the Cat • Hubie and Bertie • Claude Cat • A. Flea • Three Bears • Schnooks • Hector the Bulldog • The Drunk Stork • Gossamer • Rocky • Barnyard Dawg • Henery Hawk • Charlie Dog • Bobo the Elephant • Goofy Gophers • The Dog • Wellington • Gruesome Gorilla • Hippety Hopper • The Talking Bulldog • The Crusher • The Supreme Cat • Playboy Penguin
1950s debuts	Melissa Duck • Frisky Puppy • Granny (Proto-Granny) • Miss Prissy (Emily the Chicken) • Sam Cat • Nasty Canasta • Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot • Spike and Chester • Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog • The Weasel • Witch Hazel • Tasmanian She-Devil • Ralph Phillips • Egghead Jr. • Mugsy • Jose and Manuel • The Honey-Mousers (Ralph Crumden, Ned Morton, Alice Crumden, Trixie Morton) • Instant Martians • Slowpoke Rodriguez • Pappy and Elvis • Blacque Jacque Shellacque
1960s debuts	Cool Cat • Colonel Rimfire • Merlin the Magic Mouse • Second Banana • Bunny and Claude
One-Off Golden Age Characters
1930s debuts	Owl Jolson
1940s debuts	The Gremlin • The Dover Boys (Tom Dover, Dick Dover, Larry Dover, Dora Standpipe, Dan Backslide) • Mr. Meek • Russian Dog • The Little Man from the Draft Board • Colonel Shuffle • Giovanni Jones
1950s debuts	The Martin Brothers • Pete Puma • George and Benny • Toro the Bull • Babyface Finster • Michigan J. Frog • Shropshire Slasher • Mot • Pablo and Fernando • Charles M. Wolf • Señor Vulturo • Mighty Angelo
1960s debuts	Hugo the Abominable Snowman • Nelly the Giraffe • Count Bloodcount • Spooky • Rapid Rabbit and Quick Brown Fox
Post-Golden Age Characters
Tiny Toon Adventures	Buster Bunny • Babs Bunny • Plucky Duck • Hamton J. Pig • Fifi La Fume • Shirley the Loon • Sweetie Bird • Elmyra Duff • Montana Max
Taz-Mania	Jean • Hugh • Molly • Jake • Dog the Turtle • Drew
Pinky and the Brain	Pinky • The Brain
Baby Looney Tunes	Floyd Minton
Duck Dodgers	Dr. I.Q. Hi • Captain Star Johnson • Commander X2
Loonatics Unleashed	Ace Bunny • Lexi Bunny • Danger Duck • Slam Tasmanian • Tech E. Coyote • Rev Runner
The Looney Tunes Show	Tina Russo
New Looney Tunes	Squeaks the Squirrel • Bigfoot • Barbarian • Boyd • Cal • Carl the Grim Rabbit • Claudette Dupri • Dr. Clovenhoof • Eagle Scout • Elliot Sampson • Horace the Horse • Ivana • Jack • Thes • Leslie P. Lilylegs • Miss Cougar • Pampreen Perdy and Paul Perdy • Rhoda Roundhouse • Shameless O'Scanty • Sir Littlechin • Slugsworthy the First • Squint Eatswood • Tad Tucker • Trey Hugger • Viktor • Winter Stag