Petunia Pig

Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros.

Description

She looks much like her boyfriend, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has braided black hair (which she originally did not have).

History

Petunia was introduced by animator Frank Tashlin in the 1937 short "Porky's Romance". The film is a parody of a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon called "Mickey's Nightmare". Whereas Mickey Mouse marries his longtime girlfriend Minnie in that film, Porky's overtures toward Petunia bring him only the scornful laughter of his porcine paramour, and instead only dreams of their potential future..

Tashlin quickly adopted Petunia as a regular member of Porky's entourage and featured her in two more cartoons: "The Case of the Stuttering Pig" and "Porky's Double Trouble", both in 1937.

As Porky Pig's popularity gets eclipsed by brasher and funnier characters such as Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny in the 1940s, while Porky began starring in fewer solo cartoons, Petunia has been retired from the classic shorts at this time.

Voice actors Berneice Hansell, June Foray, Mary Kay Bergman, and Grey DeLisle each performed Petunia's voice in various shorts.

In addition, she appeared in the 1972 special Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies, voiced by Jane Webb.This marks Petunia's first ever color appearance.

Petunia was meant to have a cameo with Porky in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit but the "Acme's Funeral" scene was deleted.^[1]

Though Petunia does not appear in Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, Porky's daughter Priscilla Pig bears a close physical resemblance to her. She is indirectly alluded to briefly in the said film when Porky mentions that Priscilla's mother is deceased, implying that Priscilla's mother could possibly be Petunia, though it is not confirmed.

Her latest appearance is in The Looney Tunes Show, debuting in the Season Two episode, "Here Comes the Pig", voiced by Katy Mixon. Petunia was intended to appear earlier in the series with a different appearance and Grey DeLisle returning to the role, but ultimately, she only made two appearances late in Season Two with a much different appearance, and spoke in only one episode, despite appearing prominently in early merchandising and promotional material, indicating behind-the-scenes politics saw her debut put off until the eleventh hour.