Tasmanian Devil

Tasmanian Devil
Species:	Tasmanian Devil
Gender:	Male
Debut appearance:	"Devil May Hare" (19 June 1954)
Created by:	Robert McKimson Sid Marcus
Portrayed by:	Mel Blanc (1954–1989) Jeff Bergman (1990–1994, 1997, 2004, 2014) Noel Blanc (1990) Maurice LaMarche (1990) Greg Burson (1991–1995, 1997) Jim Cummings (1991–present) Dee Bradley Baker (1996) Joe Alaskey (2000, 2004–2005, 2011) Ian James Corlett (Baby Looney Tunes; 2001–2006) Brendan Fraser (2003) Eric Bauza (2018) Fred Tatasciore (2020–present) Steve Blum (2023)

The Tasmanian Devil, often shortened to Taz, is a Looney Tunes character.

Origin

Robert McKimson designed the character after the real-life Tasmanian devil, an animal native to Australia, and the Tennessee Top of American folklore; however, the only real similarity between the real-life marsupial and Robert's beast is their ravenous appetite. In fact, this appetite is Taz's main characteristic. The Devil devours everything in sight, including boulders, trees, shrubs, and hills, all the while whirling about like a miniature cyclone that sounds like a dozen motors all whirring in unison.

Taz also harbors a special craving for rabbits.

According to the ToonHeads episode "Tasmanian Devil", Robert created Taz when he and screenwriter Sid Marcus were discussing about new foes to challenge Bugs Bunny, and even commented that of all the animals, the only creature they haven't used against Bugs was the Tasmanian devil.

Descriptions

There have been some descriptions about the Tasmanian Devil in some cartoons.

In "Devil May Hare", it described as "A strong murderous beast, jaws as powerful as a steel trap - has ravenous appetite - eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, giraffes, octopuses, rhinoceroses, moose, ducks" and of course Taz added in "...and Rabbits."

In "Ducking the Devil", it described "WARNING: The TASMANIAN DEVIL is a powerful, vicious, evil-tempered brute -- hungry at all times -- it will eat anything, but is especially fond of wild duck."

In "Bedevilled Rabbit", in a Tasmania Brochure, it gives this description:

"Beware of the TASMANIAN DEVIL a vicious ravenous brute with powerful jaws like a steel trap." It also gives a two-page list of what a Tasmanian Devil eats. Page one: Aardvarks, Ants, Bears, Boars, Cats, Bats, Dogs, Hogs, Elephants, Antelopes, Pheasants, Ferrets, Giraffes, Gazelles, Stoats, Goats, Shoats, Ostriches, Lions, Jackals, Muskrats, Minks, Dingoes, Zebras, Foxes, Boxes, Octopus, Penguins, People, Warthogs, Yaks, Gnus, Newts, Walrus---Wildebeests. Page two: Moose, Mice, Moles, Snipes, Elk, Wapati, Tortoise, Road Runner, Elands, Foxes, Wolves, Guinea Hen, Vultures, Eagles, Humming Birds, Squids, Salamanders, Water Buffalo, Bison, Kangaroos, Pigeons, Daws, Unicorns, Vixens, Octopus, Ox, Penguins, Widgeons, Wart Hogs, Yaks, Newts, Walrus, Gnus, Wildebeests. The top of the next page adds "and especially RABBITS!"

As well, in The Looney Tunes Show episode "Devil Dog," Daffy described it as: "A wild beast whose insatiable hunger for violence and destruction, combined with his sharp teeth and claws make him the perfect killing machine!".

Hunger

It is this hunger that serves as the impetus for Robert McKimson's Devil May Hare (first released on 19 June 1954).

An early version of the Tasmanian Devil.

A running gag commonly found in these Taz cartoons is that each Taz cartoon frequently starts with the background characters, which are usually wild animals, running away in fear from Taz's monstrous appetite and/or ferocious temper, while Bugs, in contrast, isn't afraid of Taz, and once brought to his attention of said creature, looks it up in a book, only for Taz to stalk him for food, but due to his dim wits and inability to frame complete, rational sentences, he serves as little more than a nuisance. Bugs eventually gets rid of him in the most logical way possible – matching him up with an equally insatiable female Devil.

The character's speech, peppered with growls, screeches, and raspberries, is provided by Mel Blanc and now provided by Jim Cummings, who is most famous for voicing Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Peg-Leg Pete from Disney.

Short Retirement and Return

Producer Eddie Selzer, head of the Warner Bros. animation studio, ordered Robert to retire the character as he believed it was too violent for junior audiences, and distasteful to parents. After three years with no new Tasmanian Devil shorts, Jack Warner asked Selzer, what had happened. He then saved the Tasmanian Devil's career by personally telling Selzer that the character should return to the cartoons promptly, as "boxes and boxes" of fan mail were coming from people who liked the character and wanted to see more of him.

Personality

Taz is generally portrayed as a dim-witted wild animal with a notoriously short temper and has little patience. He will eat anything and everything, with an appetite that seems to know no bounds. Taz is best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls, rasps and screeches, and his ability to spin and bite through just about anything.

According to the ToonHeads episode "Tasmanian Devil", Taz "had the temper of Yosemite Sam" and is "dumber than Elmer Fudd".

Popularity

Robert would go on to direct four more Tasmanian Devil cartoons, beginning with "Bedevilled Rabbit" on 13 April 1957. The she-devil returns in this cartoon, now as Mrs. Tasmanian Devil, but she still proves to be the character's weakness when Bugs uses a sexy female devil costume to deliver a bear trap to the ever-hungry brute. Robert would also pair the Devil

Classic Taz.

with Daffy Duck in "Ducking the Devil" (17 August 1957), before pitting the character against Bugs once again in "Bill of Hare" (9 June 1962) and "Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare" (28 March 1964). After Warner Bros. closed its animation studio in 1964, the Tasmanian Devil would remain a fan favorite character.

Legacy

Taz appeared in 1983's Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island as Yosemite Sam's first mate.

This late-blossoming popularity would pay off for Taz in Warner Bros. television animation. For example, his miniature understudy, Dizzy Devil, was introduced as a recurring character in the syndicated/Fox Kids television series Tiny Toon Adventures, first broadcast 3 January 1990.

On 7 September 1991, Taz got his own show, Taz-Mania, set in the typical native island of his species, in an animated household. Taz now had a little sister, a little brother, a mother, and a decidedly nonchalant father.

Taz would appear in an episode of The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries entitled "The Scare Up There", where he is revealed to have stolen peanut packs from the flights.

An infant version of Taz is one of the regulars of Baby Looney Tunes series, voiced by Ian James Corlett.

He also appears in The Looney Tunes Show, as a recurring character. In the show, he is (irrationally) Bugs' pet, much to Daffy's annoyance. He also appears in the Merrie Melodies song "Tasmanian Meltdown".

In 2014, Taz appeared in a GEICO commercial, where he drinks a "certain energy drink" and goes on a rampage.

Taz first appeared in the New Looney Tunes first season episode "Office Rocker" as Theodore Tasmanian, who was an office worker with a family. However, he returned to his original characterization in Season 2 of New Looney Tunes.

Taz appears in Looney Tunes Cartoons, where he speaks more comprehensible English.

Taz appears in Bugs Bunny Builders.

Taz is also popular in licensed merchandise, especially resort souvenir T-shirts.

Taz appeared in the direct-to-video film Taz: Quest for Burger as the titular character, which was released on digital on 6 June 2023. Taz speaks comprehensible English and has a raspier voice than usual.

On 15 June 2023, it was announced Taz will appear in a stop-motion short produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.

Taz in Taz-Mania

Taz, voiced by Jim Cummings, is the central character of the series and appears in every episode.

The plots of most of the episodes are based upon the relationships various characters have with Taz, thus cast as a not-too-bright teenager in most episodes, less ferocious than his original incarnation. He is sometimes portrayed as a vicious predator, consuming anything with an everlasting appetite scarring much of the native wildlife. Most of the time, Taz speaks in grunts, growls, and rasps, which other characters seem to understand, and is able to spin like a tornado and break through many objects. He also has a calm and caring side to him seen when he is around his friends and family. Taz works as a bellhop at the Hotel Tasmania. He likes food and Christmas a lot but has a great dislike towards water often voicing his displeasure with "Taz hate water!" when in close proximity.

Taz, being a teenager, shares his house with his family - his dad Hugh and his mother Jean. He also has two siblings - his younger sister Molly and little brother Jake. He also has a pet turtle named "Dog".

Taz is employed during the series working as a bellboy for Bushwhacker Bob and his Mum at Hotel Tasmania, which they own.

Notes

• The Tasmanian Devil made a cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004); Scooby drinks a blue potion and it turns him into the Tasmanian Devil.
• A poster of the Tasmanian Devil appears in an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman called "Virtually Destroyed". He is a celebrity in a virtual world starring in a film called Metropolis Mayhem.
• Taz's colors have notably changed slightly over the years. In the classic cartoons of the 1950s and 1960s, he originally had lighter and duller brown fur with a light grey chest and muzzle. Beginning with Fright Before Christmas, his fur color is now dark brown, with his chest and muzzle changed from light grey to tan, making his fur color more similar to Wile E. Coyote, which would become his standard look in subsequent appearances since then. However, in Looney Tunes Cartoons, his muzzle and chest color reverted back to light grey, while still maintaining the darker brown fur.

Filmography

Cartoons

1.  "Devil May Hare" (1954)
2.  "Bedevilled Rabbit" (1957)
3.  "Ducking the Devil" (1957)
4.  "Bill of Hare" (1962)
5.  "Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare" (1964)
6.  "Fright Before Christmas" (1979)
7.  "Superior Duck" (1996)

In other media

• Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)
• Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988; deleted cameo)
• Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–92), voiced by Jeff Bergman, Noel Blanc, Maurice LaMarche, and Greg Burson
• Taz-Mania (1991–94), voiced by Jim Cummings
• Animaniacs (1993–98), voiced by Jim Cummings
• The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995-2000), voiced by Jim Cummings
• Space Jam (1996), voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
• Histeria! (1998-2000), voiced by Jim Cummings
• Tweety's High-Flying Adventure (2000), voiced by Jim Cummings
• Baby Looney Tunes, voiced by Ian James Corlett
• Looney Tunes Back in Action (2003), voiced by Brendan Fraser
• Duck Dodgers (2003–05), voiced by Jim Cummings
• Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006), voiced by Jim Cummings
• The Looney Tunes Show, voiced by Jim Cummings
• New Looney Tunes, voiced by Jim Cummings
• Looney Tunes Cartoons, voiced by Fred Tatasciore
• Space Jam A New Legacy (2021), voiced by Fred Tatasciore and Jim Cummings
• Bugs Bunny Builders, voiced by Fred Tatasciore
• Taz: Quest for Burger, voiced by Steve Blum
• Tiny Toons Looniversity, voiced by Fred Tasaciore

Voice Actors

• Mel Blanc: 1953 - 1983
• Jim Cummings: 1991–present
• Jeff Bergman: Tiny Toon Adventures, Looney Tunes Dash!
• Noel Blanc: Tiny Toon Adventures
• Maurice LaMarche: Tiny Toon Adventures
• Greg Burson: Tiny Toon Adventures, The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny
• Keith Scott: Looney Tunes Musical Revue
• Dee Bradley Baker: Space Jam
• Joe Alaskey: The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas, Looney Tunes Phonics
• Ian James Corlett: Baby Looney Tunes
• Brendan Fraser: Looney Tunes Back in Action
• Eric Bauza: Looney Tunes World of Mayhem
• Fred Tatasciore: Looney Tunes Cartoons, Space Jam A New Legacy (most scenes), Bugs Bunny Builders, Tiny Toons Looniversity
• Steve Blum: Taz: Quest for Burger

Gallery

Main article: Tasmanian Devil/Gallery