Difference between revisions of "Looney Tunes"

Latest revision as of 09:16, May 30, 2026

Looney Tunes is a series of theatrical cartoon shorts, produced by Warner Brothers since the 1930s. These cartoons are famous for launching characters like Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Tweety & Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn,... and many others. Since the 1950s, the cartoons continued their popularity broadcast on television. Looney Tunes, as one of the most influential cartoon series of all time, has naturally been referenced in The Simpsons many times.

References to Looney Tunes in The Simpsons[edit]

Episodes[edit]

Picture Season Episode number Episode name Reference 2 27 "Principal Charming" Marge tells her sister Patty that she has to wax the mustache on her upper lip because, "...you don't want to go out on your first date looking like Yosemite Sam". Yosemite Sam is a villainous cowboy in the Looney Tunes universe, known for his large moustache. 3 39 "Bart the Murderer" Bart begrudgingly and sarcastically picks a horse called "Don't Have a Cow" to win a horse race. Two of the other horses in the race are called "Sufferin' Succotash" and "Ooh, Ain't I a Stinker?", which are catchphrases of respectively Sylvester the cat and Bugs Bunny. Another horse is called "That's All Folks!", which is the catchphrase of Porky Pig and appears on-screen at the end of Looney Tunes cartoons. 3 50 "Homer Alone" The Brat'us Don'thaveacow'us & Homo Neanderthel'us scene makes a reference to a typical way many Road Runner cartoons start off, where the Coyote and Road Runner freeze frame during a chase while a subtitle gives their supposed Latin names for a few seconds. 4 69 "Lisa's First Word" When toddler Bart hears baby Lisa say "Bart" as her first word, he exclaims "Sufferin' succotash!", Sylvester's catchphrase. 5 86 "Treehouse of Horror IV" In The Devil and Homer Simpson Homer is force-fed in Hell. Matt Groening has stated on the audio commentary that this scene was directly inspired by the 1937 Looney Tunes cartoon Pigs Is Pigs in which Porky Pig is also force-fed by a mad scientist. 5 88 "Bart's Inner Child" The scene where Homer dumps the trampoline of a cliff is a parody of the Road Runner cartoons. 6 112 "Homer Badman" One of the corrections made by Rock Bottom is "Lyndon Johnson did not provide the voice of Yosemite Sam". 127 "Lemon of Troy" While Martin sings "Hark to the Tale of Nelson", he prances and skips around Nelson in the same way as Chester the terrier with Spike the bulldog in the shorts Tree for Two and Dr. Jekyl's Hide. 7 146 "The Day the Violence Died" The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon appearing near the end of the episode has Itchy chasing Scratchy in a desert landscape at super speed, resembling the Road Runner cartoons. 8 163 "The Springfield Files" Marvin the Martian appears in a line-up of aliens and utters his catchphrase This makes me so angry, when he and the others aliens are told to leave again. 167 "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" June Bellamy, the voice of Itchy and Scratchy, claims she did the voice of the Road Runner, but the studio had her record only one "meep". To avoid having to pay her more (to record two "meep"s), the studio then doubled the "meep" in playback to produce the Road Runner's characteristic "meep-meep". June Bellamy herself is a parody of Looney Tunes voice actress June Foray. 9 181 "Lisa's Sax" Michigan J. Frog appears as the mascot of The Warner Brothers Network, which he was in reality too at the time. 9 182 "Treehouse of Horror VIII" Marge, Patty and Selma appears as green-skinned witches and clack their heels before flying off on their broomstick, much like Witch Hazel in the Looney Tunes shorts. 11 228 "Brother's Little Helper" Chief Wiggum says to Bart "That's the end of your Looney Tune, Drugs Bunny!" 231 "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)" The Southern colonel's voice and way of speaking are similar to that of Foghorn Leghorn whilst his mudflaps have him looking similar to Yosemite Sam. 13 282 "The Old Man and the Key" One of Los Souvenir Chaquitos wears a Tasmanian Devil jacket. 283 "Tales from the Public Domain" In the "D'oh, Brother Where Art Thou?" segment Captain Horatio McCallister plays the Greek sea god Poseidon and torments Homer's ship by creating a wave. McCallister then grins: "Ain't I a stinker?" This is a direct reference to the classic Warner Brothers cartoon "Duck Amuck" (1953), in which Daffy Duck is tormented by an invisible animator, who turns out to be Bugs Bunny in the end, grinning: "Ain't I a stinker?" 15 316 "The President Wore Pearls" Homer showed Lisa Bugs Bunny postage stamps. 16 345 "There's Something About Marrying" After Bart and Milhouse's attempt to get a seedless watermelon dropped on Barney Gumble by using a can of Duff Beer as bait backfires, Barney says to the boys "Now, as the Road Runner said to the coyote..." then jumps up like the Road Runner, saying "Meep-meep!" and zips off with a ricochet sound effect. 17 360 "Treehouse of Horror XVI" Maggie appears as a witch, with the same green skin as Looney Tunes witch Witch Hazel. 17 363 "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas" The rabbit at the Easter celebration is called Hugs Bunny, a reference to Bugs Bunny. Later, Homer mentions the Road Runner, surprised to learn there is an actual bird by that name. 18 383 "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)" The scene where Homer is getting chased by the helicopter drone is a parody of Looney Tunes. Homer fools the drone by reading a newspaper, dressing like a female drone, using soap suds to disguise himself as an old man in the bath (which prompts the drone to hold up a sign saying "Sorry, sir") and then sneaking around, hiding behind objects and luring the drone into a dark cupboard full of TNT and when the drone lights a match to see, it explodes. The monitor that the Army colonel is watching this on then says "That's All Folks!" 19 415 "Smoke on the Daughter" The couch gag shows Wile E. Coyote paint the couch on the wall. The family run into and gets hurt as Maggie zooms in and exclaims the Road Runner's one words "Meep Meep". 417 "Apocalypse Cow" One of the chickens is named "Leghorn", a reference to Foghorn Leghorn. 21 457 "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" Ned Flanders gets angry when Homer thinks that The Tomb of the Unknown Savior is the burial ground of Porky Pig. 22 476 "Homer the Father" The Itchy & Scratchy Show cartoon is titled "Ain't I a Stinger?", punning one of Bugs Bunny's catchphrases. 479 "The Scorpion's Tale" A Coyote and Road Runner appear in the desert in a parody of the Road Runner cartoons. 23 489 "Treehouse of Horror XXII" Ned Flanders killing Patty and Selma with a rock is a parody of the Road Runner cartoons. He then runs off with a "meep meep". 24 513 "Penny-Wiseguys" Bart mentions Bugs Bunny recognizing theme song. 520 "Love Is a Many-Splintered Thing" Marvin the Martian appears in the fighting video game Mixed Martian Arts. 25 547 "Luca$" A parody of Road Runner. 552 "The Yellow Badge of Cowardge" Edwin Moses falls off a cliff in a parody of the Road Runner cartoons. 27 579 "Treehouse of Horror XXVI" In the song "I Killed Bart Dead", Sideshow Bob sings the lyrics "I did what could not be done", to Bugs Bunny by Elmer Fudd, referencing the Looney Tunes' characters. 30 643 "Treehouse of Horror XXIX" The song Lisa sings in "Multiplisa-ty" is "You'll Be Trapped", a parody of "This Is It", the theme song for The Bugs Bunny Show, written by Mack David and Jerry Livingston. In "Geriatric Park", one of the Los Souvenir Jacquitos has the Tasmanian Devil on his jacket. 658 "Girl's in the Band" Mr. Largo has the band hold a note for a long time, causing an overweight trumpet player's formal wear to unravel. Bugs Bunny does the same thing to Giovanni Jones in the 1949 short Long-Haired Hare. 31 666 "Treehouse of Horror XXX" Homer imitates Porky Pig and says his catchphrase "That's all folks". 33 709 "Treehouse of Horror XXXII" Al Jean's name "That's Al, Jean" is a reference to the ending phrase of Looney Tunes episodes, "That's all, folks!" 710 "The Wayz We Were" The Hyper-Intelligent Cartoon Character captcha screen had pictures of Yosemite Sam and Egghead Jr. on.

Comics[edit]

Picture Comic issue Story name Reference Simpsons Illustrated Simpsons Illustrated #8 Cabin Fervor Several of the ways Bart Itchy attacks Homer Scratchy are parodies of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Simpsons Comics Simpsons Comics #41 Bart Simpson and the Krusty Brand Fun Factory At the end of the comic, Krusty says "That's all folks!" through a hole in a wall. Simpsons Comics #72 Homer's Run When Bart's pager starts beeping, Homer says, "Hey there's a Road Runner on the island. We eat tonight! Lisa, go get me a giant slingshot, anvil and some dynamite." Simpsons Comics #141 Grampa Flanders While looking for Grampa, Homer dressed up in a hunting uniform, saying: "'Be vewy, vewy quiet.", making him look and sound like Elmer Fudd. Simpsons Comics #179 Mousery The Elmer award is a statue of Elmer Fudd and is named after him. Bart Simpson Bart Simpson #38 Milhouse's Guide to Keeping It Cool Milhouse hops around Bart and acts like the character Chester the terrier with Spike the bulldog in the shorts Tree for Two and Dr. Jekyl's Hide. Bart Simpson #68 The Great Springfield Gold Rush In Ranger Todd's puppet show about the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, John Sutter says, "Shhh! Be vewwy, vewwy, quiet ... we're hunting gold!" in the same style as Elmer Fudd. Bart Simpson #81 Who the Bartman? After hearing from the other kids who they think Bartman is, Bart says that they are all "Looney Tunes". Simpsons Comics One-Shot Wonders Bart Simpson's Pal, Milhouse #1 The Imaginarium of Milhouse Van Houten When Milhouse climbs into the alliance's refuge shafts, he exclaims "By the moons of Looneytooine!", a reference to both Looney Tunes and Tatooine from Star Wars.

Books[edit]

Picture Book Reference Bart Simpson's Guide to Life The Tasmanian Devil is included in the "Wonderful World of Monsters" section and is mentioned as having come from the state of Tasmania, Australia.

Games[edit]

Picture Game Reference The Simpsons Game The chasm death cliché in the level Bargain Bin is a reference to Wile E. Coyote. The Simpsons: Tapped Out Hugs Bunny is a character in the game.

Special guest voices[edit]

Cast[edit]

Picture Name Role in Looney Tunes Role on The Simpsons Fred Armisen Voiced Speedy Gonzales in The Looney Tunes Show. Voiced Terrence in "The Day the Earth Stood Cool". Charles Barkley Played himself in Space Jam. Voiced himself in "The Great Phatsby: Part One". Dan Castellaneta Played a sports fan in Space Jam. Voices Homer Simpson and many other recurring characters. Danny DeVito Voiced Mr. Swackhammer in Space Jam. Voiced Herb Powell. Roy Firestone Voiced Egghead in Daffy Duck's Quackbusters. Voiced himself in "Bart Star". June Foray Provided the voice of Granny in Tweety & Sylvester and Witch Hazel in Bugs Bunny. Voiced the receptionist for the Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers Babysitting Service in the Season 1 episode "Some Enchanted Evening". Brendan Fraser Played D.J. Drake in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Voiced Brad in "King of the Hill". Jeff Gordon Played himself in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Voiced himself in "Adventures in Baby-Getting". Jess Harnell Voice of Tosh Gopher. Voiced Charlton Heston in the Season 13 episode "The Parent Rap". LeBron James Played himself in Space Jam: A New Legacy. Voiced himself in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass". Tom Jones Voiced himself in Duck Dodgers. Voiced himself in "Marge Gets a Job". Maurice LaMarche Voiced Pepé Le Pew in Space Jam. Has voiced many different characters in many episodes. Garry Marshall Voiced Dr. Weisberg in The Looney Tunes Show. Voiced Larry Kidkill in the Season 11 episode "Eight Misbehavin'" and Sheldon Leavitt in the Season 22 episode "Homer the Father". Steve Martin Played Mr. Chairman in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Voiced Ray Patterson in "Trash of the Titans". Ed McMahon Voiced himself in Duck Dodgers. Voiced himself in "Treehouse of Horror IX". Danny Trejo Voiced a lieutenant in the New Looney Tunes episode "Dorlock Vice". Voiced himself in the season 36 episode "Abe League of Their Moe". Billy West Voiced Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in Space Jam and other various roles. Voiced Zoidberg in The Simpsons Game and voiced Philip J. Fry, Zoidberg, and Professor Farnsworth in season 26 crossover episode "Simpsorama". Kristen Wiig Voice of Lola Bunny in The Looney Tunes Show. Voiced Calliope Juniper in the season 22 episode "Flaming Moe" and Annie Crawford in the season 25 episode "Homerland".

External links[edit]

• Looney Tunes at Wikipedia