From the Ace Novelty Co. of Walla Walla, WA

What’s your favorite cartoon?

I’ve watched a lot of cartoons over the years, from the classic cartoons from before I was born to an occasional sampling of more modern animated entertainment. Of course I have some favorites, and others I look at and think, “Who would watch this?”

But then I think there are bands whose mucus (oops, I needed autocorrect there: music!) sounds like noise to me, and they still have a following. So I guess it’s all a matter of personal taste.

The Simpsons, shows on Adult Swim, and pretty much all Anime makes me do that dog turn-the-head-to-the-side-and-say-huh? look. People will start to talk about any of these and how great they are and my eyes glaze over, like an extra protective eyelid. I just don’t get it.

Yet, a few years ago, I became fascinated by Ren and Stimpy. There was just something about the ridiculous characters, the silly stories, and the artwork’s aesthetic that hooked me. I watched those shows weekly, and then watched them again. The song for the “Log” commercial got stuck in my head, and I looked forward to each episode. And then—I just stopped watching, and I have no idea why.

But let’s return to those thrilling cartoons of yesteryear! Sure, I watched Tom and Jerry, but the best cartoons ever came from the Warner Brothers studio. I place Bugs Bunny and his compatriots at the pinnacle of the cartooniverse.

Sure, there’s some racist stuff in there, and there’s an occasional suicide ads character will shooting himself in the head. And yes, there’s lots of violence, but has anyone ever proven watching it causes violent behavior? I would think that, if cartoon violence did affect someone in that way, there might be more causes than a short animated film.

I don’t like all Warner Brothers cartoons equally. Some of the later ones, after the 1940s and 1950s, don’t have the same hand-drawn quality, and the stories are lacking. Also, Pepe LePew and Speedy Gonzales were always peripheral to me, long before I realized that they are not very politically correct. (How does Pepe LePew function in the age of consent?) But how can you not cheer for Bugs Bunny when he’s pitted against a myriad of foes: Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian (of whom I do a passable imitation), and that big bully-brute who reappears in various roles as prizefighter, wrestler, construction worker, etc.?

And that’s the thing about Bugs. He’s usually very easy-going. The full force of his retaliation doesn’t happen until he’s provoked. The words “Kill the Wabbit” (especially when sung in operatic fashion in What’s Opera, Doc) put him into overdrive to create the maximum cartoon mischief. Maybe this should serve as a good example for our behavior on social media; they don’t do/say anything to us, don’t do/say anything to them.

Not to sound like one of those old people, but “Kids today! They don’t know what great cartoons were!” Which is why I showed several Bugs Bunnies in my Intro to Theatre class, to demonstrate what vaudeville was like (Stage Door Cartoon) and the aforementioned opera as a companion piece to talking about Richard Wagner, the famous composer. The Warner Brothers cartoons need to be preserved and, more importantly, watched because they really are that good.