Elmer Fudd

### Friends

Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, Tasmanian Devil (sometimes), Gossamer, Witch Hazel, Nasty Canasta, Rocky and Mugsy, Cecil Turtle, Michael Jordan, Stan Podolak, The Nerdlucks/ The Monstars, Mr. Chairman, LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Judge Doom, Toon Patrol, The Witch Doctor, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Captain Rochefort, The Giant, Mr. Lawyer, Mr. Johnson, Terisha, Lex Luthor, Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman (formerly), Black Manta, Professor Zoom, Sinestro, Cheetah, Captain Nils Helstrom, Major Strasser, Bugs Bunny (sometimes), Daffy Duck (sometimes), Speedy Gonzales (sometimes), Tweety (sometimes), Sylvester (sometimes), Porky Pig (sometimes), Tasmanian Devil (sometimes), Granny (sometimes), Lola Bunny (sometimes), Pepe Le Pew (sometimes), Tina Russo (sometimes), Foghorn Leghorn (sometimes), Pete Puma (sometimes), Mac and Tosh (sometimes), Road Runner (sometimes), Petunia Pig (sometimes), Penelope Pussycat (sometimes), other friends

### Enemies

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Tweety, Sylvester, Porky Pig, Tasmanian Devil, Granny, Lola Bunny, Pepe Le Pew, Tina Russo, Foghorn Leghorn, Pete Puma, Mac and Tosh, Road Runner, Petunia Pig, Penelope Pussycat, Mr. Swackhammer, The Nerdlucks/ The Monstars (formerly), D.J. Drake, Kate Houghton, Roger Rabbit, Eddie Valiant, Jessica Rabbit, Baby Herman, Benny the Cab, Dolores, Lt. Santino, Marvin Acme, R.K. Maroon, Ann Darrow, King Kong, Jack Driscoll, Carl Denham, Charles Weston, Charlie the Cook, Captain Englehorn, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Constance Bonacieux, D'Artagnan, King Louis XIII of France, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Jack, Humpty Dumpty, Three Little Pigs, Golden Harp, Three Bears, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Gena, Mama Dinosaur, Lenny, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Twins, Gleek, The Flash, Catwoman, Rick Blain, Ilsa Lund, Victor Laszlo, Sam, Captain Louis Renault, Ugarte, Al-G Rhythm, Goon Squad, other enemies

**Elmer J. Fudd** is one of the main antagonists of the *Looney Tunes* franchise.

He often appears as the archenemy of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. His one-sided rivalry with Bugs and Daffy has become legendary.

## Portrayals

* From 1937 to 1939, his prototype **Egghead** was voiced by Danny Webb.
* From 1940 to 1959, he was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan.
* In 1940, 1950, 1957 and 1960 to 1989, he was voiced by Mel Blanc.
* In *A Feud There Was*, his singing voice was provided by Roy Rogers.
* In 1958, he was voiced by Dave Barry.
* In 1960 and 1961, he was voiced by Hal Smith.
* From 1990 to 2001, he was voiced by Greg Burson.
* From 1991-1992 and 2000, he was voiced by Joe Alaskey.
* From 1996 to 2015, he was voiced by Billy West.
* In 1990-1993 and since 2014, he is voiced by Jeff Bergman.
* In 2018 and 2021, he was voiced by Eric Bauza.

## Biography

Elmer is Bugs' arch-nemesis in the Bugs Bunny cartoons and Bugs' most recurring enemy. He is a hunter who wishes to trap Bugs, but the intelligent hare always tricks him and wins. Elmer first appeared in the cartoon "Elmer's Candid Camera". Comedian Arthur Q Bryan provided the character's voice.

Despite being a villain, Elmer Fudd is not very wicked as he has good intentions sometimes. He also respects hunting laws, best shown in the cartoon, *Rabbit Fire*. Elmer is ready to try and hunt Bugs Bunny (and Daffy Duck, to a lesser extent), his actions often lead to Bugs tricking him in many ways and this infuriates Elmer to the point he has threatened to kill the rabbit - though it's worth noting when Bugs tricks Elmer into believing he has succeeded in this Elmer shows great remorse, suggesting that he does not truly wish to murder Bugs at all. In "Rabbit Fire", he reveals that he is a vegetarian and only hunts for the sport of it.

It’s worth noting that Elmer is actually among the few antagonists to outright defeat Bugs in a cartoon despite his incompetence. He spent entirely of "Rabbit Rampage" tormenting Bugs with the artist's pen (something of a karmic throwback to Bugs doing the same to Daffy in "Duck Amuck"). After the two suffer slippage insanity in "Hare Brush", Elmer undergoes a role reversal with Bugs, convinced they are now in each other's respective roles. The cartoon ends with Bugs arrested over the massive debts "he" has left since Elmer lost his mind while "Bugs" shows relief at least this screwy wabbit won't be going to Alcatraz. He has also been victorious over other protagonists such as Daffy Duck in many other cartoons.

Bugs also used female drag disguises to dupe Elmer. In "Rabbit Fire", Bugs disguises as a female hunter and kisses Elmer in his nose. In "Rabbit Seasoning", Bugs dressed as a sexy young lady and kissed Elmer in his nose again. In the "What's Opera Doc", Bugs disguises as Brunhilde and tricks Elmer again.

In "Rabbit of Seville", Bugs dresses as a temptress and dances for Elmer. In the same short, Bugs offers Elmer some flowers, chocolates and a ring. Happily wanting Bugs to marry him, Elmer dresses as his blushing bride. Delighted, Bugs dresses as a groom and the couple marries. Bugs run with his "beautiful bride" into a long flight of stairs, and he throws Fudd into a wedding cake. Bugs and Elmer married again in "Bugs Bonnets", although, this time, Bugs has really fallen in love with Elmer.

Elmer Fudd is famous for pronouncing "r" and "l" as "w", especially when he says "wabbit" and "hewwo". In fact, this trait alone is what many people associate with Elmer: of particular fame is his catchphrase: "Be vewy, vewy quiet! I'm hunting wabbits!", followed by a signature laugh. It's worth noting Elmer breaks the fourth wall when doing this phrase and talks directly to the audience.

Elmer Fudd is depicted, in all forms, as a human (except in "Beanstalk Bunny", where he is a giant), always bald, and is almost always a hunter of some description. It is debatable how experienced he is since he seems incapable of utilizing skills associated with hunting - though he does have a shotgun and seems to know some basic tracking-skills via identifying "wabbit tracks". He is occasionally depicted as having other jobs, including being a farmer, prospector, surveyor, and even a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

## Other Media

### Batman/Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd serves as the anti-heroic protagonist of the crossover. He dates Silver St. Cloud until she is supposedly killed by Bugs "The Bunny". He decides to kill Bugs until Bugs claims Bruce Wayne hired him to kill St. Cloud. He shoots Wayne and attempts to kill him but narrowly fails. He later fights Batman, before teaming up to find St. Cloud's killer. It is eventually revealed St. Cloud faked her death to unite Fudd and Batman, to see what would happen.

### *The Far Side*

Elmer Fudd appears in a cartoon in *The Far Side*, where he's fired from a screwdriver factory for his verbal tic "having a subliminal effect" on the workers.

### Commercials

Elmer Fudd appears in a commercial for Geico insurance, where the host ask, "Could switching to Geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? Does Elmer Fudd have trouble with the letter R?".

## Trivia

* Elmer may have been an updated version of another character named Egghead; designed by Tex Avery himself, Egghead looked similar to Elmer, but younger, with a large, bulbous nose, and a voice similar to that of Joe Penner. He appeared in several cartoons from 1937 to 1940, the year where Elmer Fudd made his first true appearance.
* Elmer is Bugs's most classic foe, as he appeared as the main antagonist in the Bugs Bunny cartoons more often than anyone else.
* While Bugs usually manages to outwit, outfox, and-or make a fool of Elmer, he managed to get the better of Bugs in "Rabbit Rampage", "Hare Brush", and *maybe* "What's Opera Doc?", depending on the viewer's interpretation. He seems to have a lot more luck when his foil is someone else, like Daffy, whom his success rate is about even.
* It is unknown when Elmer became a vegetarian because in the cartoon "Easter Yeggs" he attempts to make stew out of Bugs Bunny, and the cartoon "What's My Lion?" where he prepares a steak for himself (which is promptly stolen by a mountain lion). Notably, "What's My Lion?" was aired long after "Rabbit Fire", the short where he claims to be a vegetarian.
* Elmer's non-threatening disposition was the subject of criticism for many of the Warner Bros creative team, particularly director Friz Freleng, who thought Elmer's mild-mannered and dimwitted personality made it harder to place him against Bugs without the latter coming off as a bully rather than a retaliating trickster. As such several other, more menacing adversaries such as Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian were created to take his place. Despite this, Elmer remained a recurring antagonist in many Bugs cartoons, though their rivalry became somewhat more laid back.
	+ On that topic, the Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts seem to be trying to address this issue since in at least a few of the episodes, Elmer has shown a far worse temper than in the older ones, and has acted in more petty, spiteful and vindictive ways towards Bugs that have made his retaliation seem more justified.
* According to the *Looney Tunes* fans, there are various songs where the lead singer vaguely sounds like Elmer including "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth, and "Someday" by Sugar Ray.
* In 2000, Mark V. McCollum had recorded the song called "Kill The Wabbit" (which is apparently based on the *Looney Tunes* short "What's Opera, Doc?") and named Elmer being the lead singer as Ozzy Fudd. Live at the Comedy Tonight club in San Francisco 1992 (which is from the VHS tape), Mark is seen on the stage asking the audience, "Speaking of dudes, what would it be like if Elmer Fudd had a punk song and his punk song was into heavy metal and Ozzy Fudd had a hit video on MTV? Did you ever think what there would be like? *I* have!", and performing the song as he portrays the voice impression of Elmer. While it is currently unknown whatever happened to Mark V. McCollum, the song is often credited to other bands such as Metallica and Megadeth.
* In *Family Guy*, Elmer Fudd succeeded in killing Bugs Bunny.
* Due to an odd case of censorship, the Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts aren't allowing characters like Elmer and Yosemite Sam to use firearms. Therefore, Elmer is consistently seen without his signature shotgun, and is instead using various other weapons like dynamite, which are oddly considered fair game. However, in *Rotund Rabbit*, Elmer repossess his signature shotgun.