One of the most iconic appearances of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck together came in the 1961 short titled, “The Abominable Snow Rabbit.” But which one do you think was the “rabbit” in this case? Well, close your eyes and think back, letting this refrain guide your memory of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny: “I will call him George.”
The Abominable Snow Rabbit
This short begins with Bugs tunneling through the snow in the Himalayan Mountains, with Daffy following in his wake.
Unfortunately for Daffy, he had tied his shirt around his head for warmth, and when he bumps into a gigantic foot under the snow, he is mistaken for a giant rabbit.
The snowman plucks Daffy off the ground and takes him home, where he soon pets his new “rabbit” and sings to it: “I will call him George.” The Abominable Snowman. Hugo, spends most of its time stroking Daffy’s head hard like this until Daffy realizes that the shirt on his head looks like rabbit ears. When he removes the shirt, the snowman sees the true shape of Daffy’s head and gets ready to eat him.
Daffy manages to stave off disaster by telling the monster where he can find a *real* rabbit — Bugs Bunny!
The snowman eagerly sets off in search of Bugs, following his burrowed trail through the snow.
Daffy follows after, hoping to finally witness Bugs’ demise.
As always, though, Bugs is wily, and the episode cuts to a tropical beach scene where Bugs — in disguise — chats with a sweating, melting Hugo.
Daffy, meanwhile, disappointed that his nemesis has escaped again, now realizes he’s been tricked. When he pops up on the beach, Bugs snaps rabbit ears on him and Hugo turns his attention once again to Daffy.
“A bunny wabbit!”
And, once again, Daffy finds himself in Hugo’s clutches, with another name change …
“I will call him George.”
The Multi-Talented Mr. Blanc
All three characters in this Bugs Bunny short were voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc.
Blanc was a famous voice actor and comedy writer who lent his talent to cartoons in the golden age of Hollywood animation, from 1929 until 1989.
Blanc is best known for his work on Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, but he also voiced Porky Pig, Tweety Bird’s Granny (first as Beaky Buzzard), Barney Rubble, and many more.
A Pierce-ing Commentary
The story for “The Abominable Snow Rabbit” was written by Tedd Pierce, who also created some of the most memorable cartoons in history. His credits include “The Flintstones”, “Sylvester and Tweety” (as well as many other shows), and episodes of Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, The Jetsons, Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
A Jones for Direction
“The Abominable Snow Rabbit” was directed by Looney Tunes legend himself, Chuck Jones. Jones directed over 300 animated shorts, including “One Froggy Evening” and the Oscar-winning short “The Dot and The Line”.
A Catchy Little Ditty
Milt Franklyn wrote the musical score for “The Abominable Snow Rabbit.” Franklyn was a composer for Looney Tunes for a decade before his death in 1962. His other credits included “Tweetie Pie” and “King-Size Canary”.
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