Bugs Bunnys Iconic Catchphrase Was Made In Texas!

Texas has invented quite a few iconic things and in case you didnt know, now you can add Bugs Bunnys catchphrase "Whats up, Doc?" to the list!

To be fair, Bugs Bunny was actually created by a whole team of legendary animators, but Texas gets credit for the popular catch phrase and that's pretty cool!

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J.B. 'Bugs' Hardaway

The first image of the timeless 'wabbit' comes from animator J.B. 'Bugs' Hardaway, who drew Bugs for the first time as a random character in a different cartoon in 1938 before his official appearance in 1940. This is how Bugs got the famous name, Bugs Bunny.

Tex Avery

Tex Avery was the animator who put Bugs on the small screen for the first time as his own character. Tex was responsible for Bugs Bunny's first cartoon "A Wild Hare" from 1940. Tex was actually born in Taylor, TX and went to high school in Dallas. It was in the halls of Avery's North Dallas High School that the phrase 'What's up, Doc?' was invented. Back then, people said "doc" the way people say "dude" now so the phrase followed Tex out of high school and right into the cartoon. Tex says the carrots actually came from a Clark Gable scene in the movie "It Happened One Night" where Gable is seen eating carrots against a fence. Believe it or not, this movie reference is why people think rabbits eat carrots!

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Chuck Jones

Chuck is the mastermind who developed Bugs personality over the years and built him up to be the goofy, clever, trickster we know him as now! Technically it was a team of people who developed the character including other iconic animators but Chuck often gets the most credit. His mannerisms, his quirks, all these came from Chuck and the team!

Mel Blanc

Of course, we cant talk about Bugs Bunny without giving credit to the person that brought Bugs to life, Mel Blanc. Mel Blanc is considered a prolific voice actor and his nickname 'The Man of A Thousand Voices' is no joke! During his time in radio, TV, and movies, Mel Blanc is credited with over a thousand unique voices that he could perform on que with no issue! Mel Blanc did the voices for Bugs Bunny of course, but also for basically every single character of your cartoon childhood. Especially if you grew up with The Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons.