Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character, created by the staff of Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by the "Man of a Thousand Voices," Mel Blanc.[2] Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. during the golden age of American animation. His popularity during this era led to his becoming an American cultural icon, as well as a corporate mascot of Warner Bros. Entertainment.[3]

Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray hare or rabbit who is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality, a pronounced New York accent, his portrayal as a trickster, and his catch phrase "Eh... What's up, doc?", usually said while chewing a carrot. Though Warner Bros. began experimenting with a rabbit character in cartoons during the late 1930s, the definitive character of Bugs Bunny is widely considered to have made his debut in director Tex Avery's Oscar-nominated film A Wild Hare (1940).[1]

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