Bugs in a World Full of Mickeys
The subversive allure of pop culture's coolest rabbit.
Imagine being a young woman in America in the early 20th century. The Civil War was over, women could vote, and prohibition made drinking more fun. Jazz was the soundtrack, and for a while, you were a flapper with short hair, a short skirt, and a healthy dose of irreverence. You attended racially integrated events and drank until sunrise. To some, your behavior was scandalous, and that was the icing on the cake.
The fuddy-duddies of your parent’s generation demanded the kind of propriety and obedience that had ruled American society for generations. These unquestionable Victorian ideals of morality were your foil; ideas ripe for nose-thumbing.
The cultural tide was starting to turn against tradition, and you could feel it. Young people started to talk back to society, challenge convention, and ask uncomfortable questions like “Why not?” Your attitude of open rebellion was contagious and fed a moral panic. These subversive ideas rode radio waves into millions of homes, including your own. It was a blast, but it couldn’t last forever.
Let’s fast forward to the 1930s and 40s. You’re a little older and the Great Depression has taken a toll. But you’re still full of irreverence and disdain for the mainstream.
Into your world stepped two defining figures of America: Mickey Mouse (1928) and Bugs Bunny (1940). These figures starred in animated films that won Academy Awards and were hugely popular. They also represented an early version of a dichotomy that would eventually inform your perspective on popular culture.
The Mouse
When you saw Mickey Mouse on the silver screen, he made an impression. The early animations were fun, the stories were good, and Mickey was a little mischievous. Over time, he became what he is today: a bland role model with a can-do attitude.
The Rabbit
Years later, Bugs Bunny, the original “wascally wabbit” comes onto the scene. Unlike Mickey, Bugs has an attitude, comedic timing, and an authentic voice. He’s a trickster who has a quip for every situation and a plan for outwitting hapless foes like Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. His carrot is a lot like a cigarette or Groucho Marx’s cigar.
Bugs reminds you of the Roaring 20s. He’s relaxed and composed. He’s hip and aware. He’s challenging the stuffy expectations of the mainstream and doing it with an authentic voice. Though you don’t use the word in this way, you could say he’s cool.
The Anti-Mickey
Noticing this difference makes a deep impression on you. The culture is being sorted before your eyes. On one side is Mickey and generations of moral scrutiny. On the other is Bugs Bunny, and he’s moving on.
Once you see this dichotomy, it seems to appear wherever you look. With the right perspective, the world appears to brim with Mickeys, all reading from the same traditional script: conventional, appropriate, good, and boring.
To you, Bugs is the anti-Mickey. He’s witty, edgy, and mischievous. His language, humor, and appearance feel authentic and familiar. He talks back. In a sea of Mickeys, Bugs stands out, and you get it.
The Start of Bigger Things
To you, Bugs Bunny is another signal that culture is shifting, just as it did in the 1920s. His attitude and persona are more at home in jazz clubs and dance halls than in boardrooms, churches, or at dinner tables. You can see it in Louis Armstrong and the Harlem Renaissance. You, and millions of others, can hear it on the radio.
Then it hits you:
In a world full of Mickeys, you want to be a Bugs. And you’re not alone.
A Bit of History
A Warner Brothers director, Ben “Bugs” Hardaway, came up with the idea of using a rabbit, which his colleagues referred to as “Bugs’ Bunny.”
Bugs Bunny’s persona is likely based on African folklore and stories that include rabbits as tricksters. The story of Br’er Rabbit (Brother Rabbit) is an example.
Celery producers tried to get Warner Brothers to use celery instead of carrots for Bugs.
”Since Bugs (Bunny) rose to stardom he has chomped his way through thousands of carrots in 160 films. Consumption of carrots in the United States shot up in the first few years after he appeared. Vegetable producers were soon beating a path to Warners’ door. The Utah Celery Company of Salt Lake City was among the first. It offered to keep all the staff at Warners supplied with celery for the rest of their lives if Bugs would switch to celery.”
To learn more about the history of coolness, check out The Roots of Cool.
Funny that the same exact year (1940) that Bugs debuted, Mickey dipped a toe into counter-culture and tripped balls in Fantasia.