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Cartoon evolution: From Egghead to Elmer Fudd
Let's explore Elmer Fudd's origin story!
Elmer Fudd lives in cartoon history as a bumbling, but beloved, huntsman armed with an iconic speech impediment and a reckless desire to hunt Bugs Bunny. But as a character in the Looney Tunes universe, he didn't start out that way. Many animation historians point Elmer's origins to an entirely different character: Egghead.
Egghead's first appearance was in the 1937 Tex Avery short Egghead Rides Again where Egghead, a wannabe cowboy, mails himself to Bar None Ranch in Wahoo, Wyoming. The other cowboys give Egghead a tryout to join their outfit; he fails at most of the tasks, until he has to chase an escaped calf back into the ranch. He giggles and stumbles his way to success. This version of the character is much younger and with a sharp, slightly-raspy voice more like Daffy Duck than Elmer Fudd. Egghead also differs in appearance from Elmer, he has a big bulbous nose, clownishly large feet, and is very short compared to the other characters. But, like Elmer, he is bald underneath his comically large cowboy hat.
At the time, most Warner Bros. cartoon characters were one and done, but Tex Avery decided to bring Egghead back for Daffy Duck & Egghead. In this short, much like Elmer, he's hunting Daffy Duck. Also like Elmer, he shushes the audience because he's hunting a duck. In this short, Egghead's voice is more mellowed out and he has a Moe Howard-style black bowl cut. Egghead ends up in many of the same scenarios we later see Elmer go through in the Rabbit Season, Duck Season style shorts: the animal being hunted regularly outsmarts the hunter over and over again, the chase continuing even after the short has ended.
Much of the controversy in the Egghead/Elmer debate stems from Little Red Walking Hood, another Tex Avery short that places the classic Little Red Riding Hood story in the 1930s, with a flashy wolf driving a big yellow car. The short premiered between Egghead Rides Again and Daffy Duck & Egghead; the character is listed as "Elmer" but he looks exactly like Egghead - short, bulbous nose, egg-shaped head. This time around, Elmer wears a mismatched green suit paired with a bowler hat and whistles for most of the short before saving Red Riding Hood. When he finally speaks, we hear another voice change, this time a more goofy, bubbly voice entirely different from the two previous Egghead voices. Both Egghead and Elmer continued to have interchangeable shorts throughout 1937 and 1938, appearing basically identical and both voiced by the same voice actor, Danny Webb.
After 1938's Count Me Out, Egghead is never seen again and Elmer Fudd, in his green suit and bowler hat, carry on. So, did Egghead evolve into Elmer Fudd or was he just discontinued as a character? Many fans have reached the conclusion that Egghead and Elmer were developed as different characters, they were later merged into just Elmer because they were just too similar and the audience (and maybe even the animators) were getting confused. Animation historian Michael Barrier brings up opposing evidence cited in the Library of Congress description of one of the earliest Elmer Fudd cartoons, Cinderella Meets Fella, where the copyright description lists Elmer Fudd as Egghead's brother. Even with this information, Elmer and Egghead existing as distinct characters is still hotly debated to this day. Also, Elmer and Egghead are never seen in a Looney Tunes short together, which may have led to assumptions that they were one character and why the distinction between the two characters is murky even to this day.
Elmer's character continued evolving after Egghead's departure, and the biggest change came with Elmer's new voice actor: Arthur Q. Bryan. As animators softened Elmer's appearance to a taller figure with a chin, smaller head and nose, Bryan added complexity with Elmer's new speech impediment. Doing an impression of another Looney Tunes character, Dan McFoo, Bryan had Elmer pronounce his R's and L's like W's. This vocal change secured Bryan a job as the main voice of Elmer Fudd for the rest of his life, but also cemented Elmer's sound. While this Elmer was so different from previous versions, he still wore the Egghead-adjacent uniform of a green suit and bowler hat. But, he did chase a rabbit, albeit as an aspiring nature photographer trying to take a photo.
This version of Elmer would be the go-to for several shorts until one fateful classic changed everything. 1940's A Wild Hare gave us the Elmer we know and love today - with his hunting cap, hunting clothes, and gun, whispering "Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting rabbits!". Finally, after three years, multiple voice actors, a controversial character, and some outfit changes, Looney Tunes finally reached classic Elmer. Surely, no more changes were needed, right?
Wrong. Classic Elmer lasted until 1941 when one more change was made to Elmer's character. That's right, it's time to talk about Fat Elmer. Now, a more heavyset Elmer with a big belly appeared on the screen, modeled after Arthur Q. Bryan's appearance. This time around, instead of being the instigator in a cartoon, Elmer was usually the victim of Bugs Bunny's pestering and pranks. Fat Elmer lasted five shorts until audiences begged for the old Elmer to come back, and traditional Elmer returned in Hare Brained Hypnotist. From there, classic Elmer solidified his spot as Bugs Bunny's main opposition both as a hunter, but also as a civilian. Funnily enough, Elmer's civilian clothes are often a green suit and a bowler hat, so even if Egghead is not the proto-Elmer, Egghead is consistently referenced and remembered throughout Elmer's cartoon history.
