Since the late 1930s, the incredible cast of Looney Tunes characters have cheered us up and made life that much more enjoyable, not only when we watched as children but even as adults re-watching the show with our children who were experiencing it for their first time. The timeless humor found in the animated frames of Looney Tunes hasn’t aged a day in the decades since Bugs, Daffy, and co. first showed up on our screens. We’ll remember them for time eternal. Here are our picks for the best Looney Tunes scenes and moments that remain our favorites, that we’ll never forget.
8. Where the Deer and the Antelope…
When Sylvester and Porky stop at a hotel for the night, Sylvester realizes that the mice are trying to kill them. However, Porky merely thinks that Sylvester is afraid and chastizes him. When the night of horror is over and Porky suggests staying longer, Sylvester—his nerves shot to pieces—takes a bat and thumps Porky over the head so hard that Porky ends up repeating the same line of “Home on the Range” over and over again. The moment is pure hilarity as we watch Sylvester do what he must to get out of the hotel, all while Porky takes a whack for his ignorance.
7. Wile E. Coyote and the Cliff
It’s a gag that everybody has seen thousands of times, in multitudes of different ways, yet it always made us laugh. As Wile E. Coyote chases after the cunning and ever-elusive Road Runner, he often ends up on a cliff edge moments before tumbling over it. Every time it happens, it’s always a great joy to watch the embattled Coyote fall to the canyon floor with a heavy thump. The very first time we witness this will always remain a classic Looney Tunes moment in our hearts.
6. Bugs and the Snowman
The Abominable Snowman has always wanted a pet bunny rabbit, so when Bugs and Daffy accidentally end up in the frozen wastes of the Himalayas, the Snowman thinks he’s got his wish. But with Bugs being Bugs, he uses his cunning to make sure Daffy is always in the line of fire for the Snowman’s rough petting. The moment that gives us the biggest laugh comes when Bugs makes the Snowman think Daffy is a rabbit, leaving Daffy struggling against the massive creature. The episode is among the show’s greatest, and when the Snowman names Daffy “George,” it reaches its hilarious apex.
5. Daffy vs. The Animator
In what’s arguably the most high-concept episode in Looney Tunes history, Daffy fights against the animator to keep things on track. At first, when Daffy walks off screen into a blank background, he breaks the fourth wall and asks the animator for some scenery. But when the animator keeps giving him unrelated environments, Daffy grows impatient and asks the animator to make up their mind. As the short becomes more and more absurd—and Daffy grows more and more furious—he ends up screaming at the person with the pencil, and that’s when the perfect moment arrives: it was never a Warner Brothers worker behind the pranks; it was Bugs Bunny. The last-second reveal leaves us in stitches as the battle between Bugs and Daffy rages on, with Bugs always seeming to get the high ground.
4. Duck Dodgers vs. Marvin the Martian
Duck Dodgers was its own animated TV series in the early 2000s, but it spawned from an original Looney Tunes short featuring Daffy in a battle against Marvin the Martian for Planet X. With Porky at his side, Daffy lands on Planet X and claims it for Earth seconds before Marvin the Martian arrives and claims it for Mars. The pair’s stand-off is epic, with both using their various weapons against each other to brutal ends. However, the best moment comes when Daffy and Marvin both fire up their weapons of mass destruction and end up destroying the planet in an almighty blast. The obliteration leaves them clinging to the last remaining rock, with Daffy still claiming for Earth.
3. Sir Loin of Beef
When Bugs Bunny finds himself entangled in a fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham, he pulls out all the stops to ensure the traditionally villainous character is humiliated. The best moment of the episode comes at the end when Bugs is dressed as the King and bestows multiple knighthoods on the Sheriff, repeatedly cracking him on the head with his scepter as he shouts “Arise!” followed by a nonsense title: Baron of Munchausen, Loin of Beef, Earl of Cloves, etc.
2. Duck Season, Rabbit Season
Chuck Jones’ Hunting Trilogy is a series of shorts that’s considered among the best and funniest in the entire history of the series. Each episode of the trilogy features Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer Fudd fighting amongst one another, with Daffy using Bugs as a decoy to avoid being shot by Elmer and Bugs using his cunning to ensure Daffy ends up on the receiving end whenever Fudd fires. However, the moment of brilliance that lives among the most iconic comedy scenes ever written comes when Bugs and Daffy take turns ripping off hunting posters from a tree. When people think of Looney Tunes, the image of Bugs and Daffy shouting “Duck season!” and “Rabbit season!” is always at the forefront.
1. Elmer Fudd Kills Bugs Bunny
While Looney Tunes is always about laughter, the best moment in the history of the show is brilliant because it only ever happened once. In “What’s Opera, Doc?” Bugs Bunny takes on the role of a fleeing innocent against the rage of Elmer Fudd’s mighty hunter who’s armed with spear and magic helmet. The whole sequence is set against a parody backdrop of a Richard Wagner opera. Bugs, as he often does, uses his intellect to humiliate Fudd in several ways—but on this occasion, Bugs flees the wrath of Elmer only for Elmer to use his helmet to destroy the cave where Bugs is hiding. Fudd kills Bugs and then looks on as his rage dies down, realizing what he has done in taking Bugs’ life. Crying, Fudd collects his body and walks away with it in his arms, ending with a side remark from Bugs about operas and happy endings. It’s the best moment of the show, ever. Read next: The Best Animated TV Show Intros and Openings, Ranked
