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Little red riding rabbit title card 1282

Little Red Riding Rabbit is a 1944 Warner Bros Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Bugs Bunny. This is the first time Mel Blanc receives a credit for a cartoon.

It is a parody of the Little Red Riding Hood story, in which Red, a typical 1940s teenage bobbysoxer with a very loud, grating voice, is bringing a rabbit [Bugs] to her grandma "to have". Of course, a big bad wolf is waiting for them.

This short is also No. 39 on The 50 Greatest Cartoons list. It also made it onto The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes list.


Tropes Found in this Cartoon Include:[]

  • The Bad Guy Wins: Bugs, annoyed by Red's interruptions, switches the Big Bad Wolf, who was about to fall onto red hot coals because of all the furniture Bugs threw on him, with Red. Bugs and the Wolf, arms around each other and sharing a carrot, watch proudly as Red soon gets what she deserves.
  • Ear Worm: The song Red sings at the beginning is not only this, but one of the most annoying sounds known to man, easily setting her up as a contender for the most irritating red riding hood of all time.
  • Kick the Son of a Bitch: As noted above, Red truly isn't a bad person, but she's just so annoying that Bugs (after getting tired of her obnoxious behavior) puts her into the trap that he had set for the Big Bad Wolf.
  • Never Mess with Granny: Though unseen, Red's grandmother is implied to be a Rosie the Riveter type who was out working a "swing" shift at Lockheed [an aircraft manufacturing company].
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed/Shout-Out: Red's voice is inspired by Cass Daley, a comic actress from screen and radio.
    • At one point, the wolf does an impression of French actor Charles Boyer to get rid of Red.
  • No Indoor Voice: Red. No matter what she says, it's loud and obnoxious. "HEEEEY GRANDMA!!! I BROTCHA A LIL' BUNNY RABBIT! TA HAVE!!"
  • Off-Model: Bugs' chest, tail, gloves, and facial fur are a yellowish off-white (at least in the restored print).
  • Panty Shot: Just not the kind you usually expect, given the era. Also averted at the end when she does the "splits" in her dress, but modestly facing away from the camera.
  • Road Sign Reversal: The wolf sends Red on the long way to Grandma's house, which weaves around an entire mountain. Funny enough this only gives him enough time to read the note Grandma left on the door, change clothes, and kick some other wolves out of the bed.
  • Running Gag: Red interrupting Bugs and the wolf's shenanigans by trying to say her lines about Grandma.
  • The Runt At the End: The wolf finds a bunch of other wolves in Grandma's bed and tells them to beat it. After he lies down he feels something stirring and finds a small wolf left over.
  • Scooby-Dooby Doors: The Wolf and Bugs wind up chasing each other through several doors in Grandma's surprisingly roomy house.
  • Verbal Tic: Red ends a lot of her lines with the exclamation "Ta' Have!", just another thing that makes her so very irritating.
  • Wafer-Thin Mint: Bugs is about to add the literal last straw on the pile the wolf is holding when Red interrupts... which to Bugs is the metaphorical last straw.
  • Wartime Cartoon: Red's grandmother working at an aircraft factory.