FOXSYLVANIA

A classic Looney Tunes feature from 1948 is brought to your attention here as it includes a fox! In What Makes Daffy Duck?, you’ll note that the characters are drawn somewhat differently from this time period, especially Daffy. The inclusion of a fox is wonderful, and it makes me wish that Warner Bros. had perhaps included an on-going fox character, perhaps as a foil to Bugs and Daffy, even if they couldn’t render fox hind legs properly. The ‘toon was still remarkably ahead of its time for 1948, and what a wonderful closing line for Daffy…”Obviously, I’m dealing with inferior mentalities!”

It would seem that poor Daffy can’t even take a shower in the outdoors without drawing the attention of Elmer, but also of a rather lean and determined fox, who is easily as bright as Elmer, and manages to hold his own against him in spite of not having a firearm. The fox does speak, in addition, and manages to make off with Daffy at one point, although Daffy never appears terribly concerned about either Elmer or the fox…

It’s interesting to see Daffy featured in a type of role that in the future would be largely relegated to Bugs, who generally is more sarcastic and cerebral than Daffy, who is more manic. At any rate, I’ve attached a shortened version of the cartoon for you to enjoy that is basically the beginning and ending. Longer full versions are available on line, but those on YouTube have review voice-overs on them, which I find annoying…

And just a reminder that the new feature-length cartoon, The Day the Earth Blew Up, is opening on March 14th, 2025, featuring Daffy, Porky, and Petunia…