Daffy Duck: The Everyman?

I miss Looney Tunes.

Those hand drawn cartoons from the 1940s-1960s had a special something: It's not often you find that level of comedy and dialogue in today's "cookie cutter" cartoons (See Nickelodeon). Should we blame the internet and the proliferation of every joke in existence, mass commercialization, or the failure of this and younger generations to mature past Spongebob.

I liked Spongebob; he was peculiar, perky, imaginative, and colourful. I suppose as the money poured in, there was no need to expand on the Spongebob brand, so his character did not develop, episodes became carbon copies of past ones, and the commercial appeal of Spongebob became more important than the cartoon. Here is a little perspective for you: Spongebob began on May 1st, 1999. I was picking my nose and playing Nintendo 64 as a high schooler in 1999 o_O

Classic Daffy Duck pose

If Daffy Duck emerged in today's cartoon television landscape in the twenty-first century, where would we place him: Saturday morning kids specials, after school theater, or in the mature audiences bracket? As a youngster, I thought Bugs Bunny was my favourite cartoon character, but as I grew up I grew to like Daffy: He was arrogant, jealous, inconsistent, and yet a master of comedic timing, in particular when the artists directed the jokes at the lovable duck. I had the misfortune of watching the cartoon B-movie Space Jam, which starred Michael Jordan, and I felt so bad for Daffy because he received none of the plaudits. He wanted to be a team player on Jordan's team, but the movie geared towards making Daffy Duck the character NO ONE should like from the start, and I think that's unfair.

Bugs usually got his way with everything, and that eventually wore thin with me and many of my friends. I liked knowing characters like Daffy Duck or Wily E. Coyote never won, because in life no one ever "wins": You have a lousy job, your car doesn't start, there is gum on your shoe, the downstairs faucet is leaking, or your hair is a mess. We almost never catch the road runner, or win that "Million Box", yet we press on in pursuit of our satisfaction and ultimate happiness. Sadly, when we don't find it, so become surly, closed-minded, arrogant, and vain creatures. At least, I hope not...

After all, Daffy Duck is just a cartoon character. For us human beings, there is more to life than vain pursuits and fleeting passions. As much as the old Daffy would deny to believe, no one is an island or a vacuum, and life is built on relationships, doing what is right, and asking for help (the last one was for me o_O). As humans, I hope we can move on from talking in high-pitched voices, chasing jellyfish, and watching the same episodes of every other Nick cartoon over and over and over. Anyway, what was your favourite cartoon character growing up, and why?

Think about it: It's the same thing, even the artistry is the same!

Oh yeah, all artwork and cartoons are property of Warner Bros. All rights reserved. Legal mumbo jumbo o_O