It was only a matter of time before Bugs Bunny made the meme rounds, and seeing his meme on social channels has us reminiscing about our childhood and thinking fondly about the furry grey “wabbit” and his mischievous character.

Like the other Warner Bros. cast members, Bugs Bunny, now 84, has idiosyncrasies and silly ways that make him excellent meme fodder. The Bugs Bunny “no” meme is one such reaction meme that made the viral rounds. The meme shows Bugs seemingly mouthing an adamant  “no,” and the image is often captioned with the same word.

In this piece, we delve into the meme’s origins and uncover the infamous rabbit’s remarkable influence on history and culture. Join Bored Panda as we follow Bugs’ jumps and hops. 

Origins of the Bugs Bunny “No” Meme

The Bugs Bunny “no” meme isn’t an original meme but an image grab from Bugs Bunny’s cartoon episode with Elmer Fudd, “The Big Snooze.” This particular episode first aired on October 5, 1946, and is still played among Looney Toon classics.

YouTube also has a clip of the particular scene from the episode from which the image is derived. Bernard Walt posted the video on November 16, 2018, and it has gained 57,116 views.

The episode stars Bugs Bunny alongside his archnemesis, the pudgy hunter Elmer Fudd. In their usual back-and-forth tirade and Bugs’ signature tricks, the scene that made the meme was where the Bunny taunts Fudd in his dreams.

The scene shows the two toons falling off a cliff, and Bugs Bunny whips out a bottle of hair tonic that reads “Stops Falling Hare.” In the usual Looney Toons slapstick style, taking the hair tonic funnily saves him from the steep fall.

Bugs Bunny “No”: How a Single Frame Became a Viral Meme

While Bugs didn’t say “no” in the famous scene, the meme later captured the character’s facial expression. The image taken from the episode was first used by Tumblr user whyx3 on February 14, 2015.

That initial screengrab showed Bugs about to take a sip of the Hair Tonic, and the image was rotated 90 degrees to make it upright. The screengrab post has logged 11,745 notes on Tumblr and eventually turned into a viral meme.

Image credits: whyx3

Social Spread

Social media creators started using the image differently, cropping out the tonic bottle and zooming in on Bugs’ face. The meme was often used to signal disagreement on or even non-consent to a fact or issue.

For instance, in mid-April 2019, Reddit user bigbonobo1 used the image to express being unaware of some historical facts. This Reddit post was uploaded to r/HistoryMemes and logged 3,400 upvotes.

Image credits: bigbonobo1

Soon after Bugs Bunny’s “no” debut, that closeup of Bugs Bunny dwelled on as a viral image. On April 29, 2017, X account Dungeon and Dragon Memes used the image in the context of a game scenario. This post has gained 3,100 likes and reactions.

Image credits: Dungeons and Dragons Memes

Bugs Bunny “No” Meme Compilation

Since its first appearance on Tumblr in 2015, the meme has evolved into countless variations. Here, we’ve put together a few of our favorite Bugs Bunny “no” memes fittingly used as a comical way to disagree with particular scenarios or statements — irreverent, mischievous, and with a lot of attitude. 

Image credits: unknown

Image credits: @fightwithmemes

Image credits: Solid_Snark

Image credits: unknown

Image credits: ThatRandomGuy901

Bugs’ Popularity

The invasion of Bugs Bunny meme is expected since the “wascallly wabbit,” as Elmer Fudd called him, is one of the most popular cartoon characters ever. In a 2024 feature for Facts, Michael Bryan writes that in the United States alone, at least 11% of people consider Bugs Bunny their favorite cartoon character (1).

According to Fantasy and Fiction Wikia 2024 entry, the famed cartoon rabbit has made it to the Guinness Book for being the top toon to appear in more films than any other character and is also the ninth most portrayed film personality in the world (2). Due to this unmistakable infamy, Bugs Bunny’s silly antics are relevant decades after the toon was initially created.

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Bugs Bunny and the World War 2

Bugs Bunny reached peak popularity around the time of World War 2. According to Jeff Jardine, in 1943, during the intense fighting and the deployment of troops to the frontline, Warner Brothers released a tribute to the US Marine Corps in the episode “Super Rabbit” (Calvet Connect, 2020). (3).

The episode starts with a knockoff of a superhero character. Bugs Bunny, as Super Rabbit, eats supercharged carrots to get superpowers and drops them while flying on his enemies. The enemies in the episode eat the carrots and grow to possess powers.

According to Jardine, this move became a great morale builder on the home front as men were recruited to fight in the war. Bugs Bunny became a symbol of courage to fight for one’s country.

After that episode and because of that tribute, the US Marine Corps made Bugs an honorary Marine with the initial rank of private. And they celebrate #NationalBugsBunnyDay on April 30 to commemorate the event.

Throughout World War 2, Bugs Bunny was promoted in rank until he eventually retired as Master Sergeant.

Image credits: @directedbychuckjones

Jardine writes that fewer than 100 have received a similar honorary rank, and Bugs Bunny is the only toon on that honorary roll. Bugs Bunny became part of an elite group that includes the late entertainer Bob Hope, movie star and veteran advocate Gary Sinise, and TV star Chuck Norris. 

Bugs Bunny Remains True to Character

According to Josh Matthews (Culture Nerd, 2024), Bugs Bunny’s fame lasts because he doles out the “quippiest, most sarcastic lines with their subtle touches of humor” (4).

From the mischievous mode of his character in the Corps recruitment and his classic animated clips down to the current iteration of the Bugs Bunny “no” meme — Bugs’ sarcastic wit and flippant and insouciant behavior are unmistakable, and they ultimately make him even more endearing. When you want to add some sass to a situation or ingest some comical irreverence — whether online or onscreen — you know you can trust Bugs to deliver. 

References

1. Michael Bryan. “Bugs Bunny Facts.” Facts.net, May 16, 2024. | https://facts.net/bugs-bunny-facts/
2. Fantasy and Fiction Wikia. “Bugs Bunny.” Fantasy Fiction Fandom, 2024. | https://fantasyfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Bugs_Bunny#:~:text=According+to+Guinness+World+Records,film+personality+in+the+world.
3. Jeff Jardine. “EH, WHAT’S UP, DOC? THAT WASCALLY WABBIT WHO WENT ON TO BECOME AN HONORARY MARINE.” Calvet Connect, July 26, 2020. | https://calvetconnect.blog/2020/07/26/eh-whats-up-doc-that-wascally-wabbit-who-went-on-to-become-an-honorary-marine/
4. Josh Matthews. “Why Bugs Bunny is the most significant and powerful cartoon character.” The Culture Nerd, February 7, 2024. | https://theculturednerd.org/2024/02/why-bugs-bunny-is-the-most-significant-and-powerful-cartoon-character/

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