Bugs Bunny that another proposed name for the character was "Happy Rabbit." In the actual cartoons and publicity, however, the name "Happy" only seems to have been used in reference to Bugs Hardaway. In "Hare-um Scare-um", a newspaper headline reads, "Happy Hardaway." Animation historian David Gerstein disputes that "Happy Rabbit" was ever used as an official name, believing that the only usage of the term was from Mel Blanc himself in humorous and fanciful tales he told about the character's development in the 1970s and 1980s; the name "Bugs Bunny" was used as early as August 1939, in the Motion Picture Herald,
Honey Bunny in a single animated short; her appearances were limited solely to promotional and ancillary merchandising items. However, a female rabbit with Honey Bunny's yellow character design (who is unnamed in the cartoon but credited as Honey Bunny) makes a cameo appearance in the closing scene of the "Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet" (1978) animated television special. She also appeared in the 1989 video game "The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle" and the 1991 video game "The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2", as well as a 1990 pinball game, "Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball". The most recent mention of Honey was in the book