Development of Bugs Bunny Development of Bugs Bunny A prototypical version of Bugs Bunny appeared in four cartoon shorts before making his first official appearance in Tex Avery's "A Wild Hare". While this prototype version is commonly referred to as "Happy Rabbit", animation historian David Gerstein disputes this, saying that the only usage of the term was from Mel Blanc himself; the name "Bugs Bunny" was used as early as August 1939, in the Motion Picture Herald, in a review for the short "Hare-um Scare-um". Several published first person accounts, encyclopedic references, and Warner Bros.' own published material describe the inception of the name
The Bugs Bunny Show combined re-edited bridging sequences from both shows to link the seven cartoons featured in each episode. The bridging sequences would be edited further in later versions of the "Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour". The verse in the "This Is It" theme song "The night of nights" was retained, despite the fact the show was no longer broadcast in prime time. In 1971, "The Road Runner Show" moved to ABC, and a reconstituted half-hour "Bugs Bunny Show" aired on CBS, featuring re-edited versions of the bridging sequences and a different grouping of cartoons. In 1973, "The Bugs Bunny Show" returned to ABC