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 Lola Bunny, who almost completely supplanted Honey as both a merchandising figure and Bugs' sweetheart. During the movie's tenure in the theaters, and for some time thereafter, Lola appeared on practically every merchandising item released by Warners or its licensees (whether or not they were tied into the movie). Honey Bunny Honey Bunny is a female rabbit cartoon character and the ex-girlfriend of Bugs Bunny. The character, designed by Robert McKimson, was used for merchandising purposes beginning in the late 1960s. An early version of Honey Bunny first appeared in the "Bugs Bunny's Album" comic book from 1953. Instead of