Daffy Duck Tunes"/"Merrie Melodies" cartoons, behind Bugs Bunny's 167 appearances and Porky Pig's 162 appearances. Virtually every Warner Bros. cartoon director put his own spin on the Daffy Duck character – he may be a lunatic vigilante in one short but a greedy gloryhound in another. Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones both made extensive use of these two very different versions of the character. Daffy was number 14 on "TV Guide"s list of top 50 greatest cartoon characters. Daffy first appeared in "Porky's Duck Hunt", released on April 17, 1937. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery and animated by Bob Clampett.
Daffy Duck "Porky's Duck Hunt" is a standard hunter/prey pairing, but Daffy (barely more than an unnamed bit player in this short) was something new to moviegoers: an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist. Clampett later recalled: This early Daffy is less anthropomorphic and resembles a "normal" black duck. In fact, the only aspects of the character that have remained consistent through the years are his voice characterization by Mel Blanc; and his black feathers with a white neck ring. Blanc's characterization of Daffy once held the world record for the longest characterization of one animated character by his or her original actor: