Joseph Barbera and Hanna worked alongside animator Tex Avery, who had created Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny for Warner Bros. and directed "Droopy" cartoons at MGM. In 1940, Hanna and Barbera jointly directed "Puss Gets the Boot", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best (Cartoon) Short Subject. The studio wanted a diversified cartoon portfolio, so despite the success of "Puss Gets the Boot", Barbera and Hanna's supervisor, Fred Quimby, did not want to produce more cat and mouse cartoons believing that there were already enough cartoons of those in existence. Surprised by the success of "Puss Gets the Boot", Barbera
Daffy Duck as well as his ego and pride than anything. It is thought that Chuck Jones based Daffy Duck’s new personality on his fellow animator Bob Clampett, who, like Daffy, was known as a loud self-promoter. In "Beanstalk Bunny" Daffy, Bugs and Elmer are once again teamed up in a parody of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (with Elmer as the giant); in "A Star Is Bored" Daffy tries to upstage Bugs Bunny; while in the spoofs of the TV shows "The Millionaire" and "This Is Your Life", "The Million Hare" Daffy tries to defeat his arch-rival Bugs Bunny for a $1,000,000.00