Yankee Doodle Bugs

Yankee Doodle Bugs
Looney Tunes series
Screenshot of Yankee Doodle Bugs title card
Directed by	I. Freleng
Produced by	Edward Selzer Warner Bros. Pictures
Voices by	Mel Blanc June Foray (Betsy Ross, uncredited)
Music by	Milt Franklyn
Animation by	Arthur Davis Manuel Perez Virgil Ross
Layouts by	Hawley Pratt
Backgrounds by	Irv Wyner
Studio	Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	August 28, 1954 (USA)
Color process	Color
Running time	7 min
Language	English

Yankee Doodle Bugs is a Looney Tunes cartoon short, released in 1954, which was written by Warren Foster and directed by Friz Freleng. Bugs Bunny's nephew, Clyde, has trouble remembering important dates and events in history in preparation for an exam, so Bugs offers to help. The cartoon's title is a humorous portmanteau of the American folk song "Yankee Doodle" and the word doodlebug.

Clyde is lying down on the floor doing his history homework for an exam at school, scratching down important dates in history and getting confused. After several moments, he exclaims: "I give up!". His uncle Bugs offers to help and proceeds to tell him how rabbits made American history.

In the first segment, in a trade of land with the Native American Indians, Bugs explains that Manhattan wasn't the bustling city you see today, but was rather, filled with Indian teepees. Bugs explains that the Statue of Liberty was "... just a little goil (girl) at the time".

In the second segment, Bugs is interacting with Benjamin Franklin on the day that Franklin discovered electricity. "What's up, Benny?" Bugs asks. Ben states: "I'm trying to discover electricity," and asks Bugs if he can tend to his kite (with a key tied on it, naturally), and that he must get out "... ye first edition of The Saturday Evening Post", so he hands his kite string to Bugs to look after until he gets back. Bugs sees a storm cloud approach, lightning hits the kite and travels down the string and electrocutes him. Ben runs back, picks up Bugs who is flashing off and on like a lightbulb, exclaiming "I discovered electricity! I discovered electricity!" Bugs looks at the camera and says: "Heh ... He discovered electricity!"

In the third segment, Bugs explains to Clyde about the Boston Tea Party. The King is seen approaching a worker in the Royal Tea Warehouse in Boston. With a box of hardware tacks in hand, he orders the worker to "Spread these tacks on the Colonist's tea". When the worker explains: "But Your Majesty, these are carpet tacks", the King dumps the tacks all over the place in a fit of insanity and exclaims: "Well, they're tea tacks now!" and exits, laughing all the way. Bugs explains to Clyde that the Colonists refused to drink their tea with tacks and that's how the Army was formed.