Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian Devil, also spelled as Tazmanian Devil, or known commonly as Taz, is a recurring character and antagonist of the Looney Tunes animated franchise. He is a ferocious, albeit dimwitted, carnivore known for having a notoriously short-temper, a speech consisting of loud grunts and rasps, and short patience. He is also considered to be one of Bugs Bunny's recurring foes, alongside Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, and Marvin the Martian. His voice was originated by Mel Blanc.
Although he only appeared in five entries during the original run of the Warner Bros. Cartoons theatrical shorts, marketing and later media appearances during the 1990s propelled the character to a newfound popularity, which also extended Taz to roles outside of his antagonistic behavior.
Taz's protégé in Tiny Toon Adventures is Dizzy Devil.
Character description
The Tasmanian Devil has several descriptions of himself in some of his appearances. In Devil May Hare, for instance, he is described by Bugs Bunny as "A strong murderous beast, jaws as powerful as a steel trap - has ravenous appetite - eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, giraffes, octopuses, rhinoceroses, moose, ducks" ( "...and rabbits," as pointed out by Taz himself).
A main defining trait of Taz's personality would be his dimwitted intelligence, which contrasted sharply to his ferocious, animal-like tendancies, coupled with his short-tempered patience. He tends to have a speech consisting of grunts, growls, and raspberries; and when given the opportunity to actually speak, he talks in primitive English ("Me first remember long time ago in Tasmania. I was only three years old, but I was mean little devil.") Additionally, he has the ability to spin like a vortex and can bite through almost anything. Though incredibly devious, Taz is also sweet natures at times, especially when not provoked.
He has a seemingly endless appetite, consuming nearly everything in sight. As such, he has eaten (or has at least attempted to eat) many types of food, live animals or people, and various inanimate objects, some of which tend to backfire him at worst.
Additionally, Taz is a short, brown mammal with a prominently large face; a lighter fur coating in his mouth area; sharp teeth; two tufts of hair resembling devil horns; and dark rings around his eyes. His fur color changes depending on appearances, ranging to a muted tone with grey fur on his mouth (as in his theatrical short appearances and Looney Tunes Cartoons) to a more saturated brown (like in Taz-Mania and other modern depictions).
Appearances
TV series
Movies
Shorts
Comics
Video games
- Taz-Mania
- Taz: Escape from Mars
- Taz Express
- Taz: Wanted
- Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters
- Looney Tunes: Galactic Taz Ball
- Looney Tunes Racing
- Looney Tunes Space Race
- Looney Tunes Cartoon Conductor
- Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal
- Looney Tunes DASH!
- Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem
- Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports
Biography
Debut Series
We're All a Little Looney
Come On and Slam! and Welcome to the Jam!
Taz Gets Modern
Going Down the Rabbit Hole
It's Hard Hat Time!
Taz Sells Out
Foghorn is a guest at Warner Bros.' Burbank lot for its 100th anniversary. While on the set of Friends, Cyborg claims the part of Joey Tribianni, while Foghorn Leghorn claims the part of Rachel Green, which starts a fight with Yosemite Sam, Taz, and Wile E. Coyote who also want the part.[3]
Development
Robert McKimson designed the character after the real Tasmanian devil, or more specifically, its carnivorous nature, unruly nature, and voracious appetite;[4] a later model sheet of the character was drawn by Ted Bonnickson.[5]
Authors Owen and Pemberton assert that the character was inspired in part by Australian actor Errol Flynn, who was a native of Tasmania.[6] In 1939, presumably at the request of Warner Bros., the Tasmanian state government sent three Tasmanian devils to California, where they were shown to the Los Angeles Zoo by Flynn's co-stars, the Lane Sisters.[7] Two of the devils escaped from the zoo within months and were reported to be roaming in Griffith Park.[8]
After the Tasmanian Devil's debut in Devil May Hare (1954), producer Edward Selzer – head of the Warner Bros. animation studio — ordered McKimson to shelve the character, due to his concerns that he was too violent for children, and that parents would dislike him.[9] However, after a period of no new Taz shorts, studio head Jack L. Warner asked what had happen to the character. He later told Selzer that he had received "boxes and boxes" of letters from people who liked Taz and wanted to see more of him. In response, McKimson went on to direct four more Taz cartoons, beginning with Bedevilled Rabbit (1957), and ending with Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964).
Gallery
- Main article: Tasmanian Devil/Gallery
Toys and merchandise
Behind the scenes
- According to the book Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide, the Tasmanian Devil's spins can reach up to 78 RPM.[10]
In popular culture
- In the 1996 film Twister, Allan, a young storm chaser on Jo's team, wears a Taz baseball cap with a Bugs Bunny t-shirt.
- In The Drew Carey Show episode "Drew's the Other Man," a black and white photo of Taz is shown during the dance montage to Tower of Power's "What Is Hip?"
- In the Beast Wars: Transformers episode "Feral Scream (Part 1)," Megatron is hit by a feline creature (later revealed to be Cheetor) and he spins uncontrollably like the Tasmanian Devil, before falling down a cliff in similar fashion to Wile E. Coyote.
- In the Ted Lasso episode "Biscuits," Coach Beard said to Ted how Shannon was spinning around him like the Tasmanian Devil, with Ted adding that it was without the annoying noises that he imitated.
- In Gogglebox series 20, episode 12, two Goggleboxers make a reference to Taz when watching Zac work with real Tasmanian devils in Australia in Down to Earth with Zac Efron.
Family Guy
- Main article: Family Guy
- "Farmer Guy:" Peter wants the family to wait when seeing an approaching tornado because it might be Taz.
- "The 2000-Year-Old Virgin:" Peter promises to Lois that he will be as gentle as the Tasmanian Devil tucking in his kids, which cuts to a scene of Taz reading his child a bedtime story. Taz kisses his child and starts to wind up his routine tornado exit, only to pause and quietly exit from the room.
- "The Jersey Bore:" Peter sits next to Taz during lunch break and asks if it's Friday yet. Taz calmly corrects him by saying that it's tomorrow, since it is already Friday in Tasmania, to which Peter replies that he would be more fun. Taz is voiced by Mike Henry in this episode.
Full House
- "Matchmaker Michelle:" Jesse mocks Joey for not having a bad image because he watches cartoons, but Joey disagrees because he watches the Tasmanian Devil, and gets in Jesse's face with a bunch of Taz-like noises.
- "The King and I:" Joey's plan to beat a pregnant Becky in the pie-eating contest is to be like the Tasmanian Devil, acting him out.
- "Too Much Monkey Business:" Joey impresses Wendy with his Tasmanian Devil impressions.
- "Come Fly with Me:" Joey talks to Mary on the phone, reminding her that she liked him because of his Taz impressions, which he does while on the phone.
References
- ↑ Tiny Toons Looniversity: "Extra, So Extra," season 1, episode 3 (2023).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tiny Toons Looniversity: "Tooney Ball Lights," season 1, episode 4 (2023).
- ↑ Teen Titans Go!: "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary," season 8, episode 24 (2023).
- ↑ Baxter, Devon (May 3, 2017). Bugs Bunny in “Devil May Hare” (1954). Cartoon Research. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ ""What's New" Archives: February 2015". MichaelBarrier.com. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ Owen, David; Pemberton, David (2005). Tasmanian Devil: A unique and threatened animal, p.153. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-368-3. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ Roe, Michael (2008). Albert Ogilvie and Stymie Gaha: World-Wise Tasmanians. Parliament of Tasmania. p. 238. ISBN 9780646491233. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Relief From War News: Frisky Tasmanian Devils". Voice. Hobart. September 30, 1939. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ Owen, David; Pemberton, David (2005). Tasmanian Devil: A unique and threatened animal, p.157. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-368-3. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ↑ Beck, Jerry (2003). Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide, p.38. DK Publishing, Inc. ISPN 02784-9798-1.
