Babs and Buster Bunny

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Buster Bunny.		Babs Bunny.

Babs and Buster Bunny are cartoon characters from the Warner Bros. animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures.^[1] They are the stars of the show— they both appear in the Tiny Toons logo, and the show usually begins and ends with their gags. Buster is voiced by Charlie Adler for most of the shows run and then by John Kassir for a few episodes in the third season. Babs is voiced by Tress MacNeille. Buster is a young, blue and white male rabbit with a red, long-sleeved shirt and white gloves. Babs is a young, pink and white female rabbit with a yellow blouse and purple skirt, and purple bowed ribbons near the tips of her ears. They attend Acme Looniversity and live in Acme Acres.

Babs and Buster are based on Bugs Bunny, who seems to be a mentor and favorite teacher to them both, although in the episode "Fields of Honey", Babs searches for a female mentor, someone to be her true one and only mentor (she believes Bugs to be more of Buster's mentor as they seem to have more in common and are both male). She finds one in the forgotten character Honey from the old Bosko and Honey cartoons. However, both Buster and Babs take after different aspects of Bugs. Babs seems to be based on the more frenetic and random Bugs of Tex Avery and Bob Clampett who did many sporadic costume changes and voices, while Buster is closer to the more unruffled and cool Bugs in Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng's shorts. Babs also seems to be partly based on Bugs' old sweetheart Honey Bunny.^[2]

They are both like Bugs Bunny in their theatrical mannerisms, their general self-confidence, and in their ability to work well with other headline characters. They are unlike him in their naïveté, due to their young age. Also, they tend to seek adventure, rather than wait for it to be thrust upon them; they are more inclined to help others (usually those close to them); and they seem to be aware that an audience is watching.

Their names reflect an old naming convention in cartoons. As frequently mentioned during their introduction, they have "no relation" to each other or to Bugs Bunny. Babs and Buster are both 14 years old (Babs gives this as her age in "The Looney Beginning"). Like the other Tiny Toons characters, they attend Acme Looniversity where the instructors include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, as well as many other classic Warner Bros. cartoon stars. Their best friends are Plucky Duck, Hamton J. Pig, Shirley McLoon, and Fifi La Fume. Their rivals are Montana Max, Elmyra Duff, Perfecto Prep and Arnold the Pit Bull.

Buster and Babs have two end tags:

1. Buster: "Say good night, Babs."

Babs: "Good night, Babs!"^[3]

2. Both: "ALOHA!" (in reference to Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian)

During introductions, the duo will claim "no relation", and Babs will often interject in Buster's speeches, usually in a less than flattering way, in order to annoy him.

Buster Bunny [edit]

Buster Bunny (voiced by Charlie Adler and later John Kassir) is the leader of the Tiny Toons gang, a street-smart, blue and white male rabbit who has to deal with the challenges of a tough school curriculum, the machinations of rich kid and local bully Montana Max, and the advances of crazed and ditzy animal lover Elmyra Duff. Like Babs, he will do anything for a laugh, though he is marginally more sane and calm than his female counterpart, who he frequently reminds to 'rope it in.'

Buster's adventures include outsmarting Montana Max numerous times, escaping from Elmyra's house, spending a vacation down on river, facing a wolverine, trying to get muscular, saving defenseless animals, playing with a virtual reality machine, discovering lost treasure, going to the prom with Babs, visiting the center of the Earth and directing a Christmas special. In several episodes he shows considerable skill playing drums and electric guitar.

Buster's parents, like many of the main characters on the show, have never been seen on screen. It is known that Buster does live with his mother however, because in Tiny Toons commercials, she has been referenced and has even been spoken to on the phone, mostly as a way to tell Buster that she was on her way home when he was having a party.

Buster has an extreme fondness for Bugs to the point of often imitating his mentor, such as using Bugs' "slap dance" technique from Bully for Bugs (though with considerably less success). Although cool and collected for the most part, there are instances where other characters will get the better of Buster, or some unfortunate mishap will befall him, unlike his mentor Bugs, who for the most part was always on top of his game.

He has a mischievous nature, though his pranks are usually directed at bullies and villains. Occasionally however, he will play pranks on his own friends, most notably on Babs, who always responds in equal fashion.

It is shown in "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian" that Buster doesn't like riding on airplanes because he gets motion sickness. There he tried to persuade the script writers to make a rewrite regarding his dislike of air travel. Because they refused, he had no choice but to accept it.

Buster has parodied and portrayed many different characters and actors, from Superman to Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers and Bud Abbott. Buster is 14 years old.

Buster's outfit is just a red shirt and white gloves, looking similar to Reader Rabbit's outfit. He wears no pants, which brings up the question implied in "The Looney Beginning" when he asks his creator for some clothes "for the censors". His body is light blue and white.

Like their adult counterpart, Buster (and at times along with Babs) begin any attempts at mischief with: "It' time to party", which ends with "Buster (and Babs) style!"

Occasionally, when something goes wrong or something unexpected happens, Buster says "I should've gone to rehearsal."

Buster's solo end tag alone (spoken without Babs) is: "And that's a wrap!"

Buster makes cameos in Animaniacs and Batman: The Animated Series (on a magazine). He's also mentioned in the Cow and Chicken segment I Am Clichéd, and in a 2012 issue of Mad Magazine.

Voice actor [edit]

Buster's original voice actor Charlie Adler was disappointed that he did not get a recurring character in the new show Animaniacs, while minor Tiny Toons actors like Rob Paulsen and Frank Welker were given main roles. He sent angry letters to the producers, citing that his treatment had been "shabby" and that he was going to leave the show. When Adler dropped out, the studio still had a handful of episodes to record, so they re-cast the role of Buster with John Kassir. He performed Buster's voice in "The Return of Batduck" and "It's A Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas Special" in 1992; in 1994 and 1995 he reprised the role for "Night Ghoulery", and "Tiny Toons Spring Break Special". Charlie Adler returned to voice Buster in the 2002 video game Defenders of the Looniverse although it was never released.

Babs Bunny [edit]

Barbara Anne "Babs" Bunny (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is the pink female rabbit. She will do nearly anything for a laugh. She is good at improvisational comedy, and is a comedic impressionist in the vein of Robin Williams. Babs has impersonated or parodied many different actors and fictional characters, including Joan Rivers, Jessica Rabbit, Mae West, Elmer Fudd, Groucho Marx, Wonder Woman and Madonna. In "Born To Be Riled", her friends become annoyed with her accurate but unflattering impersonations of them and they retaliate by impersonating her in turn. Like Buster, Babs is usually willing to go out of her way for her friends, such as when she sabotages a troupe of swan ballet dancers who are trying to thwart Shirley's debut. She often does quick costume changes, usually achieved by spinning quickly in a circle. Babs also can speak in a deep, sultry voice, often used to seduce Buster. She distinctly hates being called "Barbara Anne," preferring just "Babs."

Her mother (also voiced by Tress MacNeille), was heard but only shown from the waist down. She has a father (also seen only from the waist down), who appeared in one episode as a monstrously large fellow who intimidated Buster when he dated Babs. However, in another episode ('Love Disconnection') where he drops Babs and her friends off at a party, Babs' father is portrayed differently as a goofy and clueless man who appears way out of touch with his daughter. Although Babs has been seen with dozens of brothers and sisters, only one has ever been named: Mortimer.

Unlike Buster, Babs has far less patience for Plucky and often takes any chance to clobber or humiliate the duck when he steps out of line.

In "Fields of Honey", Babs searched for a female mentor, as nearly all prominent classic Looney Tunes characters are male. She eventually found one: Honey, a forgotten character from the old Bosko cartoons.

Her official outfit includes a yellow blouse and a purple skirt, with matching bows on the tips of her rabbit ears, and her body is pink and white. Unlike Bugs and Buster, she doesn't wear white gloves and she has a white fluffy cotton tail.

Her catchphrase is like "I just can't help myself" which is endemic to her frequent inability to exercise self-control, ultimately leading to trouble for herself, Buster, and/or anybody else around her.

Her friends are Fifi La Fume and Shirley McLoon, along with Acme Looniversity's trio of cheerleaders for most of "The Acme Bowl" (until all three abruptly join the football team).

Babs often appeared in cameos on the show Animaniacs.

Romance [edit]

Babs has been shown many times to have a crush on Buster; sometimes Buster will nervously retreat from her advances, sometimes he returns her affection, and sometimes he even goes out of his way to impress her. Aside from taking her to the prom in one episode, towards the end of the series, in the episode "Thirteensomething" he shows that he harbors deep feelings for her, which he only realizes after she has left Acme Acres; he rescues her and welcomes a kiss from her at the end of the episode. In the episode "Love Disconnection" when Buster (as the host) interviews Babs about her ideal boyfriend, he slyly remarks to the viewer "as if we don't already know" (indicating that he knows Babs is attracted to him). In the short, 'The Anvil Chorus', Buster Bunny tells Plucky to be careful as Babs might have been hurt, showing that Buster cares about Babs.

Early in the series, Buster is shown to be easily attracted to Babs when he kisses her during her sultry Jessica Rabbit impression in "The Looney Beginning," or just decides to fix herself up to look nicer (her dress and what not for the prom in "Prom-Ise Her Anything"). In the last episode, "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas Special", Babs states that Buster is indeed her boyfriend while she's singing with Cher; Buster discovers that Babs' life would be trite and miserable without him, and towards the end of the episode, he willingly initiated a kiss and recognizes the value they have to each other. Presumably after this, he will no longer retreat from her in any way at all. On another occasion their Perfecto Prep rivals, Roderick and Rhubella Rat (also voiced by Adler and MacNeille), refer to Buster and Babs as "Mr. No Money Bunny... and his No Money Bunny Honey", indicating that others perceive Buster and Babs as a couple. In "The Looney Beginning" and elsewhere, he calls her Babsie, showing that he holds a soft romantic spot for her.

See also [edit]

• Tiny Toon Adventures
• Animaniacs
• Bosko and Honey
• Bugs Bunny

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Tiny Toon Adventures at the Internet Movie Database
• Tiny Toon Adventures at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Don Markstein's Toonopedia