Buster Bunny Species: .............. Anthropomorphic Rabbit Fur Color: ............ Blue and White Eye Color: ........... Black First Appearance: The Looney Beginning Voiced by: .......... Charlie Adler ............................. (seasons 1-3, film) ........................... John Kassir ............................. (end of season 3, specials)

Buster Bunny is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series, Tiny Toon Adventures. He is the main character of the show along with his best friend, Babs Bunny. Buster was primarily voiced by Charlie Adler; John Kassir provided the voice for a few latter episodes as well as the specials.

Buster is a young male rabbit and the leader of the Tiny Toons. He 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 dippy 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. He attends Acme Looniversity and live in Acme Acres

His favorite mentor and teacher is Bugs Bunny.

Buster's outfit is simply a long-sleeved red shirt and white gloves, and like many male toons, he does not wear any pants, even though his creator gives him clothes in the pilot episode "for the censors." His lack of pants becomes somewhat of a running gag throughout the series, with Babs being especially fond of pointing it out. Also, in the tradition of cartoon censorship, whenever he isn't wearing his shirt, he usually wears something to cover his waist (such as in the episodes when he is on the beach, in which he will usually wear swim trunks). His basic design is much like Babs' with a few key differences, such as a split front tooth, uncleft upper lip, eyes that lack visible irises, a pointy tail and slightly shorter ears. His body is light blue and white.

Buster lives in a rabbit hole in a tree stump with a tire swing and a basketball hoop. His parents are never shown, although he does mention his mother on a few occasions.

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Personality

Buster is the epitome of the "rabbit next door"...with an attitude. He is the series' star and co-host, constantly commenting on the action and making asides to the audience. Buster is a winner, a high-energy teen with lots of ideas and dreams. He is what every kid wants to be, a fun-loving mischief-maker who gets away with just about everything. He has the sassiness of Bugs Bunny, but has to work a little harder because he's younger and still learning. He has the energy, enthusiasm and resourcefulness of Andy Hardy, which carries him through all troubles that he encounters.

Buster is able to talk just about anybody into just about anything. He's an instigator. He knows how to stir things up and how to talk his pals into engaging in some wild scheme or adventure. He knows everyone in Acme Acres and he knows them better than they know themselves. He's the common friend who ties together his eccentric pals -- Babs, Plucky, Hamton, Shirley and Fifi. He is constantly pointing out the amusing oddities of each of the characters. Buster has reoccurring conflicts with Elmyra, who wants to hug and love him to death; Montana Max, who wants to bully him; and Plucky Duck, who wants to steal his spotlight. He tolerates Plucky's ego because he recognizes the duck's lovable side.

Buster's the little guy who pokes fun at authority, the pomposity, the egotism of those who take themselves too seriously. He is not mean or malicious; that is, he would never try to hurt someone's feelings. Although, Buster, as the group leader, drags his pals into outrageous adventures for the sake of a good time, sometimes it's for the sake of someone who needs help. Buster stands up for the weak and helpless. He'll go to battle when some "little guy" is being abused by a heavy. Declares Buster, "Why don't ya pick on someone your own shoe-size?" Buster's victories will be victories for the audience as well.

Buster's ears are like two extra limbs. He can run on them, throw with them, play "guess who" with them and do any other shtick one could imagine. At school, Buster maintains a B+ average; he studies hard, but would never admit it to his friends. His favorite class is "Wisecracks 101," taught by his hero and mentor, Bugs Bunny. Buster is popular with his classmates and a star on their sporting teams. He's Student Council President and has been voted "most likely to drive the faculty nuts."

He's fascinated by the lack of redeeming social values in his enemies. To Buster, the wild eccentricities of these heavies are "a total crack-up." Occasionally, a foe insults or attacks Buster's honor. "It's time to party...Buster style!," declares the rabbit. The enemy doesn't stand a chance against the quick-witted Buster. He has a mischievous nature, though his pranks are usually geared towards bullies and villains. Occasionally, however, he will play pranks on his on friends, sometimes on Babs, who usually responds in equal fashion.

Buster's adventures include outsmarting Montana Max numerous times, escaping from Elmyra's house, spending a summer vacation downriver, 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, Buster shows incredible musical skill playing the drums and the electric guitar.

Buster has an extreme fondness for Bugs Bunny, to the point of often imitating his mentor, such as using Bugs' slap dance technique from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, Hot Cross Bunny, when he takes Babs to the prom (though, with considerably less success until Bugs had to step in and help him out). Although cool and collected for the most part, there are rare 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. Occasionally, when something goes wrong or something unexpected happens, Buster says, "I should have gone to rehearsal."

It is revealed in the Season 2 episode, Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian, that Buster has an intense dislike for riding on airplanes, possibly because he gets motion sickness. In the episode, he tries to persuade the script writers to make a rewrite regarding his dislike for air travel, but because they refuse, he has no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

Buster parodies and portrays many different characters and actors, from Superman (which he is a bunny version called "Superbun") to Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers.

Relationships

Friends

Buster and Babs are best friends and despite their similar appearance and shared surname, they are "No relation!" They are also no relation to Bugs Bunny, their mentor and favorite teacher at school (although in Fields of Honey, Babs goes mad looking for a female mentor and eventually finds one: Honey, a forgotten actress from the old Bosko cartoons). They are like Bugs Bunny in their theatrical mannerisms, their general confidence in themselves and in their ability to work well with other headline characters. They are unlike him in their naïveté, as they are kids after all. Also, they tend to seek adventure, rather than wait for it to be thrust upon them, and they seem aware that an audience is watching.

Buster's other best friends are Plucky and Hamton. They (along with Babs) hang out together often and are the four main protagonists of the show. Buster is also friends with Gogo Dodo, Dizzy Devil, Furrball and Li'l Sneezer, but to a lesser extent.

Family

Like many of the main characters on the show, Buster's parents are never seen on screen. He seems to live alone, as evidenced by the way that he sometimes stays up late when he has friends over and leaves piles of trash around his home when he gets depressed. It has been theorized that Buster does live with his mother, however, because in the Tiny Toon fruit snacks commercial, she calls him on the phone to tell him that she is on her way home while he was having a party. Since it only happens in a commercial, though, it's unclear whether it is meant to be canon. He does tell Elmyra in Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow, "My mother told me never to talk to strangers," which may imply that his mother was taking care of him at some point early in his life.

Romance

Babs Bunny

Buster has many times shown to be attracted to Babs, as the feeling is usually mutual. 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. He takes her to the prom in Prom-ise Her Anything and also has a date with her in the Dating, Acme Acres Style episode segment, Buster's Guide to Dating. 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 viewers, "as if we don't already know" (indicating that he knows Babs is attracted to him). In the It's Buster Bunny Time episode segment, The Anvil Chrous, Buster tells Plucky to be careful as Babs might have been hurt, showing that Buster cares about Babs, and would hate to see her hurt.

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 Toons 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 out of his own accord and recognizes the value they have to each other. Presumably after this, he will no longer retreat from her in any way at all. In the The Wacko World of Sports episode segment, Miniature Goof, their Perfecto Prep rivals, Roderick and Rhubella Rat (also voiced by Adler and MacNeille, respectively), 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 certain episodes, Buster calls "Babs Babsy" or Babzinsky", showing that he holds a soft romantic spot for her.

Rivals

Montana Max

One of Buster's biggest rivals is Montana Max. The mega-rich brat and the clever bunny are usually at odds, as Monty has no respect or care in the world for the blue rabbit. Monty is the richest and meanest kid in Acme Acres, whereas Buster is one of the friendliest and most popular, causing the two to engage in many rivalries. Buster (sometimes along with Babs) constantly thwarts Monty's devious and nasty schemes, usually trying to teach the ill-tempered brat a lesson in the progress, but Monty is relentless and never learns, much like the over-caring animal lover, Elmyra (who occasionally has a crush on Monty as well).

In Citizen Max, it shows Monty and Buster to have been extremely poor and humble best friends, but when Monty's family wins the lottery and causes him to have to abandon his blue buddy, he quickly turns into a nasty, rabbit-hating spoiled brat. He competes against Buster for student body president at Acme Looniversity. He manages to get Buster wrongfully expelled by planting a book of stolen test answers in Buster's hat, which Plucky reveals later to the bunny pair (by having to show them a tape of the incident in "Acme super-duper slow motion" because, as Plucky states, "the hand is quicker than the eye") that it was actually Monty quickly ripping through Buster's hat and going into his own pocket to pull out the stolen test answers. Buster and Babs disguise themselves as reporters, along with Plucky as a hidden cameraman, to get Monty to confess the truth. Buster's reputation is saved and he is welcomed back in Acme Loo as the new student body president, while Monty is expelled.

Elmyra Duff

Elmyra Duff is another one of Buster's major foes. He is often running from her or having to outsmart her, as he does not want to become one of her pets. In the episode "Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow", he becomes her pet for the day and tries to escape from her house which is not an easy task. That night, when Elmyra is sleeping, Buster tries to escape, but hears the sounds of unhappy animals, including Fifi La Fume, Furrball and Tyrone the Turtle. He helps them escape, but gets captured in the process. The newly freed animals turn to Babs Bunny, team up to rescue him and teach Elmyra a lesson in pet care (a lesson that she unfortunately will soon forget, as she isn't very intelligent).

Dizzy Devil

In the Best of Buster Day episode segment, Class Without Class, Bugs wants Buster to do an "abusing humiliation number" on Dizzy for his class, Rabbit Tricks 101, since they are "natural enemies." Buster says the "beat up the predator" jokes are "passé" and that he and Dizzy are friends, but Bugs insists it is part of his curriculum to outwit "hungry slobs." Taz wants Dizzy to eat Buster for his class, Taz Tricks, but Dizzy considers Buster a friend as well. Taz says that Tasmanian Devils eat anything and demands his young pupil to "go eat rabbit." After numerous attempts of Dizzy chasing after Buster and being outwitted by him, they both decide that their assignment "stinks," so they fake their deaths to teach their mentors a lesson. Bugs and Taz sob over their apparent deaths until the deceitful youngsters reappear only to brag about showing their teachers how "lame" the assignment really was. Taz grabs Dizzy and spins off with him, as Bugs appears to chastise Buster for what they did. He holds his student up and angrily tells him, "You're a rude, conniving, disrespectful, little rabbit." He then drops him and in a happier tone, says, "You done me proud," as the smiling Buster shrugs to the viewers.

Arnold the Pit Bull

In the The Buster Bunny Bunch episode segment, Buffed Bunny, Buster is verbally and psychically abused by Arnold, which causes an embarrassed Bugs Bunny to talk some sense into the less experienced rabbit, helping him get his much deserved revenge on the musclebound bully. In the It's Buster Bunny Time episode segment, Lifestyles of the Rich and Rotten, Buster and Babs try to interview the press-hating (and rabbit-hating) Montana Max (who denies the interview as his weekly allowance has arrived and will take him all afternoon to count it). The bunnies are persistent, but Monty has Arnold on guard duty and orders him to kick them out, which he does by sending them into a dumpster. The bunnies decide to tour without Monty, foiling all of Arnold's attempts on them while also causing him to disastrously disrupt Monty's counting of his piles of money, making the spoiled rich kid boiling mad and turning his rage on the buffed pit bull (chasing him around his property with a mallet).

Calamity Coyote

In the It's Buster Bunny Time episode segment, Bag That Bunny, Calamity Coyote tries to capture Buster for Elmyra so that he can receive up to three months of Elmyra's allowance. Every one of Calamity's plans fail and Elmyra takes him home instead of Buster.

Perfecto Prep Alumni

Because Buster is one of the students who attends Acme Looniversity, he is rivals with the alumni from Perfecto Prep, Acme Loo's rival school. The alumni includes Roderick Rat, Rhubella Rat, Danforth Drake and Margot Mallard, as they usually compete against Acme Looniversity in sporting events. Acme Loo acts as underdogs and usually beat them, if not by just one point. In the Wacko World of Sports episode segment, Miniature Goof, Roderick and Rhubella are broke and need to attract business to their golf club, so they put up a sign that says, "Free Golf Today" (but this only applies to the wealthy). Buster and Babs want to play a game of mini-golf, but the snobby rat pair does not want them there, as Roderick remarks, "Acme Loo losers need not apply." Buster argues that the sign says "free golf," so Rhubella rigs Babs' golf club which ultimately gets them kicked out. However, they get their revenge by dressing up as the Vanderbunnys. Roderick and Rhubella are unable to resist a bet with a "rich couple," so they end up betting the golf course. Buster and Babs win, and the golf course is now under their control. They open it to the public and Roderick and Rhubella are tied to the gristmill's water wheel.

Voice Actor

Buster was the last and hardest to cast. Buster's original voice actor was Charlie Adler, who Tom Ruegger said, "Sometimes he went too gravelly and over the top, but brought a great deal of energy to the role." Steven Spielberg and other producers did not want Adler, but Ruegger and (Voice Caster/Director) Andrea Romano fought for him. When Adler landed in the role he said in an interview, "This is the first time in 30 series I have been in, that I'm having the best time of my life working." During Season 3, they started production on Animaniacs, Adler was disappointed that he didn't get a recurring character on it, while minor actors such as Frank Welker and Rob Paulsen from Tiny Toon Adventures were given main roles. He and his agent sent angry letters to Ruegger and other producers, claiming 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. Kassir's voice was slightly different than Adler's; Adler's voice was more gravelly and rough, whereas Kassir's was smoother. Kassir finished the last 10% of Adler's lines from The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain. He performed Buster's voice in The Return of Batduck and It's A Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special in 1992, Tiny Toons Spring Break Special in 1994, Night Ghoulery in 1995, and The Great Beanstalk video game in 1998. For the promos on Kids WB, Buster was played by various other voice actors. Adler eventually returned to voice Buster for the unreleased video game "Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe".

Trivia

Buster Bunny is mentioned in a first chapter of a Junie B. Jones book entitled, Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny , along with Bugs Bunny from Looney Tunes , the Bionic Bunny from Arthur , Thumper from Bambi , the Trix rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit.

, along with Bugs Bunny from , the Bionic Bunny from , Thumper from , the Trix rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit. In the first "Tiny Tunes" logo created by Mitch Schauer (which can be seen in the Gallery page), Buster had whiskers and wore a dark blue shirt. He was also referred to as "Bitsy". Because this name made Tom Ruegger cringe, once development began and Steven Speilberg changed the show's name to "Tiny Toon Adventures", Tom Ruegger changed Bitsy's name to Buster and stopped cringing.

In early development, Buster would have had the catchphrase, "Hello Nurse!," as sort of a follow up to his idol Bugs' famous catchphrase. This idea was dropped as they could not think of a good reason for him to say it; it later evolved into a character name on Animaniacs , as well as a cry of lust from Yakko and Wakko towards the nurse.

, as well as a cry of lust from Yakko and Wakko towards the nurse. Coincidentally, both Buster Bunny and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters character, Ickis, not only share the same voice actor (the aforementioned Charlie Adler); they also share the same Japanese seiyu (Ryusei Nakao). Additionally, both characters have long ears and big feet.

character, Ickis, not only share the same voice actor (the aforementioned Charlie Adler); they also share the same Japanese seiyu (Ryusei Nakao). Additionally, both characters have long ears and big feet. Buster is mentioned in the I Am Weasel cartoon, I Am Cliched when the titular character points out that the Red Guy had been using an unoriginal script that was already used for both Looney Tunes and Tiny Toon Adventures. An interesting connection is that Charlie Adler, Buster's original voice actor, worked on the show.

Quotes

"And that's a wrap."

"No relation." (in unison with Babs)

"Now, it's personal!"

"It's time to party, Buster-style!"

"Hiya, Toonsters!" (addressing the viewers at home)

"Rope it in, Babs."

End Tag

In total, Buster has the most end tags of any character (three; two with Babs, one on his own).

Buster's solo end tag is, "And that's a wrap!"

Buster and Babs signing off together; Buster: "Say goodnight, Babs." Babs: "Goodnight, Babs."

Buster and Babs signing off together (while wearing Hawaiian attire): "Aloha!"

Appearances

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Film

Specials

Music

1992 Japanese import audio CD of Tiny Toons Sing! -- Song: Tiny Toons Around the World (Vocals Only), Song: Tiny Toons Rap (Vocals Only), Song: Dont Worry, Be Happy (Vocals Only), Song: The Name Game (Vocals Only)

Video Games

Buster is usually depicted as the main protagonist of the Tiny Toon Adventures video games. Many of these games involve him rescuing Babs Bunny from Montana Max.

Appearances Outside of Tiny Toon Adventures

Animaniacs -- Episode 3: H.M.S. Yakko (Cameo: A still image is shown), Episode 6: Temporary Insanity (Cameo: A still image is shown) Episode 12: Garage Sale of the Century (Cameo), Episode 33: Noah's Lark (Cameo), Episode 57: Wakko's Gizmo (Cameo, a doll version is shown), Episode 62: Scare Happy Slappy (Cameo: Shown as Skippy's halloween costume) Episode 73: A Hard Day's Warners (Cameo, Shown as a costume at the convention center) Please Please Please Get A Life Foundation (Cameo: A doll version is shown), Episode 82: The Big Wrap Party Tonight (Cameo)

-- Episode 3: (Cameo: A still image is shown), Episode 6: (Cameo: A still image is shown) Episode 12: (Cameo), Episode 33: (Cameo), Episode 57: (Cameo, a doll version is shown), Episode 62: (Cameo: Shown as Skippy's halloween costume) Episode 73: (Cameo, Shown as a costume at the convention center) (Cameo: A doll version is shown), Episode 82: (Cameo) Buster's blue silhouette is seen in the front of the Tiny Toons comic books read by characters in Batman: The Animated Series .

comic books read by characters in . Buster appeared in a Korean commercial alongside Mario, Yoshi, Bowser, Goku and other licensed characters advertising for new games for the Hyundai Super Comboy (the Korean counterpart to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System) that had been released during that time. One of the games featured was Buster Busts Loose.

The Looney Tunes Show -- Episode 50 Mr. Weiner (Cameo: A doll version is shown)

Merchandise

McDonald's Happy Meal toys

Playskool plushes (normal and talking)

Applause plush

Hallmark Keepsake ornament

Just Toys 4.75 inch bendy figure

More coming soon

Gallery

Main article: Buster Bunny/Gallery

See Also





