Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke is the nonchalance: a rabbit facing a loaded shotgun greets the hunter like a pal at a lunch counter, and the hunter's whole plan goes wrong from there. That mix of cool and cheek is Bugs in one question, and it became so closely tied to him that the character himself, the carrot and the drawled "Eh" now stand for each other in almost every parody. It is also a rare Texas idiom that went worldwide.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Looney TunesShow the scene
Bugs Bunny first says it in the Merrie Melodies short "A Wild Hare", released 27 July 1940 and directed by Tex Avery (credited as Fred Avery), with Mel Blanc as Bugs and Arthur Q. Bryan as Elmer Fudd. Elmer is hunting rabbits, creeping up on a hole with his shotgun, when Bugs pops up, chewing a carrot, to ask him the question, quite calm about the man with the gun. Wikipedia describes it as the first film in which Bugs uses the catchphrase, and Avery later said it was an ordinary Texas expression he had not thought much of.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: A Wild Hareinfobox, Plot, "What's up, Doc?" sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Bugs Bunnysection on the character's characteristics and catchphraseReference checked
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