Thursday, November 29, 2018

Hippety Hopper: The Bugs Bunny Show and Other Goodies



Hippety Hopper is seen on the opening of the Bugs Bunny Show. He is right along side the rest of the Warner Bros characters. This shows how memorable this character is. He was seen every week on Saturday Morning and on ABC in Primetime. The character would be there every time Bugs and Daffy sang this is it on The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Show, The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour, and The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show. In 1992, Hippety Hopper was removed from the line and replaced with Porky Pig and Pepe Le Pew. It took over 30 years to add Porky Pig to the line. It showed the popularity and how often the kangaroo was shown on TV.

Matt Hunter posted a full episode of The Bugs Bunny Show on his Dailymotion page a while back. This episode features Hippety Hopper as the main foul for Sylvester (who is hosting the show).




Here are a few more goodies:

Hippety sings happy birthday to those with an October birthday from the Bugs Bunny Songfest record.



Hippety was supposed to appear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in the proposed funeral scene.


Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Hippety's Name: Mistakes made due to Lobby Art and Green Frogs

Often Spelled.
On numerous cartoon books and references, Hippety is spelled Hippity. It's official name is Hippety though as that is how it is spelled in the cartoons and on most of the art.

The Original Spelling

In the first cartoon, Hop, Look and Listen, Hippety didn't have a name. His second cartoon, Hippety Hopper is titled after the kangaroo's now official name. That wasn't the original spelling though. The spelling wasn't the often misspelled Hippity spelling either. On the draft of the lobby card of the cartoon, the cartoon is spelled Hippitty Hopper.






A Similar Name
When I was looking to know more about Hippety, I was often mistaken with asking about Hoppity Hooper. It's an honest mistake as they both are very similar names. Hoppity Hooper is a frog made by Jay Ward. After a pilot called, the Green Hopper, they decided to changed the name of the frog. Hoppity's name was actually going Hippity Hooper. Jay Ward changed it to Hoppity Hooper because of it's similarity to Hippety Hopper's name.


Monday, November 26, 2018

5 Great Hippety Hopper Cartoons


I am not going to review every Hippety Hopper cartoon. I'm just going to post and share the 5 best (in no order) Hippety Hopper cartoons.

Hop, Look and Listen
The first is Hop, Look and Listen. This is the first cartoon with Hippety Hopper and is what began the plot that would be the concept for the Hippety Hopper cartoons to follow.





Hippety Hopper

This is the first cartoon where Hippety is given a name. It is also the second cartoon with the kangaroo. This cartoon's premise would later become the premise for the record.




Pop 'im Pop! 

This cartoon introduces Sylvester Jr. Sylvester Jr. would play a key role in many of the cartoons featuring Hippety Hopper.



Hoppy Go Lucky
Hoppy Go Lucky is actually based on Of Mice and Men. It still has the same basic plot as the other cartoons though. It doesn't feature Sylvester Jr. It features a cat named Benny who goes with Sylvester to catch a mouse for Benny to have as a bet. Benny keeps calling Sylvester, "George". When Sylvester says to stop calling him George because his name is Sylvester, Benny says "But I can't say Sylvester George." Benny is voiced by Stan Freberg.


Bell Hoppy 

This cartoon has some of the funniest gags. Sylvester has to bell the biggest mouse of all in order to join a clan of cats. He keeps getting blackballed but eventually gets into the Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club. 










Sunday, November 25, 2018

Hippety Hopper Record


Hippety Hopper had his own record as well. He was played by Mel Blanc in an Australian accent. The plot in the record is the same as the cartoons especially Hop Look and Listen.


Here is the record:




Here is the cover:


Here is another cover:



They kind of botched this record cover and added Woody Woodpecker later and Tweety and Sylvester. What really botched it is Sylvester's blue fur.


Friday, November 23, 2018

Hippety Hopper Collectibles Part 3

When Looney Tunes Super Stars DVDs were released, all of the Hoppety Hooper cartoons were released on DVD and so where all of the Sylvester Jr. cartoons.


Hippety Hopper Silver Bell

























Hippety Hopper Articulated Figure (note it's in Spanish directions)


Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Hippety Hopper Collectibles part 2


One of the many Pepsi glasses featured Hippety winning a match with Sylvester.

Here is an Australian Weeties cereal card.

Here is an official Hippety Hopper action ring.

Here is a Hippety Hopper cereal cut out card. 


Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Hippety Hopper Collectibles Part 1

Here are a couple of Hippety Hopper collectibles. The record will be a separate post.

The first is a Hippety Hopper gumball clad. This came as a prize.


Here is a Carosello decanter.



















Here is are two collectible figures. The second was made in Italy.





Sunday, November 18, 2018

Hippety Hopper: History Behind the Giant Boxing Mouse




There isn't much to tell about Hippety's history. Hippety Hopper, often spelled Hippity, was a boxing baby kangaroo that was often mistaken by Sylvester as a giant mouse. The premise was the same in most of the shorts. Sylvester would be looking for a mouse and would find Hippety thinking he was a giant mouse. No one else around him would see the kangaroo and they would think Sylvester is afraid of a small mouse.
Hippety appeared in 14 theatrical cartoons including a cameo with Bugs Bunny in Bushy Hare. Many memorable Looney Tunes moments came out of them including Sylvester Jr. and Benny (who is a parody of Of Mice and Men and called Sylvester George). Warren Foster came up with the idea of Hippety and liked it so much that he used it again. Bob McKimson designed Hippety with big ears and a mouse like snout. McKimson directed all the Hippety Hopper cartoons.
Hanna-Barbera used the premise quite a lot. It wasn't actually stealing because Warren Foster wrote for Hanna-Barbera. Many cartoons feature a boxing kangaroo. There was a Snagglepuss and a Pixie and Dixie where they fight against a baby kangaroo. The same premise and the same writer, Warren Foster.

These cartoons were shown a lot on TV. There was a record produced about Hippety in which he speaks. Mel Blanc plays him with an Australian Accent. In the opening of The Bugs Bunny Show, Hippety is the third character seen in the line of characters walking right behind Speedy Gonzales and in front of Yosemite Sam. Hippety also appeared in many comic books and merchandise which will be coming up on this blog.



Credits and Sources:
Devon Baxter
Yowp
Thad Komorowski
Mark Kausler
Matt Hunter














Monday, November 12, 2018

Stan Lee and Bob Clampett


I've been very busy guys sorry. Hippety Hopper's history is going to be a two month part series. The first ever. Anyways. I'd like to make my own tribute to Stan Lee by sharing some great Stan Lee moments with other royalty.

Here is an interview with Bob Clampett and Stan Lee (Courtesy of Jerry Beck)



Thursday, November 1, 2018

Hippety Hopper

This is the next series for the month of November is Hippety Hopper: The story of the bouncing boxer that was. This is on Hippety Hopper of course. I will also be including reviews as well as collectibles, etc.