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