Warner Bros launched Looney Tunes in 1930 as an animated series of short comedy films, introducing many comic characters such as Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Road Runner and Pepé Le Pew, to name but a few.
The name Looney Tunes was inspired by Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies series of musical cartoons. Regular characters soon became household names that were loved by kids and adults alike.
After its early success making short animated films, Looney Tunes grew into the worldwide media franchise we know today, spawning feature films, television series, music albums, comic books, video games and amusement park rides, in addition to becoming Warner Bros' flagship enterprise.
Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo
Sylvester and Tweetie Pie
The anthropomorphic black and white feline, Sylvester, was first created in May 1939 by Friz Freleng, but he didn't evolve into the cat we know today until March 1945. Standing around 50 inches tall, he has appeared in 103 cartoons. Only Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig have made more appearances!
Sylvester has a lot of pride and determination, but sadly, he's the perpetual loser in every cartoon! He has an intentional lisp and is prone to rant when he complains about anything, finishing his tirade by saying "Sakes!", meaning, "For goodness' sake!"
Tweetie Pie was originally called Tweetie Bird when he was created by Bob Clampett in November 1941 but was redesigned by Friz Freleng in 1945 into the cute, fluffy canary we know today. He is owned by Granny and looks like a young canary but is frequently described as a rare "Tweetie Bird".
Characterised by their famous theme song, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat, Sylvester and Tweetie Pie's relationship is one of the most enduring in cartoon history.
Sylvester is continually chasing Tweetie, who lives in a gilded cage in Grandma's living room. Clampett's original Tweetie was a more aggressive character, who was more than a match for any cat, but after Freleng's redesign, he became the fluffy and more naïve bird we know today.
First appearance
As a duo, Sylvester and Tweetie debuted in the animated short film, Tweetie Pie, in 1947. Winning Warner Bros its first Academy Award for Best Short Cartoon, the cat and the bird have become a memorable pairing throughout the years, with the standard formula for their cartoons being based on Sylvester wanting to eat Tweetie.
However, some major obstacle always stands in his way, in the shape of Granny, her bulldog Hector, sometimes several bulldogs, or even another cat who's after Tweetie. Of course, Tweetie always survives but in every episode, he utters his famous lines, "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!" and "I did! I taw a puddy tat!"
Sylvester comes up with many devious plans to lure Tweetie out of the safety of his cage. Poor Tweetie always falls for them - such as when he has been singing and receives an anonymous note pushed under the door, saying he has a secret admirer who loves his songs!
Of course, it's cunning Sylvester trying to trick him. Once Tweetie leaves his cage and knocks on a neighbouring door to find out his admirer's identity, Sylvester is waiting to pounce. A chase ensues, but as usual, Tweetie escapes!
Voiceovers
Many different actors have provided the voices for Sylvester and Tweetie Pie over the years. Mel Blanc was the first Sylvester following the cat's relaunch and provided the vocals from 1945 until 1989. He also provided Tweetie Pie's vocals during the same time period - an amazing feat to provide such different voices for the two characters for more than 40 years.
Born in May 1908, Blanc was already a famous American comedian, voice actor, radio personality and singer before he took over the voices of the endearing duo. During his 60-year career, he also became famous for providing the voices of other Looney Tunes characters, such as Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Wile E Coyote, the Tasmanian Devil, Road Runner and many more.
Blanc provided their voices until his death in 1989, leaving a massive gap in the franchise, as he was such a talented and professional voice actor.
Several different voice actors have provided Sylvester's voice since, including Joe Alaskey, Jeff Bergman, Bill Farmer, Terry Klassen and Jeff Bennett. Alaskey and Bergman have also provided Tweetie's voice. Other actors have also voiced the bird, including Greg Burson, Eric Goldberg, Sam Vincent, Billy West and Eric Bauza.
Looney Tunes today
Looney Tunes is still going strong, with a new series of short cartoons announced by Warner Bros on 11th June 2018.
They are set to be released in 2019, with the first season featuring 1,000 minutes of new cartoons of viewers' favourite characters. The format is described as ?simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories?.
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