Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips

It's obvious that this type of material is unlikely to be produced today. But the ridiculous sensitivities of the past decade should not preclude us from viewing that which has been produced in the past. Warner Brothers has seen fit to make it difficult to near impossible to see any of the controversial cartoons within it's vault. This includes this and several other classic Bugs Bunny cartoons. Frankly this kind of forced censorship should not be allowed. I was able to get a hold of this cartoon and I must say that it is quite funny. One just needs to be aware of it's context and it's time frame. Many of the Bugs Bunny cartoons have either been removed from any type of circulation or edited to the point of unwatchability. The latter because of supposed excessive violence for children. Well Bugs was always on a level beyond children anyway. When the twenty mallet hits to Pete Puma's head is reduced to just one hit ... it's not funny anymore. It's the twenty that made it funny in the first place. Back off WB and allow us to watch what we want to watch and to be intelligent enough to discern the context in which it was made!

There are two ways to look at "Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips". The first and most obvious is that it is an extremely racist cartoon, with the worst Japanese stereotypes (bad teeth, glasses, and acting crazy) and the attitude towards Japanese people (such as when Bugs Bunny starts referring to the Japanese as "Japs", "Monkey Face", and "Slant Eyes".

The other way to look at it is as a reflection of its time. You have to understand the United States was at war, and cartoons like this no doubt boosted the morale of both soldiers and the people in the home front. If you understand cartoons like this provided a need at one time, and that it was a reflection of the times, then it's a lot easier to watch. In fact, there are several non-racist gags in the cartoon that can be enjoyed. Some viewers may also find that the cartoon is so over the top in its depiction of the Japanese that they won't be able to take it seriously.

I don't think Warner Brothers should have withdrawn this cartoon. Certainly not market it to impressionable children, but marketing it towards mature adults (perhaps on a collection of the other withdrawn Warner Brothers cartoons) would probably result in healthy sales. Well, at least the cartoon is currently available on YouTube for those wanting to see it.

Bugs bunny nips the nips is a 1944 cartoon, it is about bugs bunny in a box in the Pacific Ocean, and then it lands to Japan, then he ends up in a bush with a Japanese person, who tries to kill him, but then bugs bunny dresses up as a general, tricking him, however he isn't tricked, he then flies on a plane to chase bugs bunny, but the plane crashes, so he parachutes, then bugs gives him a anvil, this is half of the story, but I'm not gonna say the other half for spoliers, my opinion of it, I don't think it's Xenophobic but rather fascist phobic, if I was Japanese and I watched it I would not care as bugs bunny outwitted horrible humans in the cartoon, and bugs is a mischievous, sometimes sadistic rabbit, but here, he's a American marine, but still a slightly sadistic trickster.

We are in a time now in which it is socially correct to "sweep under the rug" any material which may be uncomfortable. "Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips" certainly fits this bill. The stereotypes of Imperial Japanese soldiers are vicious, with depictions of Japanese as coke-bottle-glasses-wearing "Mr. Motos." It goes without saying that in this day and age this treatment is by no means pleasant, proper, called for, or tolerable from anyone calling themselves a thinking person. That having been said, We shouldn't discard this document as casually as we would anti-foreigner canards from the far right today. "Bugs Bunny..." was produced during the Second World War, at a time in which the United States was battling against Japan. It should be shown in classes to foster discussion on the origins and dissemination of racial stereotypes during a time of war.

Our favorite looney tune is cruising somewhere on the pacific ocean, finally hitting some beautiful peaceful island... until a Japanese soldier comes up and they have a fight, first on the ground, then up in the air. Bugs gives him some heavy bomb (at least that's what I think it was) so the crazy Japanese guy falls down. Bugs: 'Happy landing'!

Then he takes on a sumo wrestler and in the end serves grenade-filled icecreams to, as he puts it, 'Japs, hundreds of them!'.

As you probably understand, this is propaganda and nothing else. Some would call it racist or whatever but you probably have to consider the time it was made in. There are better propaganda movies though as this is just a bit of a silly one...

4/10.