#214 Beep! Beep!

We have HBO Max for a month at the Hofman house, which has given me a chance to introduce Lanie and Mia to Looney Tunes. We've had some fun with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, Tweety and Sylvester, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. We've briefly met Marvin the Martian and the Tasmanian Devil. At this point, Lanie's favorite character is definitely Bugs Bunny, which makes sense. He's funny, and he pretty much always comes out on top.

My favorites, however, are Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Their brilliant cartoons are so simple: no dialogue (unless you count Road Runner's "Beep! Beep!" noises), just Wile E. Coyote plotting and failing to catch Road Runner over and over again. But I don't get sick of them. I get such a kick out of all the gags, from the fake scientific names (e.g. speedipus rex, overconfidentii vulgaris) to the unending supply of ridiculous Acme Corporation products to the never-ending ways in which Wile E.'s plans backfire. Just today we watched him dress up in a female road runner costume only to have about two dozen other coyotes start chasing him. Classic. Then there's my pick for the greatest gag: the painted tunnel. Check it out:

Simply amazing. I think Lanie's starting to roll her eyes whenever I fire up another Road Runner cartoon. But I don't care. Hopefully she'll learn to appreciate them someday.

Grace and peace,

BMH