The Museum of Looney: My Looney Tunes collection
I don't just watch Looney Tunes and write webpages about them. I also collect Looney Tunes memorabilia, and this page is just a sample.
This page is a showcase of Looney Tunes tie-in items from both my collection and other peoples' stuff. The Warner Bros. cartoon characters have been appearing on merchandise and other random places almost since their creation in the 1930's. Even the early Harman/Ising Looney Tunes character, Bosko, appeared in merchandise and comics during his heyday. Looney Tunes merchandise continues to this very day.
-click a thumbnail to look at an item.
*To be updated regularly! I have lots of stuff to show!
Also, be sure to check out page 2: "Items on Loan", , and see some of the great Looney Tunes collectibles others have submitted for viewing!
Books:
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1989)
Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald's excellent reference, featuring complete credits, release information, plot summaries, and more of every Warner Bros. short ever made (until 1988). I got this book in 1997. What is so unique about my copy? Well....just LOOK at the old thing.
"Porky in Wackyland" book (1991)
Extremely rare pamphlet released by the Clampett estate with a new limited edition cel painting at the time. A recent acquisition to my collection, a few extras were discovered years later, and were available for purchase via www.cartoonresearch.com. Very interesting, with some cool original artwork from Bob Clampett's own collection.
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Comics:
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #103 (1950)
Dell: It's Bugs Bunny versus a boxing kangaroo...with no such story in the issue. In the 1950's books, Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Warner crowd are often seen as friends doing different crazy things together and on their own. For example, Bugs is pretty close to his screen persona, Sylvester is a mischief maker, Elmer Fudd is a frustrated gardener, Porky is a sort of irritable straight man (think the Arthur Davis cartoons of the later 1940's) and other characters occasionally appear, including Petunia Pig and Daffy Duck.
Bugs Bunny's Christmas Funnies, #2 (1951)
Each year, beginning in 1950, the Dell Looney Tunes comics, which lasted under the Dell name from the 1940's to 1960's, would publish an annual Christmas special, a book longer than usual with holiday-themed stories.These issues are much more faithful to the cartoon shorts than usual. I'm not sure how long the practice continued, but some of these are very good. This particular issue includes one non-holiday story: a comics adaptation of Chuck Jones' "Bear Feat".
Porky Pig and the Isle of the Missing Ships (1952)
A Dell comic special featuring Porky Pig and Sylvester, who stumble upon a ship-theft mystery. The story is intriguing, the artwork is good. Still, not exactly faithful to the cartoons.
Tweety and Sylvester (1975)
The Gold Key Sylvester and Tweety comics of the 1970's, so I've read, were among the most popular Looney Tunes comics ever produced. They aren't particularly well drawn, but there appears to have beena lot of care put into their writing. Other guest characters occasionally appear in separate stories. In this particular episode, it's the rhyme-talking Road Runner family and the talking Wile E. Coyote...only it's not actually a story after all...just an ad for Hostess fruit pies!
Gold Key "Looney Tunes", (1977)
A typical 1970's "Looney Tunes" issue. The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote still talk, Yosemite Sam is for some reason stuck in his pirate role from "Mutiny on the Bunny", "Buccaneer Bunny", etc., and Foghorn Leghorn is known as simply "Leghorn".
Glasses/mugs
Slow Poke Rodriguez Pepsi glass (1973)
I picked this up at a local antiques place for about $2, turns out it is actually quite valuable...I have seen them go for 60 dollars or more on ebay and other auction sites.. Supposedly, there were fewer of these distributed than the other characters in this very popular series of glasses. This is actually one of the only items I have ever seen with Slow Poke on it.
Bugs Bunny birthday glass (1990)
This was a commemorative collector glass released in 1990 commemorating Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary. The front features Bugs in the LT circles in a tuxedo, with a "50" in the Warner Bros. shield. The back has a group of characters etched in black outline. Not sure where it was issued, but they are probably one of the most common LT items you'll find in garage sales and flea markets.
Wile E. Coyote KFC mug (1993)
Ever tried to scan a sculpted mug? It isn't easy. Anyway, in 1993, Kentucky Fried Chicken had a Looney Tunes promotional tie-in with four different plastic mugs featuring the head of a character: Those offered were Wile E. Coyote (pictured here, he's my pencil holder in my bedroom) Tweety, Taz, and Bugs Bunny. Somehow I still had the promotional art and care instructions that came with it.
Welch's Wile E. Coyote jelly jar (1995)
in the 1990's, (beginning in 1992, I believe) Welch's Jelly featured a series of jelly jars designed to be re-used as collectible glassware, each with a typical Looney Tunes character scene. There were twelve in the first series, and then 6 in the "special edition" farewell series, from which this is taken.
Miscellaneous -er...looney-ous....oddball stuff.
Elmer Fudd as a cop tissues (1988)
This is one of the weirdest LT items I own. Believe it or not, for a year or so they made packages of Looney Tunes nose tissues for kids. I found this in a drawer from years ago, and I believe it to be in mint condition. There were other characters on the packages, I'm sure...I remember Bugs Bunny being one.
Bugs Bunny napkin (1989)
Here's a Bugs Bunny cocktail napkin from 1989, presumably honoring Bugs Bunny's 50th birthday, which would be celebrated a year or so later by Warner Bros. I had these for one of my birthday parties as a kid, one survives.
Speedy Gonzales balls/holes game (1990)
This little disc features a rather off-model Speedy Gonzales, it was originally part of a cheap dime-store set, the idea was to tilt the disc until all the little ball-bearings were secure in the holes on the cardboard insert inside. Not as easy as it looks.
Bugs Bunny fruit snacks (1992):
No, they aren't still in there...but I seem to have saved the packaging from these Bugs Bunny fruit snack candies from the early 90's. I remember them being pretty good. I believe they are still available today, but they have now added several new characters, and I'm sure they have changed the packaging by now.
Looney Tunes Pez, (1980's-2000)
A variety of Pez dispensers featuring the Looney Tune gang. Most of these are still available.
Studio Store puzzle (1996)
This huge 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle was fun to do, but it's pretty tedious. It features 196 Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters, even such rarities as the moth from Bob Clampett's "Eatin' On the Cuff", (in black and white!) and Lo the Poor Indian from "Hocus Pocus Pow Wow"(1968)! It was available only for a limited time and only at Warner Bros. studio stores, which closed just this past year.
Sara Lee cookie box (1997).
For a short time, Sara Lee used Warner Bros. characters as their spokesmen, they appeared on the packages of bagels, cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. Here's a cookie box featuring Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., and Tweety together.
Act II popcorn coupon (1998)
Here's a good image of the Looney Tunes characters, on a newspaper coupon for act II popcorn, offering a free Looney Tunes comic book honoring Marvin Martian's 50th birthday, which was in 1998.
Post Sylvester and Marvin Shredded Wheat box (circa 1998)
When Cartoon Network acquired the rights to several post-1948 Warner cartoons, they celebrated by promoting the characters through Post cereal boxes. They included a "how to draw" character pamphlet in every box, not just Looney Tunes...there were other Cartoon Network properties ranging from Tom and Jerry to the Jetsons featured. I saved this box (and yes, I have the kit too.):
Road Runner internet CD (2000)
In 2000, my dad participated in the New York City marathon, a goal many recreational runners like him set and make a point to do. Anyway, Time Warner's Road Runner internet service and Time Warner Cable co. were sponsors, and all the participants got a free Road Runner bandana and a Road Runner Cable Internet disc. Since we live in Texas, it doesn't help us...but the artwork is pretty cool:
PVC Figures
These are probably my favorite Looney Tunes memorabilia to collect. Rather than go and list all of them, (I have over 50) I will just picture them for you. Most are fun to look at, and they were fairly easy to find up until a few years ago. Now, they are rarely made anymore.
I tawt I taw WOTS of puddytats!
My favorite character to collect in PVC form is Sylvester. These are what I have...the picture above have some too, plus the Sylvester Jr.
Stamps
Sylvester and Tweety postage stamp (1998)
The second in a popular series of United States Postal service stamps, the first of which, Bugs Bunny, was one of the best-selling stamps ever made. Here's a collector's sheet of the Sylvester and Tweety one:
Various Toys
Sylvester stuffed animal (2002)
It looks better when not squashed against a scanner, but this guy came from a claw machine someplace. There are a lot of Looney Tunes stuffed toys in crane games, and if you find a machine that DOESN'T rip you off, it can be fun. I've gotten several from random places. I never pay more than I'm willing to spend on them though; it usually takes multiple tries, and it can often escalate into one try too many for the pocket.
Bugs Bunny Back In Action Action Figure (2003)
This action figure was part of a set of characters promoting the 2003 movie, "Looney Tunes: Back In Action." These figures were based on 1940's character designs. This one includes an anvil cannon gun and a mallet device. Neither the movie nor the figures sold well...darn.
That's not all Folks! Keep checking!
-© Matthew Hunter. Items property of their respective manufacturers.