"Rabbit's Kin" (1952, Merrie Melodies)
"Rabbit's Kin" is one of the most popular cartoons of all time, and its one-shot villain, Pete Puma, is now quoted just as often as many star characters. A little bunny with a warp-speed high pitched voice is running from Pete Puma, until he stumbles down Bugs Bunny's rabbit hole. The little guy tells Bugs his problem, and Bugs agrees to help him out. Bugs then proceeds to play tricks on the lion, (voiced by Stan Freberg). When he asks Pete to stay for tea and asks how many 'lumps' of sugar he wants, he replies "Oh, three or four". Bugs mallets him and gives him four lumps on his head! Pete next tries to disguise himself as the little rabbit's mother. Once again, Bugs wants to have him for tea....but this time Pete declines the offer, "I don't want no TEA! It gives me a HEADACHE!" . Instead, Pete provides the coffee. The "lumps" gag repeats itself, only this time the puma has protection in the form of an "Acme Stove Lid" on his head. Bugs removes it with his "Acme Stovelid Lifter", revealing more knots on Pete's cranium. Pete grabs the little bunny and runs home to his cave...but Bugs shows up in a costume disguised as Pete's second cousin, Paul Puma. He asks how many lumps of firewood Pete wants, and after he says "Better make it a whooole lotta lumps", he catches himself. "Oh no ya don't", he says. "I'll help myself!" the cartoon ends with Pete beating himself on the head with a wooden mallet as Bugs takes the little bunny home. This cartoon shows that messing with Bugs Bunny is bad enough, but messing with his innocent relatives gets you into a whooole lotta trouble.
