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Not to be confused with the minor character Millicent. For character's precursor please see Honey Bunny.
“Hi, my name is Lola Bunny”
―Lola Bunny in Space Jam
Lola Bunny is a Looney Tunes cartoon character portrayed as an anthropomorphic female rabbit who first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. She is Bugs Bunny's girlfriend, and was created as the "female merchandising counterpart" of the character.
The history of Lola in animation can be traced to the appearance of her precursor, Honey Bunny, in the cartoon short Hold the Lion, Please, directed by Charles M. Jones and released in 1942. This cartoon depicts Bugs married to a female rabbit (credited as Mrs. Bugs Bunny) who looks identical to him except for a bow in her hair and a yellow dress. She tells the audience that she wears the (literal) pants in the family. This character has not been seen since. Throughout the years, other female rabbits shown attraction to Bugs Bunny, including a beautiful female rabbit in a Hawaiian outfit in the cartoon Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips, a shapely robotic female rabbit used as a bait for Bugs by Gossamer's creator in the cartoon Hair-Raising Hare, Daisy Lou (who bears a strong resemblance to Honey Bunny's eventual character design from the 1970s-1990s) in the above-mentioned cartoon Hare Splitter, Witch Hazel (who is transformed into an attractive female rabbit) in the cartoon Bewitched Bunny, and Millicent (an overweight rabbit) in the cartoon Rabbit Romeo. Mama Bear, in Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears ; Penelope Pussycat, in Carrotblanca; and Elmer Fudd, in Bugs' Bonnets and Rabbit of Seville (1950), have also shown attraction to him.
Another girlfriend of Bugs Bunny's, Lula Belle Bunny, appeared in Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies Comics and Bugs Bunny Comics between 1947 and 1955.
In Bugs Bunny Comics #139 (1962), there appeared another girl with whom Bugs Bunny fell in love. Bertha Bunny, apart from blonde hair and feminine attire, looked much like Bugs in drag. She had a speech defect, resulting in her pronouncing parrot farm as carrot farm, which made Bugs think she owned a carrot farm.
1990s-present
The release of the film Space Jam (1996) introduced a new female rabbit character, Lola Bunny, who almost completely supplanted Honey as both a merchandising figure and Bugs' sweetheart. During the movie's tenure in the theaters, and for some time thereafter, Lola appeared on practically every merchandising item released by Warners or its licensees (whether or not they were tied into the movie).
Lola first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. She is shown with tan fur, blonde bangs, and wears a purple rubber band on both ears like a ponytail. She has aqua colored eyes and a slim hourglass figure. Lola is voiced by Kath Soucie in the film.
Lola was created to serve as a romantic interest for Bugs. Lola has a "curvaceous body", wears tight clothes, and poses seductively when she first appears on screen. In response, Bugs is instantly smitten and several other male characters ogle at her. Lola demonstrates her basketball skills and then the film makes use of a Tex Avery-style gag concerning the libido of males: Bugs floats up the air and then crashes to the floor. The scene is reminiscent of "Wolfie" from Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), a character defined by his lust for females. The effect serves to reduce Bugs and his fellow characters to stereotypical "guys".
This adds to the film a sub-plot typical for the romantic comedy of whether there will be romance between Lola and Bugs. Lola does have a feminist catchphrase, "Don't ever call me doll", and her athleticism is not a typical feminine trait. As Tony Cervone explained, the animators originally had in mind more "tomboyish" traits for her, but feared that she would appear "too masculine". So they ended up emphasizing her "feminine attributes". The romantic sub-plot of the film concludes with a conventional resolution. Lola is nearly injured by one of the opponents in the basketball game, and Bugs rescues her. Bugs receives her grateful kiss during the game, and kisses her back following its end, with Lola reacting in her own Tex Avery-style gag on libido.
Lola's personality is a combination of the Hawksian woman, tomboy and femme fatale archetypes. She is a tough talking, no-nonsense woman who is extremely independent and self-reliant. She is highly athletic while also incredibly seductive in her behavior.
In the mid-1990s, artists working for Warner Bros. started working on Space Jam. In this movie Honey Bunny was planned to be Bugs Bunny's female counterpart. In early sketches an athletic female bunny with a bow on her head is seen, wearing a dress referring to the flag of the United States of America. However, some artists commented that she looks too much like Bugs in drag and they decided to change her look. They probably took an earlier yellow version of Honey Bunny and updated her to a more modern look. Probably from the very beginning they wanted to change her name as well. Among proposed names there appeared such ones like Bunni Bunny, Lola Buni, Lola Rabbit, and even Daisy Lou. Eventually, the character was given the name Lola Bunny.
Lola first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. She is shown with tan fur, blonde bangs, and wears a yellow tank-top, purple shorts and a matching purple rubber band on both ears like a ponytail. She has aqua colored eyes. Lola is voiced by Kath Soucie in the film.
Lola's basketball skills get her a spot on the Tune Squad, in which the Looney Tunes characters battle the villainous Monstars for their freedom, with help from Michael Jordan.
Although she initially turns down Bugs' advances, her feelings shifts to affection after he saves her from a belly-flopping Pound, getting himself painfully squashed in the process (showing that he is willing to put himself in harm's way for her and genuinely cares for her). Acting on these feelings, she kisses him and near the film's end, and becomes his girlfriend.
Lola's personality is a combination of the hawksian woman, tomboy and femme fatale archetypes. She is a tough talking, no-nonsense woman (as displayed by her reactions to being called the term "doll," which she finds to be derogatory and highly offensive) who is extremely independent and self-reliant. She is highly athletic (easily the best player after Michael Jordan himself). She is also incredibly seductive in her behavior, quite capable of easily charming men around her (as displayed with the other Looney Tunes in her first appearance in the movie but with none more so than Bugs Bunny himself, her boyfriend).
Following Space Jam, Lola has regularly appeared in solo stories in the monthly Looney Tunes comic published by DC Comics. Lola Bunny was also featured in a webtoon on looneytunes.com, entitled "Dating Do's & Don't's." During this webtoon, in the form of a fifties educational film, Bugs Bunny attempts to take Lola out on a date, but Elmer Fudd, as well as Lola's disapproving dad (voiced by Tom Kenny) hinder him.
An infant version of her, voiced by Britt McKillip in Season 1, Hynden Walch in Season 2 is among the regular characters of Baby Looney Tunes. Like her older counterpart, she has tomboyish traits and an affinity for basketball. Lola is also much more childlike and emotional in her personality.
In the action comedy Loonatics Unleashed, her descendant is Lexi Bunny who seems to be the first in command of the Loonatics team over Ace Bunny (the descendant of Bugs). She seems to have inherited her ancestor's athletic prowess and general witty and no-nonsense attitude along with her seductive charm.
Lola also appears as the secondary tritagonist in The Looney Tunes Show, voiced by Kristen Wiig. Compared to her "trophy girl" personality in Space Jam, her personality differs greatly in this show, being shown as somewhat less intelligent, more clueless to her surroundings and situations, talks abnormally fast, and tends to obsess over Bugs. Her wealthy parents, Walter (voiced by John O'Hurley) and Patricia (voiced by Grey DeLisle in Season 1, Wendi McLendon-Covey in Season 2) appear in the show as well. This particular version of Lola was met with a mixture of praise and criticism.
Following Space Jam, Lola has regularly appeared in solo stories in the monthly Looney Tunes comic published by DC Comics.
In one storyline, Lola is a pizza delivery girl working for a pizza restaurant that specializes in making pizzas for Gods, Dieties and other supernatural beings. She often finds herself in situations of extreme danger much like Bugs does.
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