After last week’s post populated with numerous never-heard-of-him comments, thought it was in everyone’s best interest to have a familiar character. Look who’s here!
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Taz is short for the Tasmanian Devil
The youngest Looney Tune character,
First appearance in Devil May Hare (June 19, 1954)
Only in 5 cartoon shorts before Looney Tunes studio closed in 1964
Short-tempered dimwit with a ravenous appetite, especially for rabbits
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Created by Robert McKimson
Originally voiced by Mel Blanc, followed by 7 others
Warner Brothers head thought Taz was too violent for kids (and parents would dislike it), so order McKimson to stop using Taz
Got his on show in 1991: Taz-Mania Intro
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Relatives: Hugh (father), Jean (mother), Molly (sister), Jake (brother), Drew (Uncle), Tasmanian She-Devil (wife), Dizzy-Devil (cousin), Slam Tasmanian (descendant)
Interesting jousting history between Warner Brothers and the Tasmanian government regarding using Taz for marketing purposes
Yes – I have a golf shirt with an image of Taz
Enjoy the full-length original episode: Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1954)
A Frank Angle 
Nice one Frank. Taz is like a quad shot espresso to start the day. has me bouncin’ off the walls way too early. 😉
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Mobius,
Great comparison of Taz to espresso! Thanks for commenting.
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😆 Love the post!
BTW have you ever heard the actual voice / scream that they make [Taz]?!!! Out of this world!
🙂
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Marina,
Glad you enjoyed Taz. Meanwhile, your commented about the animal scream intrigued me, so I searched … wow … Like this one? Thanks for sharing.
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E X A C T L Y !
🙂
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‘never-heard-of-him comments’ – that made me smile. But I hadn’t heard of him either. He’s cute! 🙂
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Eyes,
What? Never heard of Taz? Well, consider yourself no longer unfortunate. 😉 Glad you like this post and thanks for visiting.
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That’s was a great taz video. I like how the guy was trying to shhhh him. Navar thought he sounded just like the cartoon.
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Oh … yes, the animal Taz … and I thought the same as Navar!
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Not sure what typo you are talking about.
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How about all my typo’s ? :+)
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I don’t see any typos.
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Oh maybe I fixed it I was typing on the ipad and I thought I had typed a few typos. ;+) Happy Sunday!
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OK … I’ve pulled your chain long enough … but I corrected your typos. 😉
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That was good thanks for correcting them! :+) You did have me going. Thanks for the laugh this morning! :+) Happy Monday by the way.
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🙂 … and good morning to you and your coffee.
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Good Morning I was just going to make some more coffee. Navar’s getting ready for work/shcool. It’s teacher conference week this week.
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At last, someone I recognize!!! Good post. But who was the one with the long ears??? 😉
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Fasab,
Taz is a treat. Meanwhile, that long-eared galoot is one that I have yet to honor with a post because it must be done right. Thanks for commenting.
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Taz is one of my all-time favorites, Thanks for posting, I have not seen him in many years, Though I do use him as my Facebook profile picture once in a while
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Larry,
Glad you enjoy Taz and this post. Thanks for stopping by.
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Good Saturday morning Frank 😀
Yep, this one I remember! Am I mistaken or did Warner Brothers, in the Taz-Mania intro, relocate Ayers Rock to Tasmania?
Hope you have a great weekend!
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Alex,
Good eyes as I think you caught something! Just another example of how cartoons ruin lives! Thanks for stopping by … and I have you are starting to feel rested.
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Fun toons I watched this morning with Navar. Classic fun.
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Starla,
Glad you were able to enjoy this post with Navar … well, and with your coffee! Thanks for stopping by.
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Wish I had a sugary cereal instead boring plain flakes. I watched a lot more cartoons than Navar as a youth. He was milking goats and taking care of animals early in the morning in Montana.
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Somebody had to milk the goats and care for the animals. 😉 Meanwhile, treat yourself on your next trip to the store!
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yay Taz – I remember his–isn’t he a long lost relative of the Donkey?
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LouAnn,
Now there is an interesting connection to ponder … meanwhile, glad you enjoyed this post. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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I loved this post.
I’ve always been a fan of Taz.
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You just made my day, Frank. I love Taz. He and Gossamer are my favorite Looney Tunes characters. I actually have a giant stuffed Tazmanian Devil (the cartoon kind, not the taxidermy kind).
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Weebs,
Cheers for this post causing you smiles. How can anyone not enjoy Taz! Meanwhile, Gossamer is on my to-do list! Thanks for stopping by
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I don’t need to see Taz cartoons – my wife gets to see Taz whenever I wake up early in the morning! Though I must admit, Taz does adhere strictly to a PG-13 vocabulary at worst, whereas mine is more … “colourful”. (I had a great teacher – my dad was in both the Navy AND the Army. He usually didn’t swear that much, but there were times, trying to teach me how to use a particular tool – which I was slow on the uptake – and then, watch out! 😀 )
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John E,
There were only 5 made during cartoon’s Golden Age. Wow – didn’t realize your dad had experience in two armed forces. Thanks for sharing.
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Taz, very funny … but evil … but so is Donald Duck, especially again the small bugs and smaller animals. Don’t understand why he hasn’t been stopped. Donald isn’t kids friendly. Thanks for the great videos – they were really funny, but the rabbit always wins and that is a good thing.
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Viveka,
I never that of Taz as evil. Dimwitted and destructive, but not evil. Interestingly, the personality of cartoon characters many times depended on the producer. Even Mickey Mouse was a rascal in this early episodes. Meanwhile, yes, Bugs Bunny is a frequent winner. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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Have been a fan of neither Mickey or Donald and you’re right about Taz, he are destructive and loud – not evil.
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Being from Australia I have certainly heard of the Tasmanian Devil. The poor things are on the verge of extinction due to a type of cancer that is spreading furiously across their breed. Somehow it’s contagious. But, I hate to tell you, I haven’t heard of Taz but I did enjoy watching the episodes you’ve shown xx
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Spiced,
Bummer news about the Tasmanian Devils … I didn’t know! 😦 Interesting that marketing with Taz didn’t make it to your region of the world. But I’m glad you enjoyed the videos … and hope you shared them with Alfie. Thanks for commenting.
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“Short-tempered dimwit with a ravenous appetite, especially for rabbits” — nice summation Frank. You can definitely see the inferiority, or if you prefer, cost-cutting measures in the latter day Looney Tunes. I’m much less impressed with McKimson as opposed to the great animators like Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery or Bob Clampett. Fortunately, Mel Blanc’s voices are as spot-on as ever. Taz didn’t rock my world as much as other lesser appearing characters like Michigan J. Frog or Marvin the Martian plus being such an extreme dolt that he makes Elmer Fudd seem like an astrophysicist also gets on my nerves. Still, I’m not complaining for I do enjoy these posts very much.
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Lame,
LOL … thanks for the props on the summation. 🙂 I’m impressed with your knowledge of animators! Interestingly, Taz wasn’t well known until later in life. After all, what would one expect with only 5 shorts. Nonetheless, today he carries some marketing weight. Meanwhile, I know your not complaining, but Marvin and Michigan are on my to-do list. 🙂 Thanks for taking time from your break to visit.
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I love Taz! Thank you that was the perfect wake up.
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Val,
That a way! After all, who doesn’t love Taz? Glad this was able to start the day with a smile. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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Loved the Taz! Didn’t know he had such a short lifespan though…
And never saw the show in 91, thanks for sharing!
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Seattle John,
The short lifespan was quite a surprise to me as well. … and no clue about the 1991 show either. Then again, that’s way past the Golden Age! Thanks for stopping by.
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I love the devil!
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Debra,
Woo hoo … cheers to another Taz lover! Thanks for commenting.
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Taz!! If he hadn’t been “born” before my youngest son, I would have thought someone copied Youngest Son’s antics when he was a small child to come up with Taz. LOL! Thanks, Frank. Another fun one. 🙂
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Robin,
Now that’s funny! Many thanks for sharing and causing smiles!
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Loved Buggsy. 🙂 One of my all time favourites.
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Taz (short for the Tazmanian Devil) is the name of my beloved tuxedo cat, who is 20 years old. A dear friend.
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Airport,
Cheers to you Taz and for all the joys through the years! Thanks for visiting.
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Hi Frank – (it is Frank, correct?) – my name is Deborah. I hesitate putting too much out there just yet. 🙂 Taz thanks you, too.
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Deborah … and another one to remember, but so far I’ve done well. 🙂 … and yes, Frank it is.
We’re cat people, so we understand the special place pets provide. 🙂 … as well as the sadness.
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I am surprised to read that Taz was in so few shorts! I would have thought many more. He was always a favorite! 🙂 I enjoyed the frogs, too…
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Debra,
I think that was the biggest surprise for me too. But he sure impacted us! Thanks for visiting and glad you liked the frogs.
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aaahhh…Taz. One of my good friends is a big time animator who has directed animated films for disney, was the lead on some of the most memorable characters in Disney history and is a huge animation trivia/historian type. Good guy. I learned more about animation by listening to him than I did in college.
Ahh..good times.
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Jules,
Wow … to know someone of that caliber is a treat. Plus, there is always so much to learn about any topic! Thanks for sharing!
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sure! what’s even cooler about him is he’s a good guy..totally unpretentious about his success. his wife is one of my dear friends.
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Quality person to boot is the most important point … and an obvious gift in your life!
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well, i do need more quality peeps. enough of the riff raff.
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One can never have enough quality peeps.
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HEY! Who are you calling riff-raff? (Just want to make sure you spell my name correctly. 😉 )
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Even though I’m late to the party, I LOVE Taz. Thanks for the reminder, Frank.
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Elyse,
The party is always open for you … plus you like Taz! Thanks for visiting.
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Love Taz …it’s me without coffee…. crazy!
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Kellie,
Oh no … coffee …. give the lady coffee! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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Yes we will all be safer with me and coffee! 🙂
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OMG that Taz in the video screaming ….one mean boooitch! 🙂
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Kellie,
Amazing how the cartoon sounds like the real one … and I had no clue it did!
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