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A Warner Brothers, Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies cartoon character
A French skunk who is constantly seeking love
Storylines typically involve Pepé in pursuit of what appears to be a female skunk (“la belle femme skunk fatale”)
Has two big turnoff: his odor and his inability to take “no” for an answer
Created by Chuck Jones (1945)
A short video with Chuck Jones on Pepé
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17 shorts; first – Odor-able Kitty, last – Louvre Come Back to Me (1962)
1949 Academy Award winner: For Scent-imental Reasons
First voiced by Mel Blanc, who based the voiced on Charles Boyer’s Pepé le Moko (Algiers, 1938)
In first short he was named Stinky, but revealed to by a philandering American skunk named Henry with wife and children
Odor of the Day (1948) is the only cartoon in which Pepé is not a “lovebird” nor does he have a French accent; but not directly by Chuck Jones (but Arthur Davis)
Memorable Lines
- Do not come wiz me to ze Casbah – we shall make beautiful musicks togezzer right here!
- I am ze locksmith of love, no?
- I am the broken heart of love. I am the disillusioned. I wish to enlist in the Foreign Legion so I may forget. Take me!
- I like it! Come back! Ze corned beef does not run away from ze cabbage!
- How is it that she can sleep when I am so near? We must stoke the furnace of love, must we not?
Links with Pepé sound clips
From Soundboard
From Megawavs
Enjoy this episode: The Cats Bah
A Frank Angle 
Pepe could do no wrong – even if he was “a little stinker”. Great memories of a suave stank skunk. 🙂
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Mobius,
Suave is an excellent adjective for Pepe. Glad you enjoyed this one.
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Hi,
I always enjoyed watching Pepe of a Saturday morning, I remember all of those memorable lines. 🙂
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Mags,
Taking one back to those memorable Saturday’s is what I aim to do … so cheers to another success. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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wonderful… I enjoyed so much. Thank you dear Frank, have a nice weekend, love, nia
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Nia,
And to think you got to see Pepe in Turkish, which makes me wonder what Turkish with a French accent sounds like. 😉 Thanks for commenting.
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I have a fridge magnet of Pepe, Frank
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GFB,
Wow … fridge magnet is quite the honor! Well done … and thanks for sharing, but many may be envious.
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….”I am ze locksmith of love, no?”!!!!!
😆
Made my day, Frank!
🙂
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Marina,
LOL … glad Pepe made you laugh today! Thanks for sharing the laugh.
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I used to love this guy and his corniness–I agree with marina “ze locksmith of love….” thanks for the memories
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just watched the videos — Reminds me of the old days of Saturday morning cartoons – love Chuck’s explanation
rather sophistocated for kids though I did not notice when I was a kid
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LouAnn,
Some say many cartoons of that era were actually written for adults … that is the adults got the inside jokes while the kids just laughed. Now that is quite the art. Nonetheless, with this series I try to do just what you wrote – remind one of Saturday mornings for our youth. Glad you enjoyed Pepe … and thanks for visiting.
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I used to love this skunk. These episodes were so funny. Thanks for reminding me xx
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Spiced,
Providing a reminder of our youth is the order of the day. Wonder if Alfie will like this one. Thanks for visiting.
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Stunning choice of movies, takes me back to childhood, and they are Good! Tony
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Ray,
As a relative newbee here, this is something I like to do on many Saturdays. Here are the past posts. Thanks for stopping by.
https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/entertainment/classic-cartoons-entertainment/
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Holy cow, I haven’t thought of Pepe in years! Nostalgia . . .
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Deborah,
One of my aims with these posts .. 37 of them … here ya go … get the little guy and enjoy. 🙂 https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/entertainment/classic-cartoons-entertainment/
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So smooth and so suave 🙂
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Colline,
Smooth and suave are perfect descriptors for Le Pew. Thanks for visiting.
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Always a pleasure when I can view these cartoons that take us back in time.
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Like all the others, Pepe is a reminder of our innocent (or not) youth. While I liked him, I preferred to see blustery Foghorn Leghorn, especially when he was outwitted by the smart little kid he got hornswoggled into watching. I’ll click the link above, and see what I can find.
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Archon,
Not only is Foghorn one of my all-time favorites, he was one of the very first in my series on this topic. Here’s the post – thus you can see the similarities and differences with my current methodology. https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/on-foghorn-leghorn-and-basketball/ … Glad you enjoyed Pepe too … thanks for commenting.
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Pepé! What girls can resist a line like “I like it! Come back! Ze corned beef does not run away from ze cabbage!” lol! Pepé was recently the subject of a trivia question in a trivia contest that M and I stumbled in on. They wanted to know the name of the cat that Pepé pursued.
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Robin,
I believe his pursuit in his first short was Penelope Pussycat – but not sure if there were other cats. Meanwhile, the corn beef & cabbage line is a great one. Glad you enjoyed this … and thanks for commenting.
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Oh, how I love Pepe. Or I did. Then one day I arrived at work in my new black dress with the white stripe down the front. I looked gorgeous. My long mane of air was pulled back, I was young, elegant.
“Hey Elyse,” said my friend Ed. “You look just like Pepe le Peu!”
Shit.
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Elyse,
LMAO … There you were feeling like the queen of the ball, and pow! But I imagine Ed paid for it in time. 😉 Thanks for sharing the moment.
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I actually embarrassed him recently with the story at a party. He’s a good guy.
And I looked DAMN GOOD as Pepe.
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That a way …. I just knew he would receive a payback! 😉
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I worked with him for about 10 years — he’s a really nice, funny guy. But he gets away with nada!
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Ah memories…always loved this little guy.
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Zannyro,
Yep – I aim at the memories with this series, and hey – Pepe is getting many positive reactions today! Thanks for visiting.
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Frank, this was hilarious – and that French accent too … wonderful, you had a difference to my Saturday evening. Thanks a million. Up there with the boxer. *smile
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Viveka,
Well now … between the boxer video and Pepe, you have had many chuckles in a short time! Glad you enjoyed these.
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Ah Pepe, so determined in his love pursuit. He was my second favorite. My first is of course the Taz! (tazmanian devil) Thanks for the fun this morning!
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Jackie,
Glad you enjoy Pepe. In my PJ time … that’s pre-Jackie …. I did a tribute to Taz (actually not long ago). Here ya go … enjoy … https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/on-a-whirlwind/ …. thanks for visiting.
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just went to take a look at the Taz post! Thanks. I have a Taz watch and several other items. haha. I’m a grown up kid! Love me some Taz. I’m not sure why though, he’s just so darn cute. Even named a dog I had years ago after him, her name was Tazzie. 🙂
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I’m with you … Taz is on my upper echelon list!
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Pepe was definitely one of my Saturday morning favorites. I loved the accent and that no matter what…he always had a positive outlook that things were going his way. Loved his persistence!
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Alex,
Cheers to another Pepe enthusiast! Good points about his attitude. Thanks for sharing.
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As kids, we all practiced talking like Pepe. Really enjoyed seeing and hearing Chuck Jones draw him. Thanks for posting that.
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Maddie,
A special welcome to a first-time commenter. Glad you enjoyed Pepe. I do these on most Saturdays … and as my sidebar indicates, I’ve done 37 of these … so feel free to look around. https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/entertainment/classic-cartoons-entertainment/ … Thanks for visiting and commenting … plus I hope you return.
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Thank you for a gracious welcome, Frank. I came to you through Rarasaur’s doodle. I made a quick pass through all of the cartoons at the link, but I’ll be back later to read more in-depth. I clicked on “Kill the Wabbit.” Our son learned everything he wanted to know about opera from Bugs Bunny. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol is probably my favorite cartoon of all time. I think I’m going to like it here. I’ll be back. 🙂
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Maddie,
No rush, so feel free to visit at your pace. Interestingly, I haven’t posted a tribute to Bugs yet, although he is arguably the greatest cartoon character of all time. Many thanks!
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Classic! Loved it. Pepe Le Pew – very charming! I love the part in the video where he lets her off the leash and says, ” I have released you from your bonds of slavery!” too funny…there was nothing better than growing up with Saturday morning cartoons.
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Hood,
We probably appreciate the one-liners more that we are older than we did at the time. Just goes to show the writing brilliance. Thanks for watching!
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I’ve always wondered if it was the same cat that get getting painted with the stripe on her back again and again.
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Guapo,
Good question … but sorry, I don’t know .. nonetheless, a good running gag has its place. Thanks for the thought.
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Pepe is stinking good. Thanks for sharing, Frank.
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Otto,
I hope that also means we got a version of his during your childhood. Thanks for commenting.
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oh god I had a deprived childhood because we didn’t have TV so I didn’t grow up watching Saturday morning cartoon so I didn’t know Pepe … 😥
Thank you for including the interview with the cartoonist – it was fascinating to see him drawing and hear his story. The name Pepe le Pew is brilliant.
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Rosie,
Nothing like catching up on what you missed later in life. 🙂 … Glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing.
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I love Pepe and the long suffering cat.
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Debra,
Cheers to your enjoyment!
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Good choice. Everything was right about Pepe, the name, the accent, the scripts, etc. Well everything but le Pew – Phew!!
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Fasab,
Good points on all counts! … and for only 17 shorts, he has quite the reputation!
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Excellent choice Frank! When I was a kid I was always hoping that there would be one cat or skunk out there that would return Pepe’s affection, but Pepe has so much love to give, it doesn’t seem to faze him much that it’s not returned. Nowadays Pepe would be considered a serial stalker and sexual harasser. Still, he’s so likeable!
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Lame,
Many of the characters in this era wouldn’t survive today’s PC world … which is quite the shame. Thanks for sharing your fond memories!
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Pepe, the very height of romantic hero. Oh Frank, the memories.
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Val,
Oh my … Pepe as a romantic hero! Glad you appreciated this post!
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I linked to your blog, but it won’t come out until tomorrow. Writing Wranglers and Warriors on WordPress. Thanks. Cher’ley
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Thank you Cherley!
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I bet I missed most of the significance of Pepe as a kid. I liked them, but not nearly as much as Bugs.
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Binky,
Now comparing him to Bugs is a bit unfair, after all, Bugs is a true icon who would be on a Mt. Rushmore of cartoon characters. But at least you’ve learned more about Pepe. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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I loved Pepé I remember the “come with me to the Casbah” line. A happy memory!
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Debra,
LOL … a classic Pepe line indeed!
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Frank,
Honestly, I love ALL the Warner Brothers characters. Bugs Bunny, Pepe le Pew, Tweety Bird to name just a few. As a kid, you would find me glued in front of the TV and tuned to Looney Tunes. Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc – what an amazing team! Thanks for the memories.
Cathy
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As a studio, I’m with you as WB was the best. I too was glued, thus why I do these. Just so you know, here’s the collection for you to sift through as I have done other WB characters.
https://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/entertainment/classic-cartoons-entertainment/
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Ah, Frank, you have wreeten ze beyootiful tribute, no? Tres bien, monsieur!
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John,
Many thanks Pepe le Fresno
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Frank,
Oh my… Here I am…. Oh que j’aime.
Eric
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Eric,
… thus I am pleased!
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