Rabbit's Kin

Robert McKimson's 'Rabbit's Kin' is an extremely memorable cartoon entirely because of the villain, Pete Puma. A popular character despite the fact that he only appeared in this cartoon (he was later revived as the Looniversity janitor on 'Tiny Toon Adventures'), Pete Puma is hilariously voiced by Stan Freberg. Freberg's unique voice characterisation is at once hysterically funny and somewhat disturbing. Pete Puma sounds like a desperate junkie searching for his next fix. Bugs' heckling in this cartoon is distinctly underwhelming, based entirely around the old "How many lumps do you want?" gag but this marginalisation of Bugs seems to be entirely intentional in order to throw the spotlight more prominently on the frighteningly odd antics of Pete Puma. Once experienced, Stan Freberg's unique vocal performance will be with you forever. Just witness the horrendously troubling drag scene for proof! All in all, 'Rabbit's Kin' could have been a dull cartoon if it weren't for its bizarre one shot villain. As a script, it would read as lacklustre. As a performance piece, its fantastic.

"Shorty," a little rabbit, comes racing into Bugs' hole seeking shelter and help. A ferocious monster, according to the fast-talking little hare, is after him. Bugs figures it is "Pete Puma," and goes to investigate. Sure enough, it is, and Pete -with a funny voice - tells Bugs he's after a little rabbit who is going to eat. Bugs asks him, "Wouldn't you rather have a big rabbit?"

Bugs then torments the poor, dumb sap, which is how the orange puma is portrayed. I'll tell ya, this Puma was a funny guy. He dresses up as Shorty's mother, trying the lure the little one, and is hilarious. However, poor Pete isn't smart enough to pull off any ploy...and pays the price each time.

Puma's voice (by Stan Freberg) was probably the highlight of this so-so cartoon. Using English subtitles to translate the super-speed-voice little rabbit helped, too.

Priceless dialog: Bugs: "How many lumps you want?" Pete Puma: "Oh, better give me a lotta lumps. A *WHOLE* lotta lumps... (After realizing his mistake) No thanks, I'll do it myself."

Did you know that the character and voice of "Pete Puma" in the Warner Brothers cartoon "Rabbit's Kin" was based on Frank Fontaine's character of "Crazy Guggenheim." Pete's voice was provided by Stan Freberg. Freberg reprised this voice in another Warners cartoon (as Pete!) and in 1990 as Pete on "Tiny Toon Adventures."

Shorty drops into Bugs Bunny's hole. She is hysterical and describes a monster chasing her. Bugs immediately realizes that it is Pete Puma and takes matters into his hands.

Shorty sounds like one of the chipmunks although I can actually understand the cartoon Chipmunks. It is a weakness in the character rather than a strength. As for Pete Puma, he looks more like a young male lion. It is the mouth. The design should look more catlike. This is Bugs and he is having fun playing tricks on his opponent. The lumps gag is the best and it has a great callback. Despite my issues with the creature designs, this is solid work from Bugs.

. . . on the Images from the 1900's Channel which features a young boy called "Lumpy." RABBIT'S KIN immediately put me in mind of this individual. The would-be large cat hunter in the spotlight here certainly deserves that sort of sobriquet. "Concussed," "Bumpy" and "Numb-Skulled" are other possible aliases for this totally inept feline. In the wild, members of the cat family seldom are confounded for very long by avians or rodents. Cats generally are so sure of themselves that they like to waste time "playing" with their food, whether it's a baby bird or new-born rabbit. As one species of fliers after another succumbs toward world-wide extinction due to the predations of the soft-pawed set, many viewers will be thrilled to see the stomping shoe on the other foot during RABBIT'S KIN.