For many of us, the first exposure to drag queens was in the most unlikely of places, Bugs Bunny cartoons. Created in the 1940s, long before the ‘controversial’ drag queen story hours at libraries, there have been plenty of cartoons where Bugs dressed up in women’s clothing to outsmart and thwart Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, or whatever adversary was thrown at him.
Bugs Bunny dressed as a woman has impacted pop culture in many different ways from other characters dressing in drag like Scooby-Doo…
to the conversation of finding Bugs Bunny attractive as a woman in Wayne’s World.
Even the iconic RuPaul considers the Warner Brothers character as his first inspiration for drag. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ru explained:
“Bugs Bunny was my first introduction to drag! As a kid, I always dressed in everything. I would use all the tools available as a human to express myself. No sexual connotation to it. It was just stuff.”
In celebration of Bug Bunny’s 80th anniversary, the United States Postal Service released a set of stamps with the iconic rabbit in different costumes throughout his eight-decade career including the Brunhilda opera diva outfit and mermaid with a 1940s hairstyle. The stamps went on sale on July 27th, the date the first official Bugs Bunny cartoon, ‘A Wild Hare,’ released 80 years ago.
Twitter had some of the best reactions to the drag Bugs stamps:
What do you think of Bugs Bunny in drag being included in the stamp set? Let us know in the comments or on our social media accounts.
Sources: Pride.com, The Hollywood Reporter, World of Wonder, USPS, Vice
