A character named "Honey Bunny" first appeared in the Bugs Bunny's Album comic book in 1953. That character was depicted as Bugs' cousin, and was an explorer.[9] The name was reused for a separate character intended as Bugs' love interest, who debuted in Bugs Bunny Comic Book number 108 on November 15, 1966.[10][11]Robert McKimson designed the prototype version of the character with Phil DeLara redesigning Honey and using her as a semi-regular in the Looney TunesGold Key Comics in the 1960s.[9][12][13]
Honey's physical appearance varied over time. She was originally drawn with flopped-down ears, white bangs and pale yellow-tan fur. A female rabbit resembling this design appears at the end of the 1979 television special Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet albeit with the ears standing up. Later merchandise using the character depicted her as more closely resembling Bugs, with grey fur but a more visibly feminine model and clothing, which was used until the early 1990s. She also made several video game cameos such as The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle, Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball, and The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2. Honey was also mentioned in the book Looney Tunes: The Official Visual Guide.
When Warner Bros. began working on Space Jam in the mid-1990s, there were plans to feature Honey Bunny in her Bugs-like design. Some artists commented that Honey looked too much like him cross-dressing, and designed a potential replacement.[1][14] This later design, named Lola Rabbit, was rejected as McDonald's, who had signed a contract with Warner Bros. to sell Space Jam-themed Happy Meal toys, felt that she looked too young to be paired up with Bugs romantically.[15][16][17] The character was then redesigned and renamed to Lola Bunny.
Lola first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. She is shown with tan fur, blonde bangs, and wears a cropped white tank top, purple/blue shorts and a matching rubber band on both ears like a ponytail. She has light blue eyes and a curvy figure. Lola is voiced by Kath Soucie in the film.
Lola was created to serve as a romantic interest for Bugs. As soon as she appears, Bugs is instantly smitten and several other male characters ogle her.[19] Throughout the film, there is a sub-plot of Bugs attempting to win her affection. Lola reciprocates Bugs' feelings when she is nearly injured by one of the opponents in the basketball game, and Bugs saves her.
According to author Kevin Sandler, Lola's personality is a combination of the Hawksian woman, tomboy, and femme fatale archetypes.[20] She is a straight-talking, no-nonsense woman who is extremely independent and confident. She is both highly athletic and extremely seductive in her behavior. Her catchphrase is "Don't ever call me 'Doll'".[21] As animation director Tony Cervone explained, Lola was originally intended to be more of a "tomboy", but the production team feared that she would appear "too masculine" and chose to emphasize her "feminine attributes" instead.[citation needed]
Following Space Jam, Lola has regularly appeared in solo stories in the monthly Looney Tunes comic published by DC Comics.
The Looney Tunes Show
Lola also appears in The Looney Tunes Show, where she is voiced by Kristen Wiig. As opposed to her personality in Space Jam, she is portrayed as an eccentric, scatterbrained, endearing, and cheerful young rabbit who tends to obsess over Bugs, whom she refers to as "Bun-Bun".[22] She is very dedicated to achieving goals, but oftentimes tends to forget what she was doing. Lola is mostly involved in bizarre situations, either created by herself or when accompanied by her friend Daffy.
Bugs nevertheless appears to enjoy having her around, even surprising himself when declaring himself her boyfriend in "Double Date" where she helped Daffy get the courage to ask Tina Russo out on a date. Later in the series, Bugs and Lola are seen in multiple episodes spending time with each other.
Lola is the titular lead character in the straight-to-video spin-off film Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run.[23] In this film, however, here she is voiced by Rachel Ramras but still retains her Looney Tunes Show personality and appearance.[24]
The series New Looney Tunes portrays Lola as a happy and friendly character but with a more serious personality almost like her original character from her debut. She appears in the segments "Hare to the Throne", "Lola Rider" and "Rhoda Derby". Her appearance is similar to The Looney Tunes Show, although she wears a different outfit. She always shows eccentricity and maintains her carefree attitude but very clever and outwits her opponents similar to Bugs. Her intrepid and adventurous side appears within some episodes, where she performs various sports.
Lola returned in Space Jam: A New Legacy with an updated character redesign, voiced by Zendaya[5] although Soucie was initially announced to be reprising the role.[27]
Lola appeared in the preschool series Bugs Bunny Builders, this time being voiced by Chandni Parekh, once again having a different voice. This version gained the most positive reception for her personality and her defying gender stereotypes by working hard on projects with her friends and acting as a true leader for a construction team.[28][29][30]
Lola appears in Tiny Toons Looniversity, a reboot of Tiny Toon Adventures, this time voiced by Kari Wahlgren. She is seen with Babs Bunny and the other tiny toons together onscreen for the first time; her occupation within Acme Looniversity is implied to be sports coach, including other roles such as the head chef.
Voice actresses
Since Lola Bunny's first official appearance in 1996, the cartoon character has been voiced by a variety of voice actresses.
From 2011 to 2014, American actress, comedian, writer, and producer Kristen Wiig, voiced Lola in The Looney Tunes Show. For her portrayal, Wiig received several nominations including a Primetime Emmy and won the People's Choice Voice Acting Award in 2011.[32]
Since her first appearance, Lola quickly became a fan favorite and an iconic character in the Looney Tunes franchise.[38][39][40] She has frequently been regarded as an animated sex symbol.[41][42][43] In 2020, she was named the "most attractive cartoon character across the world" based on global search volume per month.[44][45][46] Shannon Carlin of Bustle.com praised Lola from Space Jam, calling her "confident" and "talented".[47] Dan Kahan of PopDust.com wrote that Lola was meant to be "ogled, both by in-world characters and viewers".[48]
Chuck Jones stated in an interview that he did not like Lola Bunny, calling her "a totally worthless character with no future and no personality" (in fact, her personality in Space Jam was not much developed, due to lack of time and her being written late into the story very quickly) and considering her "a nightmare of furvertfetishist "His opinion was shared by Maurice Noble, who created visual backgrounds for many animated shorts directed by Jones.[15][16]
Lola from The Looney Tunes Show was well received by critics. CBR.com ranked Lola and Bugs No. 2 in their 10 Best Romances From Childhood Cartoons, stating that she is more "lively and vapid" than in Space Jam, and is "pretty cute and funny to watch".[49]IGN.com praised the character, calling her a "crazy but charming character" with Kristen Wiig doing "a phenomenal job".[50]WhatCulture calls Lola more interesting compared to her first appearance, stating that the "Lola of this show is scatter-brained, strange, and incredibly off-putting, making her leagues more interesting and funny as a result."[51] Jonathan North of Rotoscopers.com complimented Lola from the same series, saying that it "brought out Lola's character far better than her debut in Space Jam did."[52]
In 2019, after watching the original Space Jam for the first time, Malcolm D. Lee, the director for Space Jam: A New Legacy, said that he "felt off-guard on how Lola was too sexualized" and decided to turn her into the typical "strong woman" character of modern films, stating: "The original Lola Bunny was not politically correct...It's important to reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters." The new personality and look gained controversy, specifically among Twitter, as fans complained her appearance made her less physically appealing.[53][54][55][56]
Author Kevin Sandler has said that Lola Bunny was created as a female merchandising counterpart to Bugs Bunny.[19] However, Lola Bunny is not the only character to see a rise in contemporary popularity, as original Looney Tunes merchandise in general has gained nostalgic value.
Accolades
Kristen Wiig, who portrayed Lola Bunny in The Looney Tunes Show, received several nominations for her work and won the 1 Behind the Voice Actors Award.
^Erickson, Hal (ed.) (2005). Television Cartoon Shows An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003, 2nd edition, p. 105. McFarland & Co. ISBN0786422556
^"15 Slam-Dunk Facts About Space Jam". www.mentalfloss.com. 2018-09-20. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-10-12. Lola Bunny sashayed onto the scene with blonde bangs, a feminist catchphrase ("Don't call me doll"), and impressive game on the court. It's no wonder that audiences fell in love with her even before Bugs.
^Wilding, Robin (May 1, 2012). "25 Sexiest Cartoon Babes". Animation Career Review. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
^"10 Best Romances From Childhood Cartoons". CBR. 2020-02-11. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-10-12. This would allow the two some heated banter that was at one end playful to the historic rabbit and at another a genuine, refreshing challenge. Such a romance would be reignited in The Looney Tunes Show, as the two would experience a new relationship with a much more lively and vapid Lola Bunny that was still pretty cute and funny to watch.
^Goldman, Eric (8 May 2012). "The Looney Tunes Show: Bugs and Daffy's New Sitcom Life". Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2020. Among the voice cast, you'll hear a couple of notable Saturday Night Live cast members. Kirsten Wiig plays Lola Bunny, a character first introduced in Space Jam, who gets a very different portrayal here. Said Cervone, "I like this Lola. I like this kind of Katherine [sic] Hepburn-esque, crazy but charming character. She's got a lot of layers to her and Kirsten does a phenomenal job."
^Dapul, Motzie (2019-01-17). "10 Excellent Cartoon Reboots That Surprised Fans". WhatCulture.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2020-10-12. One of the better character updates of this show was that of Lola Bunny, who had been introduced in the film Space Jam as little more than a sex object to give Bugs a love interest. As if in response to her first appearance, the Lola of this show is scatter-brained, strange, and incredibly off-putting, making her leagues more interesting and funny as a result.
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