September 7, 2002 (2002-09-07) – April 20, 2005 (2005-04-20)
Baby Looney Tunes is an Americananimated television series depicting toddler versions of severalLooney Tunes characters.[1] It was produced byWarner Bros. Animation as its firstpreschool animated series.[2] The series focused on real world problems and morals that children may relate to, such as sharing, understanding emotions, and playing with others. The Looney Tunes babies first live withGranny, but starting in the fourth season, were cared for by babysitter Floyd, Granny's nephew.[3]
The show premiered as a full series on September 16, 2002, and ran on WB stations from 2002 to 2003. The show moved toCartoon Network in 2002 (by following suit nine days later on September 16) where it remained until ending on April 20, 2005. It aired in reruns on Cartoon Network and also onBoomerang from 2005 to 2009, and again from 2015 to 2016, and has since been added back to their lineup. 53 episodes were produced.[4]
The series also aired in reruns onthe American version of Cartoonito on Cartoon Network from September 13, 2021 to December 17, 2023, being the first show to air on that block, and currently airs in the United States onMeTV Toons[5] and Boomerang.
BabyBugs (voiced bySam Vincent) – He is known to be the oldest of the babies (but only just), which makes him their delegated leader. His leadership however does tend to cause arguments, especially with Daffy and Lola.
BabyDaffy (voiced by Sam Vincent) – He is the second-in-command of the babies. When he does not get what he wants, he believes he is treated unfairly, not noticing the inconvenience inflicted on the others, but he does have a good heart. He is known to have a fear of robots, and quite frequently, he has made fun of Bugs by making fun of his name and other things.
BabySylvester (voiced byTerry Klassen) – Atuxedo cat who is oftenshy and anxious. He makes an easy target for Daffy to mock and take advantage of. He is rarely seen using his claws. He likes to get attention from Granny more than the others. Sylvester is afraid of lightning and hates pickles.
BabyTweety (voiced by Sam Vincent) – A yellowcanary who is the youngest and smallest of the gang. Depicted as the logical thinker, because he comes up with ideas when the others are unable to. He is very insecure about his small build (which he must overcome in most episodes centered around him) and curious about what he encounters.
BabyTaz (voiced byIan James Corlett) – Whilst less aggressive and milder-mannered than his adult counterpart, Taz often mistakes various objects for food, and sometimes breaks things with his spin due to this. He has a sense of humor that exceeds all the others. He is sometimes more sensitive.
BabyLola (voiced byBritt McKillip) – Sometimes, she takes charge. Her independence is greater than the others and she has moreboyish tendencies than the other girls, though she wears a purple bow in her hair.
BabyMelissa (voiced byJanyse Jaud) – She is a duck, and often hangs out with Petunia; the two were abruptly added to the main cast early into the series' second season. She is a highly logical and practical girl with an easy-going personality, but at times, she can be a control freak and clash with the others. She wears a green bow in her hair.
BabyPetunia (voiced byChiara Zanni) – She often hangs out with Melissa; the two were abruptly added to the main cast early into the series' second season. She is the most intelligent of the babies with an adventurous streak. Starting in the episode "Business As Unusual", she and the other babies stop wearing diapers, and Petunia wears yellow frilly training panties with a white bow in the middle. In "Petunia the Piggy Bank", she learned to save money. She has her hair tied in pigtails with two orange hair bows.
Granny (voiced byJune Foray) – Granny is friendly, professional, intelligent, practical and level-headed. She offers unconditional love and care for the babies. Being the only adult in their lives, the babies are fascinated and inspired by her guidance, advice and ability to overcome problems when they arise with ease.
Floyd Minton (voiced byBrian Drummond) – Granny's nephew, who is sometimes overwhelmed by the responsibility he takes on the babies, but is determined never to let Granny down. He often keeps an eye on one of the individual babies in each episode during Season 4.
Several other Looney Tunes characters have made cameos over the course of the show's run, mainly as guest spots or during songs. BabyMarc Antony, BabyPrissy, and BabyPenelope appear in the songs, "Paws and Feathers", "Down by the Cage", and "Vive le Pew, le Skunk" respectively. BabyMarvin (Sam Vincent), BabyElmer (Brian Drummond), BabyInstant Martians, BabyGossamer, and BabyFoghorn (Scott McNeil) appear in "War of the Weirds", "New Cat in Town", "A Bully for Bugs", "A Mid-Autumn Night’s Scream", "Cock a Doodle Do It!", and "Stop and Smell Up the Flowers", respectively.Baby Wile E. and Baby Road Runner appear in multiple songs, as do BabyPepé (Terry Klassen), BabyPorky, Baby Speedy, and BabySam.
Baby Marvin (voiced by Samuel Vincent) – An alien toddler from Mars. He appears in "War of The Weirds". He is timid and meek but friendly Martian who was visiting for a while. The babies thought he was "creepy" and hesitated to befriend him, yet Taz was the only one who was kind to him. The babies eventually realize their error and receive him as a friend, and he finally speaks to them.
BabyElmer (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Appears as a baby in the songs, and as an older toddler in "A Bully for Bugs". In his only proper episode, he was a bully who harassed Bugs and stole his candy, and was bullying the other babies too. In the end, he admits that he felt alone and actually wanted to be friends with them. The babies soon forgave him and accepted him as a friend.
Baby Foghorn (voiced by Scott McNeil) – Appears in "Cock-a-Doodle-Do It!". He's a young, somewhat neurotic, farm rooster who is ostracized by the older roosters. The other babies visiting, helps him to gain self-confidence and win the other roosters' respect. At the end, he faces a dog with the help of his new friends, and finally becomes a respected member of the corral.
Baby Pepé (voiced by Terry Klassen) – Appears first in "New Cat in Town" as a baby, and later in "Stop and Smell Up the Flowers" as an older toddler. In his first episode, the babies all mistook him for a cat and doted on him. Sylvester was initially jealous of him, but got over it when he heard Pepé say “Sylvester” as his first word. By his second appearance, he is working for a garden, but his skunk smell was an issue for the other babies, initially being put off by this. Eventually they apologize and truly accept him for who he is in the end. He is revealed to be friends with Baby Gossamer.
In January 2002, it was announcedWarner Bros. Animation would be developing a TV series featuring baby versions of theLooney Tunes characters under the working title ofLooney Tunes Babies[6] The idea for the series came about from the successfulLooney Tunes Lovables (later revamped asBaby Looney Tunes) line of merchandise.[6]
As a cost-saving measure, the show hired Canadian voice actors rather than the current voice actors for theLooney Tunes characters, with the exception of Granny's actorJune Foray, who'd voiced the character since the 1950s.[7] As the show was aimed at an audience of 2- to 5-year-olds, the style of the show used softer pastel colors and watercolor backgrounds to reflect the gentler tone of the series.[7] An educational expert also examined the series, even though it wasn't explicitly designed to be educational.[7]
In 2003, a series of direct-to-video puppet films were produced, aimed at infants and toddlers in addition to the main series' preschool audience. The series was likely an attempt by Warner Bros. to compete withDisney'sBaby Einstein series of videos, which was a multimillion-dollar hit at the time; the difference is that the Baby Looney Tunes DVDs used a popular music soundtrack and real-life situations, in contrast to Baby Einstein’s use of classical music, puppets, and simple close-ups of toys. Two films were released,Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures andBaby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures, featuring the same voice cast as the TV series.[8] The films were never released on DVD. However,Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures later became available onHBO Max andTubi.[9][10]Baby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures was formerly available onBinge in Australia.[11]
Underscoring for the series was written by veteran animation composers Steven and Julie Bernstein. They were nominated for a Daytime Emmy (Outstanding Music Direction and Composition) in 2006. They also composed the score for the Easter movie,Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure, writing the music and lyrics for the featured songs.
Warner Home Video[12] has released 15 of the 53 episodes ofBaby Looney Tunes, including the DVD of the onlyBaby Looney Tunes movie:Eggs-traordinary Adventure.
DVD name
Ep #
Release date
Special features
Eggs-traordinary Adventure
3
May 25, 2004
Two bonus episodes
Two music videos
Granny's Activity Day Challenge
4 Kid Favorites: Baby Looney Tunes
12
January 17, 2012
Menu Challenge: Baby Trivia
Menu Challenge: What's That Sound?
In the United Kingdom, four volumes were released on DVD on July 15, 2013. Each disc contains four half-hour episodes.
DVD name
Episodes listed
Release date
Baby Bugs Bunny
"Bruce Bunny / Leader of the Pack"
"Flower Power / Lightning Bugs Sylvester"
"Flush Hour / I Strain"
"The Sandman Is Coming / Some Assembly Required"
July 15, 2013
Baby Taz
"Creature from the Chocolate Chip / Card Bored Box"
^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 105–106.ISBN978-1476665993.
^Crump, William D. (2019).Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 58.ISBN9781476672939.
