5 Alternative Weapons for Looney Tunes Characters

Elmer Fudd is coming back to television to hunt that "waskally wabbit" in a Looney Tunes reboot on the HBO Max channel. The big hubbub going around the internet this week is the news that show producers are removing Elmer Fudd's signature weapon (a double-barreled shotgun) because, you know... guns. If you read past the headline, they are also removing Yosemite Sam's pistols. You remember Sam's trademark sidearms, right? The revolvers that were so powerful that when he points them both to the ground and starts firing, he actually gets lifted into the air from the force. Raise your hand if you thought that might actually be possible when you were in kindergarten.

So what non-violent weapon are they going to stick in dimwit Elmer Fudd's hands to catch Bugs Bunny with, since they're taking away his 12 gauge? Get this... a scythe. Weapon of choice for none other than the Grim Reaper.

Nope, nothing violent or scary about that. Gun cartoon violence = bad. Medieval tool primarily used for cutting hay and showing up in your nightmares violence = okay. Gotcha. You can read more about the history of Looney Tunes, the various reboots over the years and their reason to ditch gun violence portrayal in this detailed piece from the New York Times.

Since they are taking away the cartoon guns, I found five weapons that the newly gun-free Looney Tunes can work into their arsenal of cartoon violence.

1. Nunchucks. Every kid wanted to be a nunchuck master. My mom would never let me get a set. I envision nunchucks as more of a defensive weapon for Bugs Bunny than an offensive weapon for Elmer.

2. Throwing stars. Oooh, yes. Stars might be great for Yosemite Sam. He can keep his gun holsters and instead of using them for his six-shooters, he can fill the holsters up with a couple of six-packs of throwing stars.

3. Garrote. Advertised as a wire cheese cutter, we all know this simple device is actually a garrote. Favored by spies, I figure this would be a perfect weapon for Wile E. Coyote. A sneaky character deserves a sneaky weapon.

4. Blowgun. A blowgun seems like a perfect weapon for Sylvester. With a quick puff and a poison-tipped dart, he'll have no problem sticking a dart into Tweety Bird.

5. Meat cleaver. You know what cartoon remakes really need? More up-close and personal cartoon violence. Sure, Elmer's new scythe seems pretty butcher-ish, but if you're gonna go with a knife, you might as well really hack things up with a quality blade.

H/T: New York Post