History isn’t always pretty. Sometimes, it’s downright ugly, especially when you dig into the archives of American animation during the 1940s. If you’ve spent any time looking into the "Censored Eleven" or the darker corners of Looney Tunes history, you’ve likely stumbled upon the title Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips. It’s a 1944 Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng. It’s also one of the most racially charged pieces of media ever produced by Warner Bros.
You won't find this one on Max. You won't see it on a Saturday morning "Best of Bugs" marathon either. It’s been effectively buried for decades, and for good reason. But hiding it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Understanding this film requires looking past the "wascally wabbit" persona we know today. In 1944, the United States was deep in the throes of World War II. Animation wasn't just for kids back then; it was a potent tool for wartime propaganda. While we usually think of Bugs Bunny outsmarting Elmer Fudd or Daffy Duck, this specific short saw him deployed as a weapon of psychological warfare. It's harsh. It's uncomfortable. Honestly, it’s a time capsule of a version of America that many would prefer to forget.
What Actually Happens in Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips?
The plot is deceptively simple, which makes the content feel even more jarring. Bugs Bunny is floating in a crate in the Pacific Ocean. He washes up on an island. He thinks he’s found paradise, but he quickly realizes the island is a Japanese military outpost.
What follows is a series of encounters where Bugs uses his typical trickery, but the "adversaries" aren't characterized with the dignity of a typical foil. Instead of the intellectual (if frustrated) pursuit of a character like Wile E. Coyote, the Japanese soldiers are depicted through extreme, grotesque racial caricatures. They are drawn with exaggerated features, thick glasses, and buck teeth—tropes that were sadly standard in 1940s propaganda.
Bugs deals with them in ways that go far beyond the usual cartoon violence. In one infamous scene, he drives a "Pacific Islands Ice Cream" truck. He lures Japanese soldiers out by ringing a bell. When they approach, he hands them ice cream bars with grenades frozen inside.
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He calls them "slap-happy Japs." He uses slurs that were common in 1944 but are repulsive today. The short ends with Bugs "cleaning up" the island, basically eradicating the presence of the enemy in a way that feels far more literal and violent than his usual antics.
The Propaganda Machine of the 1940s
War changes things. People often ask: how did the same artists who gave us What's Opera, Doc? produce something like this? The answer lies in the Office of War Information (OWI). During WWII, the U.S. government worked closely with Hollywood studios. They wanted films that would dehumanize the enemy. They wanted the American public to see the Axis powers—specifically the Japanese and Germans—as less than human. This made the reality of war easier to stomach for the civilian population.
Warner Bros. was all in.
Leon Schlesinger’s studio produced several of these shorts. While Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips is perhaps the most famous (or infamous), it wasn't an isolated incident. There was Tokio Jokio, which was even more abstractly racist, and Daffy - The Commando. The difference is that Bugs Bunny was the face of the studio. Seeing the cultural icon of "cool" participate in such blatant bigotry is what makes this specific short stick in the craw of historians and fans alike.
Critics often point out that wartime cartoons often poked fun at Hitler or Mussolini too. That's true. But those caricatures usually targeted the leaders’ personalities or ideologies. The portrayals of the Japanese in cartoons like this focused almost entirely on race and physical appearance. It wasn't just anti-government; it was anti-ethnic.
Why it Disappeared and the "Censored Eleven" Confusion
There is a common misconception that Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips is part of the "Censored Eleven." It actually isn't. The Censored Eleven refers to a specific group of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that United Artists withheld from syndication in 1968 because they featured offensive portrayals of Black people.
Since Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips focuses on Japanese caricatures rather than African American ones, it wasn't on that specific list. However, it was pulled from distribution just as effectively.
For years, it was a "lost" film. You could only find it on bootleg VHS tapes at comic conventions. Then, in the early 1990s, something weird happened. Warner Bros. released a laserdisc set called The Golden Age of Looney Tunes. Someone made a mistake. They included the short in the collection.
The backlash was immediate. Japanese-American advocacy groups were rightfully outraged. Warner Bros. recalled the sets, edited the short out of future pressings, and issued an apology. Since then, the short has been kept under lock and key. It’s not "banned" by law—you can find it on archives if you look hard enough—but Warner Discovery has made it very clear they have no intention of ever profiting from it or broadcasting it again.
The Nuance of History vs. Modern Sensibilities
Is it "cancel culture" to hide these cartoons? Most film historians don't think so. There’s a difference between erasing history and choosing not to broadcast hate speech as "entertainment."
Animation historian Jerry Beck has often discussed the importance of acknowledging these films exist without pretending they are acceptable for modern audiences. They serve as a grim reminder of how media can be used to marginalize groups. If you watch it today, the "humor" doesn't land. The timing is there—Friz Freleng was a master of pacing—but the soul of the cartoon is rotten. It lacks the playful anarchy that usually defines Bugs. Here, Bugs isn't a trickster hero; he's a bully.
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It’s also worth noting that many of the animators later expressed regret. They were young, they were under government contracts, and they were living in a country gripped by war hysteria. That doesn't excuse the work, but it adds a layer of complexity to the humans behind the drawings.
How to Approach This Era of Animation
If you’re a collector or a student of film history, you might feel a weird tension. You love the artistry of the Termite Terrace era, but you hate the content of shorts like these. That’s okay. You can appreciate the technical skill of the 1940s while acknowledging the systemic racism that allowed such content to be greenlit.
- Context is everything. Don't watch these as "cartoons." Watch them as historical artifacts of wartime propaganda.
- Seek out the "Who's Who." Look at the credits. Understanding that legends like Michael Maltese (writer) were involved helps you see that even the most talented people can produce harmful work under certain societal pressures.
- Compare and contrast. Look at how Bugs Bunny evolved immediately after the war. The character shifted back to a more "defensive" trickster almost instantly once the propaganda requirements were lifted.
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips serves as a stark warning. It shows how easily a beloved cultural icon can be twisted to serve an agenda of exclusion and derision.
When people talk about the "Golden Age of Animation," they usually mean the vibrant colors, the orchestral scores, and the slapstick. But the shadows of that golden age are long. Recognizing films like this isn't about being "woke" or erasing the past. It's about being honest about what happened. It’s about realizing that even a rabbit who takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque can end up in a very dark place if the people holding the pen aren't careful.
If you are researching this for a project or just out of curiosity, the best path forward is to look for scholarly archives. Sites like the Museum of Tolerance or specific university film programs often host discussions on these materials. They provide the necessary framing that a random YouTube upload lacks. Don't just watch the footage; read the analysis. Understand the "why" behind the "what." That’s how we ensure that the lessons of the 1940s actually stick, rather than just becoming another forgotten piece of trivia.