This year gives us the return of a few characters we had only seen once before, along with an adorable new pair of recurring characters!

Who's Kitten Who?
Directed by Robert McKimson
Hippety Hopper hops away while in his crate, ending up in a basement. In the same house, Sylvester is trying to show his son how to catch mice. Then the kangaroo shows up and Sylvester stands no chance against him, to the embarrassment of Sylvester Jr. Another nice entry with Hippety Hopper. The basic idea is pretty much the same as in "Pop 'im Pop!", but there's a new added gag (which would be used many more times!) with Sylvester's son being embarrassed by his father's failures to the point of hiding his face with a paper bag. The gags are good – maybe not quite as memorable as last time around, but cute in any case.
8.5

Operation: Rabbit
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Bugs meets self-proclaimed genius Wile E. Coyote, who is planning to eat him. The coyote uses various devices, such as a pressure cooker and an explosive decoy rabbit, in his futile attempts to catch the rabbit. Wile E. Coyote returns for the first time since his debut in 1949's "Fast and Furry-ous" – this time he gets an official name, and unusually, a voice. While it's quite strange at first to hear him speak, this version of him is very amusing too, especially his constant compulsion to brag about his intelligence. The gags are all great, and the coyote is yet another villain Bugs has impressive chemistry with. The bunny shows he's a genius of sorts too, with the clever and funny ways to outwit the predator. While most of Wile E.'s remaining appearances would be with Road Runner like his first one was, Jones would also pit him against Bugs Bunny a few more times.
10

Feed the Kitty
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Marc Anthony the bulldog comes across a cute little kitten. At first, he growls at the cat, but the feline soon manages to melt his heart. The dog brings the kitten home with him, but after his owner tells him not to bring anything into the house, he has to hide him. Possibly the sweetest cartoon in the entire series! Pussyfoot (as the cat would later be named) and Marc Anthony are just adorable. For characters that only meow and bark, they're really expressive, which contributes to some very emotional moments in the short. And of course there are the usual funny scenes too! In his early days, Jones was often making cute cartoons, but this was really his greatest success at that! Simply a masterpiece – it's no surprise these two characters would return a few times.
10

Gift Wrapped
Directed by I. Freleng
It's Christmas, and Sylvester gets a rubber mouse for his present. But he's more interested in Granny's present – Tweety. He tries various schemes to catch the bird, but none of them prove successful. Another entertaining Sylvester and Tweety cartoon. The gags are fun as usual, and the character portrayals are good. Freleng was trying his best to make most of the Tweety cartoons have unique settings or themes despite following the same formula – in this case, the Christmas theme adds a lot of appeal! For the first time, Granny is shown to be the owner of not only Tweety but also Sylvester, which would be the case in most later cartoons featuring her.
9

Foxy by Proxy
Directed by I. Freleng
The foxhounds are out hunting, including a dumb dog who wants to cut a fox's tail off. Bugs Bunny is annoyed by this, and he decides to play a prank on the dogs by disguising himself as a fox. The dumb dog in particular ends up falling for this. A pretty random plot for a cartoon, but I like this one anyway! The lead dog is very reminiscent of Willoughby who also hunted a fox in one of his cartoons. Nice gags, good characterizations (the dog is funny with his gullibility), and things taking an interesting turn near the end.
9

Thumb Fun
Directed by Robert McKimson
All the ducks are flying south for the winter, but Daffy decides he'll get there more easily by hitchhiking. After a couple of failed attempts, he manages to force Porky to pick him up. But Daffy repeatedly gets the duo in trouble, while Porky tries to tolerate his nonsense. Daffy is once again hilarious – all the cartoons where he pesters Porky have been very enjoyable! Porky also has some enjoyable scenes, showing some cleverness here! Another great short.
9.5

14 Carrot Rabbit
Directed by I. Freleng
In the Klondike, Chilkoot Sam steals gold other people have found, but he's not getting much anyway. Bugs Bunny, on the other hand, keeps finding a lot of it and selling it for just a couple of carrots a piece. Sam convinces Bugs to become his partner in gold digging, planning to take it all for himself. Bugs and Sam are another pair of characters that are always fun, even if this isn't one of their absolute best. The characters' portrayal are entertaining, and the animation of Bugs shaking whenever he finds gold is a particular highlight. The gags are good but rather average by Bugs levels, apart from a great (and slightly weird) ending!
8.5

Little Beau Pepé
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Pepé Le Pew, disillusioned with his bad experiences in love and completely unaware of his stench, tries to enlist in the French foreign legion. The skunk scares the entire legion and they run away. He prepares to defend the fort himself until he falls in love with the legion's cat mascot, who has accidentally got a white stripe painted on her back. Another variation on the usual Pepé theme, with more of a backstory for the skunk (who is finally officially named). A nice short with a funny portrayal of the main character. The visuals are good, with the cat being particularly cute!
8.5

Kiddin' the Kitten
Directed by Robert McKimson
Dodsworth the cat has to get rid of the mice in his home, or he'll be thrown out. Since he hates work, he comes up with a scheme to get others to do it for him. He starts the ACME School of Mouse Catching, and a skillful kitten soon enrolls! A fun one, especially thanks to the characters. Dodsworth is entertaining, and the kitten is cute and clever. The gags are enjoyable, and the animation is lively.
9

Water, Water Every Hare
Directed by Charles M. Jones
It's been raining a lot, and Bugs' rabbit hole is flooded. He ends up in an evil scientist's castle, as the scientist is looking for a living brain to give to his robot. Bugs ends up getting chased by Rudolph the monster (later renamed Gossamer). Much in the vein of "Hair-Raising Hare" (including an appearance by the same monster), this is another great cartoon with slight horror elements, all played for laughs. Bugs as a hairdresser is a classic moment, as is the scene with Bugs and the scientist using the contents of various bottles in their chase. A worthy sequel to one of Jones' best Bugs cartoons.
10

Little Red Rodent Hood
Directed by I. Freleng
A granny mouse tells her grandchild Teeny a bedtime story – Little Red Riding Hood. The little mouse imagines he's Red, outsmarting Sylvester who's playing the Big Bad Wolf. This short is a cute one, with some entertaining gags featuring the always amusing Sylvester and the adorable mouse. The WB cartoons had several funny versions of this fairytale, the first one way back in the 30s, and this cat and mouse version is another good one!
9

Sock a Doodle Do
Directed by Robert McKimson
Kid Banty, a world champion fighting rooster, falls off a truck and ends up on the farm with Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. The little rooster starts punching something whenever he hears a bell, and the two rivals both decide to take advantage of this... The fighting rooster adds some new energy to what is otherwise quite a traditional Foghorn cartoon, although one with great gags! Foghorn and the dog coming up with imaginative schemes involving the fighting rooster is fun to watch, and we of course get a lot of entertaining cartoon violence along the way!
9.5

Beep, Beep
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Wile E. Coyote (Carnivorous vulgaris) again tries to catch the Road Runner (Accelerati incredibilus). This time he tries dropping an anvil on him and an exploding water glass among other things. After his return in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Wile E. finally gets another appearance with the Road Runner (I'm surprised it took almost three years for them to get a second short)! This of course uses the same formula as the first one (and many later entries), but there are a couple of new additions – the coyote displays blueprints of his more outlandish plans, and one of his props backfires on him in a much later scene (something that would happen quite often in the later cartoons). Wile E.'s great expressions and amusing actions, a gag where he and the Road Runner are only shown as lights on their caps, written sound effects – a lot here that makes it stand out from the average chase cartoon!
10

The Hasty Hare
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Martian commander Marvin and his dog companion K-9 are ordered to bring a live creature from the Earth to Mars. The first one they meet is Bugs Bunny, and they attempt to capture him. Marvin's second appearance refines his character slightly and gives him his familiar voice. The cartoon is an excellent one, featuring strong characterizations of all three (particularly Marvin is very funny) and many comedic moments! The soundtrack is also a standout one, a perfect fit for the visuals. Even better than Marvin's debut, probably contributing to him becoming such a popular character despite not appearing much in these shorts.
10

Ain't She Tweet
Directed by I. Freleng
Sylvester sees Tweety in a pet shop window laughing at him along with a mouse. When the bird is delivered to Granny, the cat tries to get him, but the bulldogs in Granny's yard prove to be a huge obstacle. Sylvester's various attempts are fun to watch, Tweety shows his lovable combination of cuteness and mischievousness, and there are many strong gags. One of the funniest Sylvester and Tweety cartoons!
10

The Turn-Tale Wolf
Directed by Robert McKimson
After reading the story at school, the Big Bad Wolf's nephew is angry and humiliated that his uncle blew the Three Little Pigs' house down. The wolf claims he never did that, telling the real story of how the pigs were actually the bad guys. Quite similar in idea to 1941's "The Trial of Mr. Wolf", but this time with a different fairytale. The characters are great, especially the mean pigs previously seen in "The Windblown Hare" – maybe we shouldn't outright reject the wolf's story, after all... Another nice fairytale parody, and far from the last one we get!
9

Cracked Quack
Directed by I. Freleng
Daffy is struggling to fly south due to a blizzard. After crashing into Porky's house, he sees a stuffed duck in the window and decides to take its place for the rest of the winter. Porky's dog Rover soon finds out about this, though... Another short where the plot might not be particularly revolutionary, but the cartoon itself is a real standout! The characters are all entertaining, especially Daffy himself, and the gags (some of them quite unexpected) are timed perfectly! An underrated gem.
10

Oily Hare
Directed by Robert McKimson
Bugs' rabbit hole is in the middle of a Texan oil field. Orvil Rich is concerned that one of the holes doesn't have oil gushing out of it, so he and his assistant Maverick go to blow it up. However, Bugs keeps constantly outwitting the duo. The two Texans are decently entertaining, though Orvil is pretty much a slightly calmer and less amusing version of Yosemite Sam. The gags are likewise good but not among the best in the series. Not a bad short by any means, but one of the weaker Bugs cartoons so far.
7.5

Hoppy-Go-Lucky
Directed by Robert McKimson
Sylvester is showing his friend Benny, a dumb cat who keeps calling him George, how to catch a mouse (to love him and pet him and squeeze him and hug him...) in a warehouse. But things don't work out, as Sylvester instead meets Hippety Hopper and once again thinks the kangaroo is a giant mouse. The addition of Benny, a funny character in all his stupidity, breathes some new life into the Hippety Hopper formula. The character would show up again next year in a more historically significant cartoon... I'd say the kangaroo gets a little overshadowed here, as the cats' antics are clearly the highlight of the cartoon, and they're certainly fun to watch!
9

Going! Going! Gosh!
Directed by Charles M. Jones
The Road Runner (Acceleratti incredibilis) is once again chased by Wile E. Coyote (Carnivorous vulgaris). This time, the coyote's schemes involve a dynamite arrow, quick-drying cement and a giant boulder among other things. The cartoon is an excellent continuation to the Road Runner series – the coyote's expressions are again hilarious, and there's plenty of amusing cartoon logic, making some of the gags rather surprising!
9.5

A Bird in a Guilty Cage
Directed by I. Freleng
Sylvester sees Tweety in the window of Stacy's department store and sneaks inside. He tries to catch and eat the little bird, but nothing works out. Another great entry – the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons did well at using different settings for each cartoon at this point. The department store theme allows for many nice scenes involving the products in the store, with both the cat and the bird (both portrayed very well) using them to their advantage.
9.5

Mouse-Warming
Directed by Charles M. Jones
A mouse family (the mother, the father and their daughter) moves to a new house. The girl mouse and a boy mouse living in a neighboring mouse hole fall in love with each other. But there's a cat who realizes this, and he takes advantage of this in order to eat the boy mouse. The main thing that stood out to me in this short: the cute designs (in which Jones' art style is very apparent)! The rest of the cartoon is rather ordinary cat and mouse stuff, though there's an interesting point: the characters are mute, but we see them sending each other letters to carry the story forward. Worth a watch for the adorableness, at least!
8.5

Rabbit Seasoning
Directed by Charles M. Jones
The second part of the famous Hunting Trilogy. It's duck season, but Daffy sneakily plants rabbit season signs and rabbit tracks all over to convince the hunters otherwise. Elmer comes to hunt rabbits, but Daffy's the one who repeatedly gets shot due to being misled by Bugs. Though I'd rank "Rabbit Fire" slightly higher, the second part of the trilogy is another great one. Instead of the "rabbit season/duck season" routine, we get a different one ("Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home?") with Daffy constantly having "pronoun trouble" for most of the cartoon. This was a brilliant choice by Jones and writer Michael Maltese – it's very much in the spirit of the first part (with Bugs repeatedly outwitting the befuddled duck), but at the same time not too much of a rehash.
10

The EGGcited Rooster
Directed by Robert McKimson
Foghorn's wife tells him to hatch their egg while she's away playing bridge. This prevents him from having his usual fun annoying the Barnyard Dawg. But then Henery Hawk appears, hunting chickens Indian style, and Foghorn convinces him to hatch the egg for him, with chaotic consequences. Great short where all of the usual trio get to shine, though the strongest role might surprisingly be that of the dog – I like how easily he manages to annoy Foghorn here, even threatening to tell his wife if he goes away from the egg! It's nice to see the Foghorn Leghorn series evolve, as while the old aspects (Henery chasing chickens, Foghorn and the Barnyard Dawg fighting) are still there, the egg adds a new aspect to the plot.
10

Tree for Two
Directed by I. Freleng
A black panther escapes from the zoo. Meanwhile, tough bulldog Spike and his little friend Chester decide to go beat up cats. After the two meet Sylvester, Spike repeatedly tries to attack him but unknowingly fights the panther instead with disastrous consequences. An absolute classic – a simple but humorous story, hilarious reactions from the characters, great voice acting... Sylvester's performance of "The Charleston" is one of my favorite musical moments in the WB cartoons. The two dogs are amusing and likable too – they would go on to appear in another cartoon later on. This cartoon must have been one that Freleng himself was very proud of, too, since he would reuse the basic story several times, including once at WB.
10

The Super Snooper
Directed by Robert McKimson
Daffy is detective Duck Drake who is called to investigate the strange events on the Axe Handle Estate. Once he arrives there, he meets an attractive female duck who keeps hitting on him and pleading her innocence. He is convinced she's guilty and tries to demonstrate how she did it. Plenty of visual puns here! The characters are fun, Daffy being his usual self and the female duck also being an amusing character with her constant advances to Daffy (surprisingly, he does well to resist them). "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" obviously still remains the best short to have Daffy as a detective, but this is also a nice watch in itself!
9

Rabbit's Kin
Directed by Robert McKimson
Shorty, a little brown rabbit, hides in Bugs' rabbit hole, as Pete Puma is trying to catch and eat him. Bugs decides to have a little fun with the predator who's not particularly intelligent, the puma getting several lumps on his head along the way... Another classic short – Pete Puma is a very entertaining character in all his stupidity, becoming one of the best known characters to only appear in one cartoon (in the classic era, that is – he would be brought back more than four decades later for another one). Shorty is also cute and funny with his extremely high-pitched voice and character acting. And it pretty much goes without saying that Bugs is clever and charming.
10

Terrier Stricken
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Frisky Puppy has fleas, so his owner tries to give him a bath. While she's away, a chase ensues with Claude Cat trying to catch the dog, but the puppy's barks constantly scare him. This is very much like "Two's a Crowd" from 1950 and not just because it has the same characters – the pantomime approach (apart from a few lines from the pets' owner) and animal antics are very much in the style of that cartoon. It's wackier and faster-paced than the first one, but the story is a weaker one. Apart from Frisky's cute design and a fun ending gag, I don't find this short particularly memorable.
7.5

Fool Coverage
Directed by Robert McKimson
Daffy is an insurance salesman, trying to convince Porky to buy a policy. If Porky gets a black eye in an accident in his own home, he'll get a million dollars. The pig is still reluctant, so Daffy tries to convince him by causing various mishaps, all of which hurt him instead of Porky. Daffy as an annoying salesman is an enjoyable concept, used brilliantly in a few late 40s cartoons, and this cartoon brings it back! The usual great chemistry between the duo, various funny gags, and even a hilarious poke at the ridiculous clauses often included in insurance policies. Daffy and Porky at their best!
10

Hare Lift
Directed by I. Freleng
After an airplane lands right above Bugs' rabbit hole, he goes inside it to look at what it's like there. Meanwhile, bank robber Sam is trying to escape from the police. He hijacks the plane, and Bugs has to fly despite not knowing how to, to Sam's horror. This is a fun one with a lovable Bugs and an amusing Sam brilliantly playing off each other. While the great characters do the heavy lifting here (Bugs' nonchalance and Sam's enraged and shocked reactions being equally funny), the gags are entertaining in themselves too. With this and the much earlier "Falling Hare", it seems Bugs and planes are a combination that works well!
9.5

In addition to the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, this year also included one of the WB cartoon crew's most unusual projects – one that didn't even feature any animation! Jones and Freleng co-wrote a live-action short compiled from old film footage of monkeys and other animals in costumes, featuring the familiar voice of Mel Blanc.

Orange Blossoms for Violet
In June 1923, a couple of monkeys, Violet and Fred, are going to get married. But the evil Harvey is also interested in Violet and tries to kidnap her. Fred tries to save her, leading to a wacky chase. An amusing one-off – the voices and Howard Jackson's music add a lot of appeal and go along well with the footage, giving it the usual Looney Tunes energy. Definitely an interesting experiment from the crew!
8.5

Another good year, a little more influential than the previous year with the new character introductions. The return of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner was obviously the main event of the year – they will now become two of the most ubiquitous characters in the series with dozens of cartoons over the next decade.