. . . America realizes that changing one's sex (for Transgendered Folks), sexual orientation (for Bisexual Folks), or sexual special preferences (for Bestial Folks) needs to be as easy, simple, and judgment-free as changing your socks. That chief instigator of American Social Change, Warner Bros. Studio, realized all of this at least as early as the 1930s, and labored tirelessly to lobby both overtly and on a more subliminal level toward sometimes prodding but mostly dragging an often kicking-and-screaming nation down the path toward the vast smörgåsbord of sexual options that we enjoy today, particularly with its Looney Tunes animated shorts division. BUGS' BONNETS delivers this message in spades, as it closes with groom Bugs Bunny carrying his virginal white wedding-dressed bride Elmer Fudd toward some distant threshold. As the candy ad for Almond Joy and Mounds Bars states, "Sometimes you want to have nuts, sometimes you don't." BUGS' BONNETS also illustrates Warner's firm belief, depicted in many of its feature films, as well, that crook or cop, friend or foe, hero or heel is all a matter of perspective. Every American alternates between each of these roles, depending only upon which hat they're wearing at a given moment.

"Bugs' Bonnets" is a very silly, yet quite effective, Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Under the impression that one's behavior can be affected by his or her attire, the wascawwy wabbit and the dopey hunter conduct themselves in accordance with various kinds of chapeaus that accidentally land on their heads! My favorite moments from this film: With a wry facial expression, wearing a fedora, chomping a cigar, and flipping a coin, Bugs does a fine impression of movie gangster Edward G. Robinson. His Indian stereotype is also quite funny, and the musical accompaniment by Milt Franklyn makes it even funnier. Donning an army sergeant's helmet, Bugs realizes he's got Elmer right where he wants him! One thing about "Bugs' Bonnets" that stands out, aside from the unique plot, is Elmer Fudd's personality, which seems to be a bit more childish in this film than in others. Speaking of bonnets, the song we hear during the opening credits is "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet", a song Bugs Bunny put to good use in an earlier cartoon titled "Little Red Riding Rabbit" (1944).

This is an odd cartoon. Instead of the usual interactions between Bugs and Elmer, the cartoon begins by the narrator commenting that hats can change how a person acts. Then a truck carrying hats bursts open and spills hats everywhere. Again and again, hats fly on and off Bugs and Elmer and they immediately begin to act according to the style hat they wore. For examples, at one point Elmer gets a little girl's bonnet on his head and becomes a little girl and at another point a sheriff's hat falls on Bugs and he begins chewing out Elmer for hunting out of season. It's all cute fun but certainly odd--particularly, when a top hat falls on Elmer and a bridal veil falls on Bugs and they walk off in the sunset together (ewwwww!). A strange but fascinating cartoon.

This cartoon is fantastic, to say the least. It had me laughing constantly through its seven minutes of pure entertainment. The animation is brilliant, and the expressions are unbelievable. Shame that it's really very obscure. The ending and Bugs's transformation into a gangster are stupendous, and an interesting plot only makes it better. Surprising that it was written by Tedd Pierce and not Michael Maltese, who seems to have written all of Jones's best cartoons. Fantastic stuff! Very highly recommended.