The Tasmanian Devil (also spelled Tazmanian Devil), commonly referred to as Taz, is an

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

featured in the Warner Bros. ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' and ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

'' series of cartoons. Though the character appeared in only five

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...

before

Warner Bros. Cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

shut down in 1964, marketing and television appearances later propelled Taz to new popularity in the 1990s.

Personality

Taz is generally portrayed as a ferocious, albeit dim-witted,

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other s ...

with a notoriously short temper and little patience. He got his name in the short '' Ducking the Devil,'' where he is described as a "vicious, evil-tempered brute with jaws like a steel trap". Though he can be very devious, he is also sweet at times. His enormous appetite seems to know no bounds, as he will eat anything in his path. He is best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls, and rasps (in his earlier appearances, he does speak English with primitive grammar) as well as his ability to spin like a vortex and bite through nearly anything. Taz does have one weakness: he can be calmed by almost any music. While in this calm state, he can be easily dealt with. The only music known not to pacify Taz is the

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

, which he finds insufferable.

Creation

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DeP ...

based the character on the real life

Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') ( palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales ...

, or more specifically its carnivorous nature, voracious appetite, and surly disposition. Owen and Pemberton suggest that the character of the Tasmanian Devil was inspired by

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

. The model sheet was created by Ted Bonnicksen, who would later work for ''

Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began d ...

''.

Appearances

In his first appearance in McKimson's '' Devil May Hare'' (first released on June 19, 1954), Taz stalks

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

, but due to his dimwittedness and inability to frame complete sentences, he serves as little more than a nuisance. Bugs eventually gets rid of him in the most logical way possible: matching him up with an equally insatiable Tasmanian She-Devil. The character's speech, a deep, gravelly voice peppered with growls, screeches, and raspberries, is provided by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

. Only occasionally would Taz actually speak, usually to utter some incongruous punchline, (e.g. "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?") and yet the character is capable of writing and reading. A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

is that when Bugs Bunny hears of the approach of Taz, looks him up in an encyclopedia and starts reading off a list of animals that Taz eats (which is pretty much everything that exists, including "people"). Bugs finds "rabbits" not listed until Taz enters and either points out that "rabbits" ''are'' listed or writes rabbits on the list. After the film short debuted at theaters, producer

Edward Selzer Edward Selzer (January 12, 1893 – February 22, 1970) was an American film producer and publicist who served as head of Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1944 to 1958. He served in the US Navy and fought as a Golden Gloves boxer. He won a boxing exhibi ...

, head of the Warner Bros. animation studio, ordered McKimson to shelve the character, feeling that he was too violent for children, and that parents would dislike him. After a time with no new Taz shorts, studio head

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

asked what had happened to the character. Warner saved Taz's career when he told Selzer that he had received "boxes and boxes" of letters from people who liked the character and wanted to see more of him. McKimson would go on to direct four more Taz cartoons, beginning with ''

Bedevilled Rabbit ''Bedevilled Rabbit'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on April 13, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny. In this cartoon, Bugs is lost in Tasmania, and has to deal with the Tasmanian Devil ...

'' (released on April 13, 1957). McKimson would also pair the Devil with

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

in '' Ducking the Devil'' (August 17, 1957) before pitting him once again against Bugs in ''

Bill of Hare ''Bill of Hare'' is a 1962 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on June 9, 1962, and stars Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil. Plot The cartoon opens in a seaside town where a crate is being ...

'' (June 9, 1962) and '' Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare'' (March 28, 1964). His last two appearances done by the classic Warner Brothers directors, writers, and voice actors were in ''

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales ''Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales'' is a 1979 animated Christmas television special featuring Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in three newly created cartoon shorts with seasonal themes. It premiered on CBS on November 27, 1979. ...

'' appearing in ''The Fright Before Christmas'' segment and at the very end eating the sleigh full of presents.

Later appearances

Taz appeared in the 1983 movie '' Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island'' as

Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...

's first mate. Taz was going to have a cameo in ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

'', but was later dropped for unknown reasons. Taz appeared in various episodes of ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

'', being the mentor of Dizzy Devil. He was voiced by

Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with '' Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to rep ...

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

, Noel Blanc and

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained b ...

. In 1991, Taz starred in his own show ''

Taz-Mania ''Taz-Mania'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids. The show follows the adventures of the ''Looney Tunes'' character Taz ( the Tasmanian Devil) in the ...

'', which ran for four seasons; Taz was voiced by long time voice actor

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as t ...

. Taz also appeared in ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until ...

,'' in the episodes "Draculee, Draculaa/Phranken-Runt" and "Cutie and the Beast/Boo Happens/Noel". He also appeared in "Suffragette City" in the 2020 reboot. Taz also appeared in an episode of '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'' entitled "The Scare Up There" where he is revealed to have stolen peanut packs from the flights. Taz appeared in the theatrical feature film ''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'', as part of the ''

TuneSquad ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'', voiced by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' ...

. He also appeared in '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', voiced by Brendan Fraser. An infant version of Taz is one of the regular characters in '' Baby Looney Tunes,'' voiced by Ian James Corlett. Taz appeared in '' The Looney Tunes Show'' episode "Devil Dog", voiced again by

. In the show, he is portrayed walking on four legs like a real Tasmanian Devil and his eyes are bloodshot red (later turned yellow when Bugs uses a taming trick that

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

taught him). Initially, Bugs believed Taz to be a dog and kept him as a house pet much to his roommate Daffy Duck's discomfort. Eventually, Bugs learned the truth and tried to return him to his home in Tasmania, only to find out that Taz would rather live with him, naming him "Poochie". Taz subsequently appears in the following episodes "The Foghorn Leghorn Story", "Newspaper Thief", and "Bugs and Daffy Get a Job". Taz later played a major part in "Ridiculous Journey" where he, Sylvester (whom Taz tried to eat) and Tweety were accidentally sent to Alaska by Yosemite Sam. The three of them work to get home while encountering other characters and avoiding tracker

Blacque Jacque Shellacque The ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated shorts released by Warner Bros. feature a range of characters which are listed and briefly detailed here. Major characters from the franchise include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fud ...

. Eventually, they make it home when it turned out that Blacque was hired by Yosemite Sam to retrieve the three on behalf of Bugs and Granny. Taz originally appeared in the series '' Wabbit'' as Theodore Tasmanian, an accountant at Chesterfield Consultants who tries to repress his vicious side. Unlike most versions of the character, he spoke more coherently. He was also married and had a child. Taz eventually returned to his original characterization and way of speaking when the series was retooled as ''New Looney Tunes''. An alternate version of Taz appeared in the 2017

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

/''Looney Tunes'' crossover comics, where he was designed more for the DC Universe and faced off against

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

in the ''Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil Special''. In the story, Taz is a Guardian of the Labyrinth on Themyscira and fought Diana when she was a teenager during her trials to become an Amazon warrior. Before Taz could attack her, Diana plays the harp and puts it to sleep before snipping off some of his fur as proof of her victory. She returns to Taz years later as Wonder Woman after

Circe Circe (; grc, , ) is an enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and religion. She is either a daughter of the Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse or the goddess Hecate and Aeëtes. Circe was renowned for her vas ...

uses the Talisman of Eurytale to turn

Hippolyta In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; grc-gre, Ἱππολύτη ''Hippolytē'') was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Gre ...

and the other Amazons into stone. As the Talisman can only be stopped by the Minotaur's Amulet, she requests Taz's help as Taz's connection to the other Guardians would lead them down the right path. During the journey, Taz reveals that he wasn't mad at Diana for tricking him, but was rather upset that she took the music away. The two defeat the Minotaur and Circe and the Amazons reward him with a large feast in return. In the issue's backup story (done more in the style of the classic ''Looney Tunes'' shorts), Diana sings to Taz the tale of the Trojan War with her and the Looney Tunes characters roleplaying the major players, but Taz in his dream alters the events to work out more in his favor. Taz first appears in the '' Looney Tunes Cartoons'' special ''Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special'' in where he is a caroler. Taz appears as a gladiator in the episode ''Taziator''. While he is more like most depictions, he actually speaks more comprehensible English. He is voiced by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...

in these appearances. Taz appears in the feature film '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' with Tatasciore reprising the role, with additional dialogue done by Cummings. Taz appears in the preschool series '' Bugs Bunny Builders''.

Voice actors

(1954–1989, '' Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'' (1990); archive audio, KFC Looney Tunes Mugs commercial (1995); archive footage) *

(''

'', ''

'' (

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

version), '' Taz in Escape from Mars'', ''Chasers Anonymous'',

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

bumper, ''

Looney Tunes Dash ''Looney Tunes Dash'' was an endless running video game developed and published by Zynga and Eat Sleep Play, under the oversight of John vanSuchtelen. The game was released on December 17, 2014. Gameplay The gameplay is an endless running pl ...

)'' * Noel Blanc (''You Rang?'' answering machine messages, ''Tiny Toon Adventures'') *

(''Tiny Toon Adventures'') *

(''

Looney Tunes River Ride Looney Tunes River Ride (formerly known as the Looney Tunes Studio Tour) was a dark boat ride at the amusement park Warner Bros. Movie World at Gold Coast, Australia. The ride was unveiled on 3 June 1991, the same time as the park, and was ...

'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Taz-Mania'' (

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...

version), '' The Toonite Show Starring Bugs Bunny'', '' Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage'', '' Looney Tunes B-Ball'', '' Warner Bros. Kids Club'') *

(''

'', ''Have Yourself a Looney Tunes Christmas'', ''Bugs & Daffy Sing the Beatles'', ''

'', '' The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'', ''

Superior Duck Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

'', ''Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis'', ''Bugs Bunny's Learning Adventures'', '' Looney Tunes: What's Up Rock?!'', '' Tweety's High-Flying Adventure'', ''

Histeria! ''Histeria!'' is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, ''Histeria!'' was an explicitly educational program created to ...

'', ''

Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero. He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short ''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'', directed by ...

'', '' Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'', '' The Looney Tunes Show'', ''

New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'', originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the US and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season, is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from ''Loo ...

'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (additional lines),'' MultiVersus'', various commercials, video games and webtoons) * Keith Scott ('' Looney Tunes Musical Revue'', '' Spectacular Light and Sound Show Illuminanza'', KFC commercial, '' Looney Tunes: We Got the Beat!'', ''Looney Tunes LIVE! Classroom Capers'', ''The Looney Tunes Radio Show'', '' Looney Tunes Christmas Carols'')"Keith Scott-"The One-Man Crowd""
Retrieved September 27, 2020. *

(''

'') *

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...

(''The Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas'', ''Looney Tunes'' webtoons, ''Looney Tunes ClickN READ Phonics'') * Ian James Corlett ('' Baby Looney Tunes'', '' Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure'') * Brendan Fraser ('' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'') * Neil Fanning ('' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'') *

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...

(''Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem'') *

('' Looney Tunes Cartoons'', ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'', '' Bugs Bunny Builders'')

Home video

All five of the original Taz cartoons are included in '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1'', along with "The Fright Before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

In popular culture

The character's first video game outing was in a title from the later days of the Atari 2600, in a 1983 release entitled '' Taz''. The 1990s saw a return of the character to video games in ''

'' and its semi-sequel '' Taz in Escape from Mars''. Both titles appeared on the Mega Drive/Genesis,

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 an ...

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...

systems. There were other Taz-Mania games released on the Nintendo SNES and

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

systems. He also costarred in the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

/ PC game '' Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters'', and in 2002's '' Taz: Wanted'' on

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the ...

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

and PC. He also appeared in the video games ''

The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 ''The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2'', known in Japan as ミッキーマウスII (''Mickey Mouse II'') and in Europe as ''Mickey Mouse'' or ''Hugo'', is a video game originally developed by Kemco for the Game Boy in 1991. It is the sequel to the 1989 ...

'', '' The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'', '' Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'', '' Looney Tunes: Space Race'', '' Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 3'', ''Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle 4'', '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', ''Galactic Taz Ball''. He was even the inspiration for a video game character himself, namely Crash Bandicoot. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, when

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

used the Looney Tunes as part of their NASCAR campaign, the

Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevr ...

racing teams were referenced as Team Monte Carlo, with the Tasmanian Devil as the mascot. Taz was a chocolate bar by

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

in the UK during the '90s and was later renamed Freddo Caramel. Professional wrestler Peter Senercia adopted "Taz" and the variant spelling "Tazz" as his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or project ...

s. In '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (2004), Taz is one of the forms

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...

briefly takes upon accidentally drinking a chemical substance. From 2005 to 2010, a custom-bodied Taz monster truck competed in the Monster Jam circuit, driven by Adam Anderson. Adam drove the truck to the

Monster Jam World Finals The Monster Jam World Finals is an annual monster truck event that is the championship event of the Monster Jam series, consisting of racing and freestyle competitions, with the winner of each considered the World Champion in that competition f ...

Freestyle championship in 2008. It was retired in 2010, with a

-themed truck being its replacement debuting in 2013. Taz appeared in a 2014

GEICO The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is a private American auto insurance company with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly owne ...

commercial, where he drinks a " certain energy drink" and goes on a rampage. In June 2017, the character appeared in the ''

/ Tasmanian Devil'' Special #1, written by

Tony Bedard Antony J. L. Bedard is an American writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry from the early 1990s through the present. He is best known for his work at CrossGen Comics, where he was under exclusive contract, and for his run writi ...

with art by Barry Kitson. This version is reimagined as a Guardian of the Labyrinth on Themyscira whom Wonder Woman defeated when she was a teenager, but later teams up with her to save the Amazons from Circe. In April 2017, Taz appeared in a

Funko Pop! Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories ...

and has appeared in 3 more since. Taz appears as a playable character in the fighting game '' MultiVersus'', with Jim Cummings reprising his role.

Lawsuits

In 1997, a newspaper report noted that Warner Bros had "trademarked the character and registered the name Tasmanian Devil", and that this trademark "was policed", including an eight-year legal battle to allow a Tasmanian company to call its

fishing lure A fishing lure is a broad type of artificial angling baits that are replicas designed to mimic real prey animals and attract the attention of predatory fish, using appearances, flashy colors, bright reflections, movements, vibrations and/or loud ...

the "Tasmanian Devil". Debate followed, and a delegation from the Tasmanian state government met with Warner Bros.

Ray Groom Raymond John Groom (born 3 September 1944) is an Australian lawyer and former sportsman and politician, representing the Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament 1975–84 and the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001. He was a Federal and state ...

, the Tourism Minister, later announced that a "verbal agreement" had been reached. An annual fee would be paid to Warner Bros in return for the Government of Tasmania being able to use the image of Taz for "marketing purposes". This agreement later lapsed. In 1997, the Tasmanian government and Warner Bros. disputed the government's right to use the character as a tourism promotion, which was offered only if a fee was paid. The government refused to pay a fee to Warner Bros. In 2006, after much lobbying from the Tasmanian government, Warner Bros decided to assist the fight against extinction of the

Tasmanian Devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') ( palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales ...

due to devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). Tasmanian Environment Minister

Judy Jackson Judith Louise Jackson (born 31 August 1947 in ) is an Australian former Labor Party politician, in Tasmania from 1986 to 2006. She was the first female attorney-general of Tasmania and also served as the Minister for Environment in the Tasmani ...

, prior to the agreement, had heavily criticised Warner Bros., stating that the company had made millions of dollars from the character, but did not put up any money when other companies had. The deal with Warner Bros allowed the Tasmanian government to manufacture and sell up to 5,000 special edition Taz plush toys, with all profit going towards funding scientific research into DFTD. The deal also aimed to increase public attention towards the threatening disease.

Notes

References

* *

External links

LooneyTunes.com

{{Authority control Looney Tunes characters Fictional Tasmanian devils Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds Fictional anthropomorphic characters Film characters introduced in 1954 Warner Bros. cartoon characters