July 27, 2026: What's Up, Doc?

In 1930, Warner Bros. contracted with Leon Schlesinger to produce animated shorts for one reason: Walt Disney was making money with Mickey Mouse, and Warner Bros. wanted the same thing.On July 27, 1940, A Wild Hare introduced Bugs Bunny in his definitive form: cool, Brooklyn-accented, carrot-chewing, and entirely unimpressed by the hunter trying to catch him, the product of a decade of work inside a cramped, bug-infested Warner Bros. bungalow the staff called Termite Terrace. His name came from a mislabeled model sheet, and his catchphrase came from a Texas expression director Tex Avery considered so unremarkable he gave it almost no thought. Within a few years Bugs was the most profitable cartoon character in America, appearing in wartime propaganda alongside Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring, and went on to rival Mickey Mouse as the most popular cartoon character of all time. Britannica puts it plainly: only Mickey rivals Bugs for that title, and they got there by going in opposite directions.From bsnsHistory, the daily podcast about the moments when business quietly reshaped the world.Written and hosted by Ron Trucks. Research and editing by Rodney Russ. Sound design by Angela Cahoy. Music by Cody Martin and Soundstripe.For more daily business stories, visit www.bsnsDAILYpodcasts.com