Looney Tunes Poker
Recently, after people had raised “Looney Toons” as an alternate memory, something odd happened: People report seeing “Looney Tunes” (the actual name) change to “Looney Toons,” at many websites, just for a day or so.
For example, on 28 Nov 2015, Emily said, “Hey guys…. Looney Tunes changed again. Just last week it was Looney Toons…” (“Last week” would have been Nov 15th – 22nd.)
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Ordinarily, I’d dismiss that kind of report as a brief and localized issue — usually a print media error, or a typo in a digital TV show listing.
Also, it doesn’t help that Tiny Toons exist, with similar graphics to their “grown-up” counterparts. So, that provides plenty of reason for people to be confused about the cartoon series’ names.
- 'Ballot Box Bunny' (Freleng, 1951) You may have never seen this one, since almost every TV print of this cartoon cuts the end gag, but here goes: After Bugs and Sam lose against a horse the title of Mayor, Bugs hands Sam a gun and suggests they play russian roulette, Sam tries to shoot himself, but nothing happens.
- Jan 23, 2018 - Explore Gary Picnic's board 'Looney Tunes' on Pinterest. See more ideas about Funny quotes, Funny, Cartoon quotes.
(However, several people — including Lebaneser Scrooge — mentioned Tiny Toons in their comments, so they were aware of the difference.)
After stowing away on a riverboat called 'The Southern Star', Bugs plays poker against a gambler named Colonel Shuffle. Bugs accidentally stows away on a riverboat. After evading the ticket taker, he takes on gambler Colonel Shuffle. Bugs easily takes all his money, by out-cheating him at poker (he beats Shuffles 5 aces with 6). Shuffle challenges him to a duel, which of course Bugs thwarts. He treats Shuffle to a cigar, and after.
In this case, Emily’s comment was one of many. She wasn’t confusing “Tiny Toons” and “Looney Tunes.” In fact, reports were widespread and credible.
The alternate memory — a reality in which it really is “Looney Toons” — was suggested in some 2014 emails. By March 2015, people were more outspoken about this. (See a comment on Comments 5 and another on Comments 6, with more on later pages.)
So, if the one-day switch was deliberate, the crossover wasn’t original; we’d already talked about it, here. And — if it was a genuine mistake (by one or more people) — one might question whether those who changed the name, temporarily, may have come from another reality.
Looney Tunes Johnny Smith And Poker-huntas
But, that’s assuming the brief name change occurred in this reality. And frankly, it’s stacking one speculation atop another, reaching a precarious conclusion.
As I see it, we have several explanations, none of which can be proved. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Everyone who thought they saw “Looney Toons” was mistaken. (I don’t believe that, based on the volume of reports I received, but it must be mentioned if we’re considering every possibility.)
- Everyone who saw “Looney Toons,” online, had slid into a reality where that was the correct spelling. And then they slid back into this reality, without noticing any other alternate-reality cues.
- The veil (or whatever you want to call it) between realities thinned, briefly and only in certain locations, so the alternate reality’s “Looney Toons” name phased into view in (or from) this reality.
- The brief change — from Looney Tunes to Looney Toons — was deliberate, and either a prank or a social experiment. (The scale of that would be impressive, but not impossible.)
If you saw Looney Toons in November (or at any other time), share your thoughts in comments, below. If possible, include when you saw it, and where you were at the time (nearest city).
[UPDATE: Comments are now closed.]
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