Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #120
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #120 is a representative entry in the long-running Dell anthology that served as the primary comics home for the entire Warner Bros. cartoon stable throughout the Golden Age. Appearing in October 1951, it showcases the roster of characters — Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Henery Hawk, Beaky Buzzard, Sniffles, Mary Jane, Petunia Pig, Cicero Pig, and Ollie Owl — at a moment when Dell's monthly format was the only sustained comic-book presence these characters had. The series as a whole documents the visual evolution of the Looney Tunes cast in print form, translating animation personalities developed for theatrical shorts into standalone page-bound stories for young readers of the early 1950s.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Dell was the first publisher of Looney Tunes comic books, launching the anthology title in 1941 and maintaining it continuously through 1962 for a total of 246 issues under the 'Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies' and later simplified 'Looney Tunes' banners. By issue #120 in October 1951, the title was well into its second decade of monthly publication, operating as a 52-page, full-color anthology priced at ten cents — a standard format Dell held consistently across this run. The early series drew on talents including Chase Craig, Win Smith, Roger Armstrong, and Walt Kelly, though specific creative credits for the mid-run issues like #120 are not documented in currently accessible online indices.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Dell Comics with a cover date of October 1951, placing it in the Golden Age of American comics.
- Runs 52 pages in full color at a cover price of ten cents, consistent with the format Dell maintained across the entire series.
- The issue's indexed cast — Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Beaky Buzzard, Sniffles, Mary Jane, Petunia Pig, Cicero Pig, and Ollie Owl — reflects the breadth of the Warner Bros. character stable available to Dell at this point in the run.
- Beaky Buzzard, one of the catalogued characters, originated in the 1942 Bob Clampett cartoon 'Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid' and was based on ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's dimwitted dummy Mortimer Snerd; his Dell comic appearances typically paired him with Henery Hawk, consistent with his appearance here.
- Yosemite Sam, also catalogued in this issue, was introduced in animator Friz Freleng's 1945 theatrical short 'Hare Trigger' and had been appearing regularly in Dell's anthology by the early 1950s.
- The Mary Jane and Sniffles pairing — both catalogued here — traces back to the very first issue of the series (1941), making their continued presence in #120 a sign of long-running reader familiarity with this comedic duo.
- Dell held the Looney Tunes license from 1941 until 1962, after which all Looney Tunes publications moved to Gold Key Comics; #120 sits roughly at the midpoint of Dell's stewardship of the franchise.
- The series ran for 165 issues under the 'Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies' title before being renamed simply 'Looney Tunes' in 1955 for its final 81 issues.
Cast · 13 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Henery dares Ollie to spend the night in the old Oriole Mansion, which is supposed to be haunted.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).