Baseball Bugs!

The iconic Bugs Bunny - who is without a doubt the funniest cartoon character ever - baseball game classic debuted in theaters 75 years ago today, and the Washington Post (I call it The Post, of course) celebrates its genius with us:

“Baseball Bugs” debuted in movie theaters 75 years ago this month. The 1946 cartoon is so packed with funny gags, clever puns, imaginative imagery and lively music that it’s still recognized as one of the best produced by Looney Tunes. Set at the Polo Grounds in New York, the cartoon also presaged a golden age of baseball that saw the city’s three teams dominate the national pastime.

“It’s one of those cartoons that hits on all cylinders — great story, great comedy, great animation, great art, great art direction, great vocal performance by Bugs Bunny,” said Pete Browngardt, executive producer and director of “Looney Tunes Cartoons” on HBO Max and creator and voice of “Uncle Grandpa,” an animated TV show.

“Baseball Bugs,” directed by Friz Freleng, is not just a great title on its face; it’s also a pun from the period that few fans would get today. The term “baseball bugs” used to refer to baseball fanatics — partisans who were so into the sport that they had caught the baseball “bug,” or fever.

There's not a single frame of this classic that isn't perfect.