Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow is the 18th aired episode of Tiny Toon Adventures and the first in production order. It was written by Wayne Kaatz, Tom Ruegger, Gordon Bressack, and Charles M. Howell IV, and directed by Ken Boyer and Eddie Fitzgerald.
Plot[]
The episode begins with Babs as Tinkerbunny, welcoming the viewers to Acme Acres, describing it as, "a magic land of beauty, peace, and serenity", but then she is run over by some runaway animals Including Li'l Sneezer, and says "I could be wrong". Elmyra Duff, who was chasing the animals, tells the viewers she is looking for some animals to be her pets. Babs tells Buster Bunny about Elmyra, and so he tries to ignore Elmyra when she talks to him. He scares her away with a lion, which upsets her, as all she wanted was a pet rabbit to take care of and give free food.
Buster, unable to resist free food, agrees to be her pet for the day. After being dressed in baby clothes, Buster expects a good meal, but instead he is fed a mud pie. He shoves it in Elmyra's face, and Elmyra takes him upstairs to take a bath. He puts her in the bathtub and she goes down its drain. As he tries to escape, Elmyra finds him. He tells the viewers, "Today's lesson, kids, never ever go home with a stranger."
Unable to escape, he plays doctor with her. He wraps her in bandages and unwinds them, sending her away. Thinking he was finally away from her, he is suddenly attracted to the smell of free carrots. Turns out it was a trap by Elmyra. He plays dead, causing Plucky to ask for his videotape collection, and Hamton to present him with an award for Best Death Scene in Daytime Television. Elmyra, thinking he was really dead, cries, as Buster escapes, only to land in a new hole. Elmyra, now aware he was playing dead, decides to play funeral. Buster tells the viewers to stay tuned to see if he escapes.
In the second act, Babs as Tinkerbunny tells the viewers that Acme Acres has gotten dull since Buster is still missing. Buster manages to escape as Elmyra is asleep, but he hears the sound of unhappy animals. He asks Fifi, "Haven't I seen your picture on a milk carton?", and she tells him, "I'm afraid so." She and the others tell Buster how long they've been prisoners of Elmyra. Tyrone the Turtle has been at Elmyra's his entire lifetime, and he doesn't know what it's like to be free. Buster tells him "It's sort of like this, except the trees aren't made of plastic."
Tyrone tells Buster he would like to be free, and so Buster announces he is going to set them free. He manages to get the keys to the cages, disguising himself as a water bottle, a lamp, and a slipper along the way. He rescues the animals, telling them to follow him and not to make a sound. Furrball digs into a trash can, which wakes up Elmyra, who catches Tyrone. Buster rescues Tyrone, but gets captured in the process.
In the third act, Babs is in no mood to play Tinkerbunny, because Buster is still missing. Hamton plays a psychiatrist, telling her that she has to help find Buster. Tyrone tells her that Buster is still at Elmyra's, so she teams up with him, Fifi, and Furrball. Babs tricks Elmyra into running for a marathon as she and her friends rescue Buster. Grateful for being rescued, he and his friends form a plan to teach Elmyra Duff about pet care. When Elmyra becomes suspicious, Buster passes her wearing only a hat and a red necktie, telling her that space bunnies from Mars are invading. Elmyra, excited about meeting them, joins them in a cement mixer disguised as a rocket ship.
It takes her to the Planet of the Bunnies, where Buster and Babs tell her that on their planet, humans are the pets. Buster even plays a little boy who wants to have her for his pet. Babs, playing his mother, reminds him that he microwaved the last human. Shocked, Elmyra wants to go home, so she is launched out of a cannon disguised as a rocket, landing in her house.
She thinks she had a nightmare, and several Buster Bunnys tell her "We wouldn't say that!" Elmyra, not wanting to see another bunny for a long time, runs away, as three of the Busters reveal they are Buster's friends in disguise. Babs, as Tinkerbunny, tells the viewers, "So long, dear friends, from all of us in Acme Acres." Buster and his friends join her in singing, "The magic land of the free, and the Home of the bunnies!"
Cast[]
| Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
| Charlie Adler | Buster Bunny |
| Tress MacNeille | Babs Bunny |
| Joe Alaskey | Plucky Duck |
| Don Messick | Hamton J. Pig |
| Cree Summer | Elmyra Duff |
| Kath Soucie | Fifi La Fume |
| Frank Welker | Furrball, Frog, Various Animals |
| Edan Gross | Tyrone the Turtle |
Quotes[]
- Babs: Run, Buster, run!
- Buster: What gives, Babs? Another forest fire drill?
- Babs: It's no firah! It's Elmyra!
- Elmyra: "Is baby bunny-wunny all ready for his yummy nummies?"
- Buster (dressed as a baby): "You betty wetty!" (To the Audience) "Hey, for a good meal, I'll wear almost anything."
- Plucky (as Buster is playing dead): "Hey, Buster, when you're gone... do you think I can have your videotape collection? Hmm?"
- Buster: "Could we talk about this later, Plucky?"
- Plucky: "Well, excuse me for breathing!"
- Fifi: "Dear diary, I am so happy. I think I may boo-hoo."
- Babs: "Fasten your seatbelt and please observe the "No Screaming" sign."
- Buster: "Ooh, Mommy, look at the cute, little human! Ooh, can I take her home? Can I, huh?, Can I, huh? Can I, huh, huh, huh?"
- Babs: "Now, junior, you know you microwaved the last one."
- Elmyra: "Goodness, I guess it was all just a terrible dream."
- Four Buster Bunnies (Fifi La Fume, Furrball, Tyrone the Turtle, and Actual Buster Bunny): "Eh, We wouldn't say that."
- Elmyra: "Aah! Bunnies, bunnies! No more bunnies!"
Allusions[]
- The 1982 Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-terrestrial is referenced, as Tyrone rides in the basket of Elmyra's tricycle, and its shadow is seen flying towards the moon.
Notes[]
- This episode is actually the first one in production order.
- Buster mentions his mother in this episode, as he tells Elmyra Duff, "My mother told me never to talk to strangers."
- Some fans believe the events of this episode take place after the Viewer Mail Day episode segment, Out of Odor, despite predating it in both airing and production order, as Fifi is captured by Elmyra in Out of Odor, and rescued by Buster in this episode.
- Li'l Sneezer is shown running from Elmyra at the beginning of this episode, whereas in the Looking Out For The Little Guy episode segment, Awful Orphan, he is one of the few animals who not only can tolerate her, but can give her a taste of her own medicine as well.
- Furrball makes somewhat of a speaking cameo, as he manages to meow the word "Years", when explaining to Buster how long he and the rest of the pets were trapped in Elmyra's house.
- The ending musical line is a parody of the last measures of the National Anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner".
- This episode is a remake of Elmer's Pet Rabbit (elements are similar).
- When Elmyra is blasted "back" to Earth and is covered up in a blanket, it looked as if she is barefoot. However, when she is no longer covered up, her socks and shoes are back on.
- Babs' aerobics routine with Elmyra is similar to Bugs' "Run this way!" routine in The Big Snooze.
- Near the end, Buster and his impostors poking up from Elmyra's bed covers saying "Ehh, we wouldn't say that!" is a homage to Kitty Kornered when the cats disguised as Martians spook Porky Pig in his bed. According to Tom Ruegger, hey were also supposed to bounce around like the "Martians" did, but animator Glen Kennedy instead had them dance.
- The gag credit is most likely the TTA staff's not so subtle jab at Kennedy Cartoons (a good bulk of this episode, including the entire third act, was animated by Glen Kennedy himself.)
Transcript[]
To read this episode's transcript, click here.