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Bosko is a cartoon character created by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising.

In 1929, Harman/Ising presented to Leon Schlesinger the pre-short, Bosko The Talk-Ink Kid. Schlesinger then let them produce cartoons at their studio for him. His first animated appearances were in Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of animated cartoons, which he starred in from 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub to 1933's Bosko's Picture Show.  In 1933, Harman and Ising had a dispute with Schlesinger over budget and severed ties. Through the process, Schlesinger started making Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies in house and Harman/Ising took the rights to Bosko with them. The duo later got a job at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began producing Happy Harmonies for them at their studio.

Bosko's first appearance in a cartoon released by MGM was 1934's Bosko's Parlor Pranks.

Notably, 1935's Hey-Hey Fever was the last cartoon to feature Bosko with his original design.

Starting with Run, Sheep, Run!, Bosko's design was completely overhauled into a young black boy.

Due to the overbudget of Happy Harmonies and the stereotyping of the black boy, the character was retired in 1938. He only appeared in 9 Happy Harmonies shorts. He has the most appearances out of any character in the series. He would not be seen again until Fields of Honey, a 1990 episode of the Warner Bros. Television/Amblin Entertainment television series Tiny Toon Adventures. His design was once again completely overhauled. This new design resembled the Looney Tunes Bosko, except he had a more pronounced jaw and floppy dog-like ears to eliminate the blackface parallels.

Filmography[]

Gallery[]

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External Link[]

  1. https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Bosko
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