A Guide to Pep Le Pew (Looney Tunes)

Pepé Le Pew, an amorous cartoon skunk created by Warner Brothers animator Chuck Jones, first appeared in 1945 in a short called Odor-able Kitty. Starring in many Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, Pepé Le Pew was famous for his misguided attempts at seduction. In most cases, Pepé would fall in love with what he thought was a female skunk, but was actually a black cat who happened to have a white stripe on her back.

The cartoons would consist of Pepé pursuing his object of affection through the streets of Paris, uttering a string of ridiculously romantic phrases in a humorous mixture of French and English. Unfortunately for Pepé, his skunky odor would inevitably turn off his love interest, chasing her away.

According to Pepé's creator, the skunk is partly based on Tedd Pierce, a Hollywood writer and a friend of Chuck Jones's who apparently also fancied himself a ladies' man. Mel Blanc, who was the voice behind Pepé Le Pew, based Pepé's speech on Pepe le Moko, a character from a 1938 film called <i>Algiers</i> who was played by actor Charles Boyer.

In 1949, a Pepé Le Pew short called Scent-imental Reasons won an Oscar for Best Short Subject. The writer for the short was Michael Maltese, a renowned storyboard artist and screenwriter for Warner Brothers who frequently collaborated with Chuck Jones. Many modern collectors of animation memorabilia prize Pepé le Pew products, which range from animation cels to vintage toys, household items, accessories and clothing featuring the character's likeness.