The Tasmanian Devil
| The Tasmanian Devil (Taz) | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes character | |
 |
|
| First appearance | Devil May Hare (1954) |
| Created by | Robert McKimson |
| Voiced by |
Mel Blanc (1954–1983) Jeff Bergman (1990) Noel Blanc (1990) Maurice LaMarche (1990) Jim Cummings (1991–present) Greg Burson (1992) Dee Bradley Baker (1996) Frank Welker (1998) Ian James Corlett (2001–2006) Brendan Fraser (2003) Joe Alaskey (2011) |
| Information | |
| Species | Tasmanian Devil |
| Gender | Male |
| Relatives |
Hugh Tasmanian Devil (father) Jean Tasmanian Devil (mother) Molly Tasmanian Devil (sister) Jake Tasmanian Devil (brother) Drew Tasmanian Devil (uncle) Tasmanian She-Devil (wife) Unnamed wife Unnamed son Slam Tasmanian (descendant) |
| Nationality | Tasmanian (Australian) |
The Tasmanian Devil, commonly referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Though the character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros. Cartoons closed down in 1964, marketing and television appearances later propelled the character to new popularity in the 1990s. His first name is revealed in the 1957 short Bedeviled Rabbit, when his wife addresses him as "Claude".
Taz is generally portrayed as a ferocious, albeit dim-witted, omnivore with a notoriously short temper and little patience. Though he can be very devious, he is also sweet at times. His enormous appetite seems to know no bounds, as he will eat anything in his path. He is best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls, and rasps (in his earlier appearances, he does speak English with primitive grammar) as well as his ability to spin like a vortex and bite through nearly anything. Taz does have one weakness: he can be calmed by almost any music. While in this calm state, he can be easily dealt with.
In 1991, Taz got his own show Taz-Mania which ran for four seasons in which Taz was the main protagonist.
Robert McKimson based the character on the real life Tasmanian devil, or more specifically its carnivorous nature, voracious appetite, and surly disposition. Owen and Pemberton suggest that the character of the Tasmanian Devil was inspired by Errol Flynn. The most noticeable resemblance between the Australian marsupial and McKimson's creation is their ravenous appetites and crazed behavior. Although the bipedal Tasmanian Devil's appearance does not resemble its marsupial inspiration, it contains multilayered references to other "devils": he has horn-shaped tufts of fur on his head (similar to the Devil's appearance) and whirls about like a dust devil (similar in appearance to a tornado) which sounds like several motors whirring in unison. Taz is constantly ravenously hungry. His efforts to find more food (animate or inanimate) are always a central plot device of his cartoons.
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Wikipedia