Fun Facts About Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are two of the world’s most beloved cartoon foes. This dueling duet made their cinematic debut in Fast and Furry-ous on September 16, 1949. It was almost three years before the next Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner film, Beep, Beep would appear. 

Over a span of fourteen years, their creator Chuck Jones, would direct a total of twenty three short films (1949 – 1963), showing that the food chain isn’t what it’s cracked up to be…at least not for this bewildered coyote. The cartoon Beep Prepared was nominated for an Academy Award(tm) in 1961.

Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese created Fast and Furry-ous as a parody of chase movies that  were popular at the time. Unwittingly, their chase parody was better than the rest and they became the chase films of the 20^th century.  

In his book Chuck Amuck, Jones writes: “I first became interested in the coyote while devouring Mark Twain’s Roughing It at the age of seven. I had heard of the coyote only in passing references from passing adults and thought of it – if I thought of it at all – as a sort of dissolute collie.  As it turns out, that is just about what a coyote is; and no one saw it more clearly than Mark Twain.

Jones also writes: “The author’s (Mark Twain) description of a coyote went like this: 'The coyote is a long, slim, sick and sorry-looking skeleton with a grey wolf skin stretched over it…he is a living, breathing allegory of want. Who could resist such an enchanting creature?’"

As for the Road Runner’s trademark sound, “it came from a background artist named Paul Julian,” says Chuck. “One day he was coming down the hall carrying a lot of background paintings and couldn’t see where he was going, so he just went ‘Beep, Beep’. When I heard it, I realized that’s the sound the Road Runner should make."

In animation, it’s important to maintain a consistency with each character. For the Coyote-Road Runner series, Jones and his staff were always cognizant of the following rules:

RULE 1.  The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going “Beep-Beep!”

RULE 2.  No outside force can harm the Coyote - only his own ineptitude or the failure of ACME products.

  RULE 3.  The Coyote could stop anytime - if he were not a fanatic. “A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim” – George Santayana.

RULE 4.  No dialog ever except “Beep-Beep!”

RULE 5.  The Road Runner must stay on the road – otherwise, logically, he would not be called a Road Runner.

RULE 6.  All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters – the Southwest American desert.

RULE 7.  All materials, tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the ACME Corporation.

RULE 8.  Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote’s greatest enemy.

RULE 9.  The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures. 

Comments

[Larry Levine]

Wile E. Coyote is my favorite Chuck Jones created character. Whether he's chasing the Road Runner or (as his super-genius alter ego) tangling with Bugs Bunny, the Coyote never allows failure to dampen his determination.

[John Higgins a.k.a. Trypticon]

Love it! Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing moments of Mr. Jones' life and work.
I lived in New Mexico for a few years while serving in the U.S. Air Force and saw my share of coyotes and road runners (The state bird of NM, but then you knew that). Unfortunately , I never saw the the two in conflict.
I think it's a shame that it has become nearly impossible to watch these works of art in their original form. Luckily, I had the chance to see them as a child in their original form and entirety.
I've always felt o censor these classic gems has more to do with a failed home than gratuitous violence.
I'm so happy to have discovered this blog,
Thank you and please keep up the wonderful work.

[Josh McDonald]

The Roadrunner cartoons -- appearing regularly on CTW's "The Electric Company" -- were among the very first cartoons I ever saw. They hooked me for life. I do remember that, even at that callow and carefree age, I somehow intuited that First Rule of RoadRunner cartoons.

Great stuff!

[GW]

It's ridiculous how these classic cartoons have been maligned as too violent. I grew up watching them and I loved them.

[Stephen Treadwell]

I think Road Runner cartoons are very stupid & don't understand how they can be so popular. They're not very cute & they're so weird. Tom & Jerry is by far better. It's a lot cuter & not as predictable. Besides Tom & Jerry themselves are so much cuter than the coyote and the road runner.

[M.Boehmer]

Stephen it's such a shame you can't see the fun, how Road Runner finds ways each time to trick the trickster. Yes Tom & Jerry is good but with the Road Runner you get to use your imagination

[Stephen Treadwell]

In what way do you use more imagination w/ Road Runner than w/ Tom & Jerry?

[Stephen Treadwell]

I don't need sympathy for not liking road runner cartoons. There are plenty of cartoons I do like & besides I'm one of the few people who likes that version of Tom and Jerry where they're friends. Those are, by far, my favorite cartoons.

[Stephen Treadwell]

The main reason I prefer T&J to R R is that R R cartoons are so much more one-sided. In R.R. the little guy always defeats the big guy while in T&J there are lots of exceptions.