1938.
Bugs Bunny is an animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros., one of which, 1958's Knighty Knight Bugs, won an Academy Award, hence his standard introduction on his 1960-launched television series, "...that Oscar-winning rabbit...." According to his biography, he was "born" in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York and the product of many creators: Ben "Bugs" Hardaway (who created a prototypical version of Bugs Bunny that appeared in 1938's Porky's Hare Hunt, 1939's Prest-O Change-O, 1939's Hare-um Scare-um, 1940's Elmer's Candid Camera and 1941's Elmer's Pet Rabbit, although billed in the last as Bugs Bunny--the first time that name was used on-screen) Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, Robert McKimson (who created the definitive Bugs Bunny character design), Chuck Jones, and Friz Freleng. According to Mel Blanc, his original voice actor, his accent is an equal blend of the Bronx and Brooklyn dialects; Tex Avery said, to the contrary, that he had asked Blanc to give him not a New York voice as such, but a voice like that of actor Frank McHugh, who turned up frequently in supporting roles in the thirties and whose voice might be described as New York Irish.[1] Bugs Bunny is one of the most popular and recognizable cartoon characters in the world.