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MsRowdyRedhead
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62149
The Reference is Lost: Stuff From Old Cartoons That Made Sense at the Time
If you’ve seen a lot of Bugs Bunny cartoons, and you have, because you grew up in America in the last hundred years, there were probably several moments when you, in your youth and/or lack of cultural awareness, were completely mystified by an on-screen reference. You could tell by the pacing and presentation that it was meant as a joke, but its specific meaning was completely foreign to you, leading you to forget about it and just move on and laugh heartily when Bugs did something else, such as violently maim Elmer Fudd with a shovel. These classic Looney Tunes were released in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s for an adult audience. The result: old cartoons are frequently stocked with jokes and references mystifying to adult cartoon lovers in 2012.
Anvils
Prior to, and especially during, World War II - when the war effort had great material needs - the American economy was a manufacturing economy. Meaning, workers actually produced a tangible item that was then purchased by consumers. Today, we have a service economy, where the widespread need for objects made out of steel has declined a bit. In the golden Looney Tunes era, however, an anvil was easy shorthand. The audience knew the ins and outs of the smith trade - metal objects were molded and pounded into shape on something thicker, heavier, and unbreakable: a bronze or wrought-iron anvil. The idea that an anvil could be carried by Wile E. Coyote up to the top of a canyon wall was extremely comical, because it was impossible. Today, an anvil is best known not as an every-day industrial implement, but as that really heavy thing that cartoon characters drop on each other’s heads.
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