Rabbit's Kin

Rabbit's Kin is a Merrie Melodies animated short released on November 15, 1952. It was directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The animators who worked on this cartoon included Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, Rod Scribner and Phil DeLara. The music was scored by Carl Stalling while the backgrounds and layouts were done by Robert Givens and Richard H. Thomas, respectively. Mel Blanc performs the voice of Bugs Bunny and Shorty Rabbit, while Stan Freberg voiced Bugs' nemesis Pete Puma, doing an imitation of the character Frank Fontaine introduced on The Jack Benny Show named John L. C. Silvoney, and later performed on The Jackie Gleason Show as Crazy Guggenheim. The title is a play on "rabbit skin", but is also a literal term in that Bugs is caring for a "kin", here, another rabbit.

Summary
A cute little bunny named Shorty with a barely discernible warp-speed high pitched voice (akin to Alvin and the Chipmunks) is running from Pete Puma, until he stumbles down Bugs Bunny's rabbit hole. Shorty tells Bugs his problem ("My heart pounded, my legs trembled, I was frozen with fear"), and Bugs agrees to help him out. Bugs then proceeds to play tricks on Pete. First, he leaves a stick of dynamite with fake rabbit ears, fake rabbit feet, and a fake rabbit tail. Pete feels them, takes the dynamite stick and is blown up. Second, he asks Pete to stay for tea. He then holds up the sugar bowl and asks the puma how many lumps he wants, to which Pete Puma replies "Oh, three or four". Bugs repeatedly hits Pete Puma on the head with a wooden mallet, leaving him with 5 lumps on his head (Bugs then decides he gave him "one lump too many", flattening it with a reflex hammer). Pete had also offered Bugs an exploding cigar, and while Pete is dazed, Bugs puts the cigar in Pete's mouth and lights it.

Pete next tries to disguise himself as the little rabbit's mother. Once again, Bugs wants to have him for tea, but this time Pete declines the offer. He says: "But I don't want no TEA! It gives me a HEADACHE!" Instead, Pete suggests that he and Bugs have coffee instead. The "lumps" gag repeats itself, only this time the puma has protection in the form of an "Acme Stovelid" on his head. Bugs removes it with his "Acme Stovelidlifter", revealing more lumps on Pete's cranium, which he flattens out.

Shorty enjoys the shenanigans so much that he wants to get involved. As he hops down the road alone, Pete grabs him and runs home to his cave, intending to cook him. Bugs shows up in a costume disguised as Pete's second cousin, Paul Puma. He insists on helping his "cuz" get the fricasseeing off to a good start, asking how many lumps of coal Pete wants for the stove. Pete says: "Better give me a lotta lumps, a whoooooooole lotta lumps", then catches himself just as Bugs rears up to hit him again. Then he says, "Oh no, ya don't". I'll help myself", Pete then takes the mallet and starts repeatedly hitting himself in the head with it as Bugs & Shorty leave Pete's den Bugs commenting that he's too smart for them as he does an imitation of Pete's laugh.

Availability
Rabbit's Kin is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.