Adults Ruin EverythingLists of fascinating, far-fetched, and possibly true fan theories about shows and movies that were made (let's face it) for children.
Updated February 11, 2019 42.5K votes 11.2K voters 347.8K views
Voting Rules
Vote up the theories that sound plausible to you. Vote down the ones that just don't hold up.
Even though Looney Tunes began airing in 1930, major questions remain unanswered to this day. Because decades-old footage remains accessible to the general public and cartoons operate with their own peculiar logic, there's no better source material for wild speculation. After all, it's among the greatest cartoons of all time. Anyone can formulate and support theories about this long-running animated series. Plenty of people, for example, have tried to figure out how Wile E. Coyote can afford all those ACME rockets. Others puzzle over the possibility that Bugs Bunny may be more cold-blooded than he at first appears.
Looney Tunes theories span from grand speculation regarding the nature and continuity of the universe the cartoon characters reside in, to small theories about the origins of some of the cartoon's famous catchphrases. These fan theories provide explanations to some of the mysteries of the zany world of Looney Tunes.
A former Redditor shares a theory that Bugs Bunny has, on at least one occasion, offed someone. Bugs meets two ruffians, Rocky and Hugo, in the 1946 animated short "Racketeer Rabbit" when he stumbles upon their hideout in an abandoned farmhouse. Hugo is instructed to take Bugs "for a ride," implying he should get rid of the rabbit. The two go out in a car; Bugs returns, but Hugo is never seen again. He mentions Hugo won't be bothering them anymore.
The most obvious explanation? Bugs took out Hugo before Hugo could take out Bugs.
4,975 votes
2
2,992 VOTES
The Bugs Bunny Vs. Elmer Fudd Saga Is An Ongoing Story
Redditor u/Nadodan theorizes that the relationship between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd doesn't restart with every new short, but is continuous throughout the series. The ongoing narrative begins in "Robot Rabbit" when Elmer Fudd discovers Bugs Bunny on his carrot farm. The events of "Shotgun Shenanigans" and "Robot Pest Controller" ruin Elmer Fudd's career as a farmer, forcing him to find a new life as a hunter determined to exact his revenge.
Throughout his time as a hunter, he grows increasingly obsessed with hunting Bugs, until he finally fakes a nervous breakdown to trick Bugs into being arrested in his place.
2,992 votes
3
3,182 VOTES
Ralph And Sam Are Working Together To Keep The Sheep In Line
Sam looks after a herd of sheep while Ralph tries to take them, but whether Ralph truly intends to eat them is questionable. Even though he successfully takes sheep, he and Sam live together, eat together, and even clock in to work together. In one episode, Ralph takes a sandwich to work and eats it on his lunch break. Redditor u/IsaiasRi questions the purpose of snatching sheep if Ralph never intends to eat them. The theory that they are both hired by the same person to keep the sheep passive and afraid explains it.
Both Sam and Ralph know the sheep are never in real danger, but the sheep grow to think they can't live without Sam’s protection.
Rachael Brennan theorizes Wile E. Coyote is the owner of ACME and owns a clone army used to test out ACME products. Wile E. Coyote is a card-carrying genius capable of eloquent speech, yet he never speaks when chasing the Road Runner. This is because his clones are doing the dangerous chasing, and they're intellectually inferior and incapable of speech.
Furthermore, Wile E. Coyote always seems surprised by the Road Runner's speed because it's always a new clone seeing the Road Runner for the first time.
4,393 votes
5
2,516 VOTES
Wile E. Coyote Is A Beta Tester For The ACME Corporation
Redditor u/High_Stream has a theory explaining how Wile E. Coyote can afford his seemingly limitless supply of ACME products. It would be preposterous for Wile E. Coyote to spend so much money on ACME products to catch his dinner rather than just buying a meal. It makes more sense that Wile E. Coyote is getting products for free as a QA tester for the ACME corporation.
This theory explains how and why he only purchases ACME products and why the products always fail.
2,516 votes
6
2,487 VOTES
Wile E. Coyote Is Experiencing Eternal Torment In Hell
Redditor u/sodimcdodi theorizes Wile E. Coyote is in hell experiencing a never-ending cycle of gluttony and emaciation. They compare Wile E. Coyote’s situation to Greek mythology. Like Tantalus, who is never able to reach the things he desires, Wile E. Coyote is in an “eternal cycle of desire/false hope/ brutally painful disappointment by cold, uncaring forces.” He is always trying to hunt the Road Runner, but each time he gets close, he fails. The Redditor argues the reasoning behind Wile E. Coyote's eternal suffering stem from a combination of mythologies:
Prometheus [took] fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to mortal man, and in return the gods chained him to a mountain and had an eagle rip his liver out ever day, only to have it magically restored in order to be ripped out again. In Karuk Native American mythology it was Coyote who [took] fire from the mountain top. Mash these two myths together, do a shot of Old Crow, and squint real hard and you get: [Wile E.] Coyote stole fire from the gods and is therefore eternally tormented by a bird [roadrunner, eagle, what's the difference?] on a mountainside.
