Tiny Toons University: The toons go to college, learn drag techniques from Bugs Bunny

 

I was a fan of Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-92), featuring young toons with personalities similar to the established characters -- Babs and Buster Bunny (Bugs Bunny), Hampton (Porky Pig), Plucky (Daffy Duck), Sweetie (Tweety), Montana Max (Yosemite Sam).  They attended Acme Looniversity, where they  took on various pop culture icons, like the established characters did in the 1940s, parodied popular songs, and had tween adventures.  That was the problem -- they were in junior high.  Why were they attending a university?

The new Tiny Toons Looniversity (2023)  corrects that problem by making the toons young adults, so they have their own apartments and coffe shop hangouts -- and they attend an actual university.  They all look the same as their predecessors, except for Sweetie Bird, who has become an angry, leather-clad social justice warrior.  I wanted to check for LGBTQ inclusion, so I reviewed the episode "Save the Loo Bru."  Loo refers to Acme Looniversity, not the toilet, and Bru to their coffee shop hangout (shouldn't it be a brew-pub?).

Scene 1: Professor Bugs comes to class in drag.  He explains that "looking fabulous is its own reward," but drag can also be used to defeat a nemesis.  "So, how will we knw when we meet our nemesis?" "They're jerks."

Scene 2: At the Loo Bru, the gang discusses the lecture.  "I can't wait to have a nemesis!" Buster exclaims.  Suddenly Barista Dizzy tells them that the Loo Bru is closing: evil nemesis Montana Max has bought it, and plans to tear it down. 

Scene 3: They consult university president Granny.  She can't do anything: students are permitted to buy any looniversity property, and Max is a student: he just transferred in on an athletic scholarship.

Buster realizes that Max is his nemesis, and vows to ruin him.

Scene 4: Barista Dizzy is not only out of a job: his apartment is upstairs, so when they tear down the building, he'll be homeless.  Babs and Sweetie invite him to move into their place.

Cut to Dizzy moving his (literal) junk in, treating a chair as a toilet, swallowing their refrigerator, and so on. 

Scene 5: Buster becomes the drag queen Ruth Less. His roommates Hampton and Plucky find him "shockingly attractive." As a conniving businesswoman, he'll gain Max's trust and destroy his business from within. 

Scene 6: A restaurant, La Re Lais de Mechant (the evil relays). Drag Buster bursts in and criticizes everything. Max is smitten: "What a cruel, demeaning, angry woman!" 

They dine together.  Max tells her about an investment opportunity, his 7-story Drink Empire "built on the corpse of a beloved campus coffee shop." 

Scene 7: Dizzy plays his drums in the middle of the night.  Babs and Sweetie agree that he has to go.

Cut to Babs bursting into Buster's dorm room. "Have you saved the Loo Bru yet?"  She sees Buster in drag.  "This is what it's like to have an identical twin." 

With Plucky playing her lawyer and Hampton her butler, Drag Buster will convince Max to give him complete control of the Loo Bru.

Scene 8: Drag Buster and her underlings visits Max at home. They go into his study to "talk business," but he has the fireplace going, and he serves hot chocolate.   Buster's makeup starts to fade, and finally falls off.

"You're not a brutal business bunny!" Max exclaims.  "You're that bunny from the Loo Bru."  He sics his henchmen on them, but he's still upset that things didn't work out.

Scene 9: Ok, so the seduction didn't work.  Any other ideas?  Yes -- Hampton notices that Max's athletic trophies and newspaper articles are all fake.  He was admitted to the looniversity under false pretenses!  He's out!  Which means he can no longer buy the Loo Bru.

They break the news on demolition day.  By the way, Max is still attracted to Buster as a boy: "My love!" he exclaims, before remembering that they are arch-enemies. 

Scene 10: Professor Bugs congratulates Buster on defeating his nemesis. (Will this be on the final?)  Actually, Buster admits, Hampton figured it out.  The drag seduction didn't work.   "You'll get better with practice," Bugs assures him. 

Scene 11: Bugs and Buster performing in drag at the Loo Bru.  Everyone cheers.  Max bought a ticket to the show, but bouncer Dizzy won't let him in.  

Beefcake: Max pretends to be a muscleman.

Heterosexism: Nobody in this episode expresses heterosexual interest except Max.

Gay Characters: Sweetie complains that there aren't enough women on campus.  Not enough potential girlfriends?  Max is attracted to Buster in drag and out. 

My Grade:  Fine for nostalgia purpose, and good if subtle LGBTQ inclusion. I'd have to watch other episodes to be sure, but it looks like a B+.