Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Happy Fifth of May. It’s not Mexican Independence Day: that’s September 16. Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla. It’s also the birthday of Warner Brothers’ beloved outlaw, the cantankerous, temperamental Yosemite Sam.

Yosemite Sam made his first ever appearance on the silver screen in Hare Trigger on May 5, 1945, making today Sam’s 80th birthday. Sam was created by animator Friz Freling and write Mike Maltese to give Bugs Bunny a more aggressive opponent than the mild-mannered Elmer Fudd.

Can you watch a cartoon? Yes, You Can!

For your viewing pleasure, here is Yosemite Sam’s debut, in Hare Trigger. Just click on the link below and enjoy! You’re never too old to watch cartoons.

A Brief History of Oscar-Winner Sam

In 1958, Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny won an Oscar for Best Animated Short for Knighty Knight, Bugs, in which Sam played the notorious Black Knight and Bugs was the king’s fool.

Like most Looney Tune characters, Yosemite Sam was originally voiced by the great Mel Blanc. However, as any parent who has read Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas aloud to a child will appreciate, doing a voice like Sam’s is rough on the throat. Blanc found Sam’s voice such a strain on his throat he always saved his parts to be the last he recorded in the day, so he could rest his throat overnight.

As he aged, he Blanc found Sam’s voice too difficult, so Yosemite Sam was one of the few voices created by Blanc to be voiced by someone else during his lifetime: Joe Alaskey took over the role for Yosemite Sam’s appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) while Mel Blanc voiced all the other Looney Tune characters in the movie. After Mel Blanc’s death, the role passed briefly to Maurice LaMarche. Fred Tatasciore is providing the voice of Yosemite Sam now and has done so since 2017.

Like Father, Like Son

The physical depiction of Yosemite Sam was a caricature of his creator, Friz Freling. Freling admitted in an interview, “”I have the same temperament, I’m small, and I used to have a red mustache.”

Like most cartoon characters, Yosemite Sam has had many jobs over the years. He is usually a cowboy or an Old West bandit. He’s been a pirate several times: Sea-Goin’ Sam in Buccaneer Bunny, Buccaneer Sam in From Hare to Eternity, and a pirate captain in Captain Hareblower. In fact, in France, Yosemite Sam is known as Sam the Pirate. He was a prison guard in Big House Bunny, a Viking warrior in Prince Violent. He’s been a soldier in multiple armies in various wars, and at least once, a train conductor.

Happy Birthday, Yosemite Sam. Thanks for all the laughs over the years. Here’s hoping you’re still making mischief eighty years from now.

Many thanks to Bill Leff, for his assistance with this article.