History WesternAnimation / DaffyDuck

''Daffy Duck'' is a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' character created by Creator/TexAvery (although Creator/BobClampett contributed to Daffy's personality) in 1937. He was the first of the new breed of "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to supplant traditional everyman characters, such as WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse and WesternAnimation/PorkyPig. Was originally The Screwball [=/=]{{Cloudcuckoolander}}, later developed by Creator/ChuckJones (and Creator/FrizFreleng, even more so) into a {{Jerkass}} SmallNameBigEgo, most famously paired with WesternAnimation/BugsBunny as the OddCouple, but is also frequently set up against Porky Pig, who works as TheComicallySerious and DeadpanSnarker to Daffy's hijinks. In this incarnation, used either as a foil for Bugs or to parody action-adventure heroes. Meanwhile Robert [=McKimson=] [[CompositeCharacter combined the two interpretations]] and made Daffy into a LoveableRogue. Later also joined Sylvester on the hunt for WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales. Debut: ''[[WesternAnimation/PorkysDuckHunt Porky's Duck Hunt]]'' (1937), Tex Avery.

* ThisLoserIsYou: Creator/ChuckJones regarded WesternAnimation/BugsBunny was the person we all aspire to be, and Daffy as the person most of us actually are.

* StrictlyFormula: Defied at first. Being an ever unpredictable CloudCuckooLander, for most of the forties Daffy was the one ''Looney Tunes'' star who would be billed in almost ''any'' role without feeling out-of-character, and while he often adhered to heckler or KarmicTrickster cartoons like Bugs Bunny, he was never exclusive to them. After Jones began to redefine Daffy into an antagonistic fall-guy however, his fifties shorts tended to follow a more uniform structure, though there were still several shorts that broke the trend or called back to his earlier self (especially ones directly by Robert Mckimson).
* StupidEvil: A lot of his antagonistic bouts against Speedy seemed to lean into this. Most his constant abuse is inflicted by himself rather than Speedy, and could usually be prevented if he wasn't so insistent on [[XMustNotWin spiting the little rodent]], who offers a truce nearly every minute or so.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Daffy's behavior toned down when his personality was given to Do Do Bird from Wackyland.

** At least in the 1960s. Not only is he evil enough to try to destroy a well in an otherwise ''barren desert'', he also shows shades of being racist. During a disagreement with Speedy (who's Mexican) in "Go Go Amigo", he makes fun of his accent. Moreover, in "Moby Duck", he insults him via saying he "can't even speak good English". In "Tease for Two", he even mocks the Mac and Tosh's UsefulNotes/{{British accents}}. Unfortunately, these shorts ''were'' produced in an era notorious for racism.
** It's [[DiscussedTrope mentioned]] and soon outright shown in "Assault and Peppered" that Daffy does '''not''' like poor people. After finding some impoverished mice on his plantation, he's openly angry at them for "starving on [his] property" and commands them to stop. Also, his wording heavily implies this isn't the first time this has happened. He even ''whips'' several of them and only stopped because Speedy interrupted as he told the mice they "force[d]" him to "declare war on poverty".

** Avery and Clampett developed the "screwball" version of the early period. Jones' version is usually considered the contemporary rendition, a CompositeCharacter is used on occasion however usually in the shorts by Bob [=McKimson=] and Frank Tashlin. The adaptations from the 80's until the mid-2010's usually showcased the Jones Daffy with only a touch of Screwball Daffy. Starting with ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'', though, his screwball persona is reintroduced.

** A self-confessed "craven little coward", though will occasionally defy his fears [[BerserkButton if promises of fame and fortune are brought into the situation]].

* BreakoutCharacter: Intended as a one shot foil for Porky in Avery's "Porky's Duck Hunt". Audiences became fascinated by the character's wacky, abrasive personality, leading WB to place him in more shorts. These days he stands as the most prominent ''Looney Tunes'' star outside or even equal to fellow BreakoutCharacter Bugs Bunny.

* AmericaWonWorldWarII: The early UsefulNotes/WW2 cartoons used this.

* Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (MM, Jones) - The first Creator/ChuckJones short to use the character. We also start to see a hint of what Daffy would later become, as he is presented as more thoughtful and calculating than he usually was in his early appearances. [[PublicDomainAnimation Public Domain.]]

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DaffyDuckEvolution_1847.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:''"[[WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndEgghead I'm not crazy, I just don't give a darn]]! [[SignatureLaugh WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!]]"'']]

* Good Noose (LT, [=McKimson=])

Daffy has had the third largest amount of appearances in WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes history, next to Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny, starring in 129 theatrical cartoons. He, along with Speedy Gonzales, has the distinction of starring in the final classic theatrical Looney Tunes short, which was ''WesternAnimation/SeeYaLaterGladiator''.

Many of the cartoons in which Daffy has starred have been [[AffectionateParody parodies]] of movies and radio serials, such as ''Duck Dodgers'', ''Duck Twacy'' (in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatPiggyBankRobbery''), and ''Robin Hood Daffy''.

** ''Bah, Humduck!'' shows that the reason for his greed, selfishness, and cruelty is due to growing up as an orphan, never being adopted and having no friends or family while he grew up. Thus, he decided that being nice was for chumps, and that if generosity and kindness couldn’t help him, than selfishness and greed would.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Under Chuck Jones's direction in the early fifties, making him neurotic, more self-centered, and ''incredibly'' narcissistic (this is keeping in mind Daffy [[ScrewballSquirrel was never truly kind or thoughtful]] to begin with). Other directors eventually took his redesign and made him even worse. By the DePatie-Freleng era, he's often depicted as a [[KickTheDog puppy-punting]] villain with his LackOfEmpathy and aforementioned [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]] greatly dialed up. Later productions go in and out with this, though for the most part refer to Jones's selfish egotist Daffy.

* {{Greed}}: Becomes one of his defining traits later on. Daffy desires material wealth as much as he desires the [[GloryHound cheering and worshipping of others]]. Whenever he sees something shiny he goes completely, hysterically ballistic and doesn't pay any attention to whether the other person in the same vicinity has noticed it or cares about it, for him it is taken for granted that they 'll want to claim ''his'' gold. In "Superior Duck", he even lampshades it.

* Holiday For Drumsticks (MM, Davis)

[[caption-width-right:330:''"[[WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndEgghead I'm not crazy, I just don't give a darn!]] [[SignatureLaugh WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!]]"'']]

[[caption-width-right:330:WOOHOO! WOOHOO! WOOHOO!]]

* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' (1990) - Bugs and Daffy make a cameo in the opening scene.

* CharacterCatchphrase:

** "I'm rich! I'm wealthy! Yahoo!! I'm comfortably well-off."
*** In WesternAnimation/AliBabaBunny, a variation of this catchphrase was shown - "I'm rich! I'm wealthy! I'm independent! I'm socially secure!"
** "Sufferin' succotash!" (pronounced "Thufferin' thuccotash!") quite often in earlier shorts, before it was given to the similarly-voiced Sylvester the cat.

* CatchPhrase:

* CatchphraseInsult: It's PlayedForLaughs, though one of his ways of showing contempt for someone (especially in his jerkish portrayals) is also one of his catchphrases, namely "You're [[SpeechImpediment desthpicable]]!"

** "You're desthpicable!"

* EntitledBastard: He clearly expects Speedy to give him a can opener to open the stash of canned food he found in "Moby Duck". Before this however, he made it no secret he's [[ItsAllAboutMe going to keep it all for himself]] and he threw several rocks at the mouse. It's even more JustForFun/{{egregious}} considering the two are on a deserted island.

* HypocriticalHumor: Really hates working with his Disney counterpart Donald Duck. The reason? His annoying speech impediment.[[note]]Admittedly, Daffy's lisp is far less irritating than Donald's warbling voice, which makes the latter TheUnintelligible.[[/note]]

* TheChewToy: Especially in stories co-starring WesternAnimation/BugsBunny. The earlier, more ScrewballSquirrel-like Daffy was less of a Chew Toy; it seems that Chuck Jones' recasting Daffy as a foil to Bugs' [[TheTrickster Heroic Trickster]] spurred the move.