The thirtieth episode of Tiny Toon Adventures.
The episode begins at ACME Looniversity, where it's Looniversity Day, meaning that today, the students get to work with their mentors, at least those that have them. Buster has Bugs Bunny, Plucky has Daffy Duck, and even Elmyra Duff has Elmer Fudd. Unfortunately for Babs, she doesn't have a mentor of her own, so all she gets is study hall.
Hours pass, and Babs is so bored with study hall. As Buster and Plucky walk in, they get into an argument over whether Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck is the greatest cartoon star of all time. The boys ask Babs what her opinion is, and she unenthusiastically tells them, "They're both great." Plucky decides the best way to settle their score is to watch Bugs and Daffy's cartoons in the film vault.
Buster, Babs, and Plucky arrive at the film vault, and the vault keeper asks them what their business is. Buster tells him that he and Plucky want to watch Bugs and Daffy's old cartoons to see which of the two is the greatest cartoon star of all time. The Vault Keeper likes their idea, and gives them film reels to watch in Viewing Room #1. He then asks Babs what her business is. Babs asks him why all the famous Looney Tunes stars were all male, which she finds unfair, as it doesn't give her a mentor of her own. The Vault Keeper apologizes and tells her that he's going on his lunch break. He asks her if she can watch the films for him, and she tells him that she's got nothing better to do. Just then, a Mysterious Voice tells Babs, "If you watch them, you will find her." Babs asks the Mysterious Voice what he means, and a film reel falls in front of her. The mysterious voice tells Babs to start watching the cartoons, and Babs decides to take his advice.
Babs spends the next five months watching Looney Tunes shorts, and begins to lose hope. She then picks up a film reel that says, BOSKO IN PERSON 1933, and the Mysterious Voice tells her it's one of his favorites. Upon watching it, Babs sees Honey, finding out she's the one the Mysterious Voice wanted her to find. Honey even does impressions, just like her. Babs decides to find Honey and tell her how great she thinks she is. The Vault Keeper overhears and tells Babs that it's impossible, since nobody has seen Honey in over 50 years. Babs decides to prove the Vault Keeper wrong.
In the second act, Babs tells the Vault Keeper that she's going to find Honey, and the Vault Keeper tells her that many have tried, but all have failed. Babs is determined not to give up. She goes to the ACME Looniversity Library and asks Bookworm to do some research on Honey for her. A video on the computer tells her that Honey was Warner Bros.' first female cartoon star. Unfortunately, with the creation of Porky Pig, Honey and Bosko's popularity sank. They took their act to the supper club circuit, but with disastrous results. Bosko tried a solo career, but nobody seemed to care about him anymore. In the early 1960's a reunion was planned, but cancelled when Honey mysteriously disappeared. Bosko spent years searching for Honey, until eventually, he too, faded into obscurity. The video leaves both Babs and Bookworm in tears, but Babs now increases her resolve and she is determined to find Honey.
At the ACME Looniversity cafeteria, Buster and Plucky bribe Hamton with pieces of cake to settle their debate. Hamton then tells them that he always liked Porky. Babs arrives and asks the boys questions about Honey, but with unsuccessful results, as they have never heard of her. They think Babs has gone insane.
Later that night, Babs goes to a baseball stadium and decides to give up, as she doesn't know how to find Honey. The Mysterious Voice tells her, "If you build it, they will watch." Babs asks the Mysterious Voice what he means, and he tells her to build a movie theater so that the public can watch Honey cartoons. The Mysterious Voice tells Babs that laughter is what keeps toons young and immortal, as proven with Bugs Bunny, who is over 50 years old. When the laughter stops and the toon is forgotten, it begins to age and fade from existence. Babs realizes this is just what happened to Honey, and the Mysterious Voice tells her that in order to save Honey, the public has to see her and laugh again.
The next day at the teacher's lounge, Babs holds a staff meeting with the Looney Tunes cast, telling them about her idea to build a theater that shows Honey cartoons. A confused Bugs asks Babs if she's feeling okay, and Babs tells him about the Mysterious Voice who told her to build the theater. Bugs sends Babs to the Nurse's office, where Elmyra concludes that "Bunny-wunny noggin went bye-bye." Since nobody believes her, Babs decides to build the theater by herself. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the money to do so. Babs decides that she needs a lot of money, and fast.
Babs stops by Montana Max's mansion, and poses as a bunny scout selling carrots. Unfortunately, Monty doesn't want to buy any, and slams the door on her. Babs tries again, posing as an orphan. Unfortnately, Monty tells her to get a job, and slams the door on her again. Babs tries once more, this time, posing as a businesswoman. Monty is about to slam the door on her again, when she explains that she's collecting for funds to eliminate poverty on Earth, and her goal is to send people without money to the moon. Monty is interested in this idea, and gives Babs a bag of money as a donation. The two thank each other, and Babs sets off to build her theater.
Babs builds her theater and opens it, but days pass and nobody comes. Babs can't understand what she's doing wrong, so the Mysterious Voice tells her, "If you advertise, they will come." Babs decides to launch the biggest advertising campaign ever, noting that it worked for the Batman franchise.
In the third act, Babs becomes an advertising rapper and tries to distribute pamphlets, but nobody pays any attention to her. The Mysterious Voice tells her that in these modern times, television is the best medium for advertising.
That night, Buster decides to watch some TV before going to bed. On his TV, he sees various commercials featuring Babs advertising the Honey cartoons at her theater. Buster is convinced, and decides to go to the theater tomorrow morning.
The next morning, Babs has a huge crowd in a zombie-like trance, ready to see the Honey cartoons. She is glad that her advertising campaign paid off, but wishes Honey could be here to see. Just then, an elderly lady walks in, and asks Babs if her theater is where the Honey cartoons are showing. Babs assures her it is, and leads her inside. Sweetie starts up the projector, and the Honey cartoons begin. As the crowd sees them, they are an instant success, as they laugh at them. The elderly lady reveals herself as Honey, who thanks to Babs, has been restored to her original beauty. Babs realizes that the Mysterious Voice was right, and that laughter does keep toons young and immortal. Even Buster and Plucky have to admit that Honey is way cool.
The boys decide to get a pizza as they leave, and Babs tells them she will meet up with them after she closes her theater. Honey thanks Babs for the greatest night of her life, but Babs is still confused as to who the Mysterious Voice was. The Mysterious Voice turns out to be coming from the Mysterious Vault Keeper, whom reveals himself as Bosko in disguise, having also regained his youth and reunites at last with Honey. Honey asks Babs how she could ever repay her, and Babs tells her that she owes everything to her now, as she is her mentor. Bosko and Honey set off, and Babs bids them farewell as the episode ends.
This episode provides examples of:
- Adaptation Personality Change: In the original Bosko cartoons, Honey was simply Bosko's Minnie Mouse -esque girlfriend. For this episode, Honey was retooled to be a jokester with a wise-cracking personality similar to Babs.
- Affectionate Parody: One of Babs' commercials for the Honey theater parodies Pee-wee's Playhouse.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Babs laments that she's the only one of her friends who doesn't have a mentor figure.
- Animation Bump: All of Jon Mcclenahan's animation in this episode (and there's a lot of it), along with the majority of the first five minutes, animated by Glen Kennedy, even if the character designs aren't quite right.
- Break the Cutie: Honey takes their careers faltering harder than Bosko, being reduced to tears amid a booing audience.
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: Buster and Plucky bribe Hamton with pieces of cake to help them settle their dispute on whether Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck is the greatest cartoon star of all time. Unfortunately, neither of them expected Hamton to like Porky Pig the best.
- Cartoon Creature: The original Bosko and Honey were cartoon humans. In this episode, they were unspecific animals with ears not unlike the Warner Siblings from Steven Spielberg's next animated project, Animaniacs. This was done so as not to offend the viewers with the original Blackface characterizations.
- Chained to a Railway: The villain in the Honey cartoons attempts to do this to Honey.
- Credits Gag: Whatever happened to - McLean Stevenson?
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode is a tribute to the original Warner Bros. cartoon stars, Bosko and Honey, both of whom had been stuck in cartoon limbo for decades by that point.
- Dastardly Whiplash: The villain in one of the Honey cartoons is this.
- Die Laughing: A guy in the theater showing Honey cartoons laughs so hard, he explodes.
- Exploding Calendar: Used when Babs spends the next five months watching Looney Tunes shorts in search of her mentor.
- Fading Away: Babs learns from a video in the ACME Looniversity Library that laughter keeps cartoon characters young and immortal, and when a cartoon character is forgotten, they begin to age and fade from existence. Such was the case with Bosko and Honey in the 1960's, when they were unable to regain the popularity they achieved in 1933. Babs showing Honey cartoons to the public and having them laugh at them brings Bosko and Honey back and restores them to their prime.
- Fountain of Youth: This episode reveals that laughter keeps toons young. This is shown where upon having people laugh at her cartoons after so many years, an elderly Honey is restored to her prime.
- God Needs Prayers Badly: As it turns out, laughter allows toons to stay young and be remembered.
- I'm Going to Disney World!: One of Babs' commercials for the Honey theater parodies the Trope Namer.
- In the Hood: The Mysterious Vault Keeper, who turns out to be Bosko in disguise.
- Kill the Poor: A family-friendly variant. In order to raise funds for the Honey theater, Babs finds a way to scam Montana Max; she disguises herself as a rich woman and comes to his door seeking donations "to fight poverty on Earth." When he's about to slam the door, she continues "...We're going to send all the poor people to the Moon."Monty: Ooh! I'll give for that.
- Older Than They Look: The Mysterious Voice points out that Bugs is over 50 years old. Babs thinks he's very well-preserved, but the voice tells her that laughter keeps toons young.
- Painted Tunnel, Real Train: In one of the Honey cartoons, Honey manages to fool the villain by painting herself on a rock.
- Produce Pelting: Bosko and Honey get tomatoes thrown at them when they try to perform at the Supper Club Circuit.
- Retcon: This episode re-writes the Bosko history for the purposes of the plot. In real life, the Bosko series ended because Harman & Ising left Warner Bros. and took Bosko with them, but this episode claims Bosko and Honey lost their popularity because new star Porky Pig debuted—although in reality, Porky didn't debut until 1935 (and arguably didn't make it big until 1936), a good three years after WB's Bosko shorts already ended.
- The Reveal: The Mysterious Voice turns out to be Bosko, who was also the vault keeper.
- Rule of Three: Babs attempts to disguise herself to trick Monty into giving her money for the Honey theater three times. In the first, she disguises herself as a bunny scout. In the second, she disguises herself as an orphan. In the third, she disguises herself as a businesswoman.
- Shout-Out:
- Babs imitates Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind when she vows that she will find Honey.
- Honey does imitations of Greta Garbo, Betty Boop, Mae West and Groucho Marx.
- The Beatles are referenced as Moptop Liverpudlians. This is a reference to their iconic hairstyle and where the Beatles are from- Liverpool, England. This is said by Ed Sullivan. This bit also references their first live appearance in America on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- The Credits Gag, "Whatever happened to McLean Stevenson?" references Stevenson's departure from M*A*S*H for a film career, which never materialized.
- The Smurfette Principle: Honey is treated as the first female Looney Tunes star in this episode.
- Take That!: When Babs asks Hamton questions about Honey, he tells her that "Winnie the Pooh has a problem with it".
- Time-Passage Beard: Parodied; as Babs sits in the Acme Looniversity archive for five months watching Looney Tunes cartoons and looking for her personal hero, the camera pans around and when it comes back to her, she has a long gray beard and a cane. She tosses the cane aside, then rips the beard off and is about to storm off in frustration but decides to watch one more film.
- Visual Pun:
- Near the end of the episode, Babs tells Honey she's her biggest fan. Honey then tells her "No, this is!" as she pulls out a giant paper fan.
- A fat guy in the audience watching Honey cartoons laughs so hard his belly explodes, a play on the expression "bust a gut laughing".
- Whole-Plot Reference: To the 1989 Kevin Costner film, Field of Dreams.
