This Looney Tunes Cartoon Might Have a Michigan Connection

The Looney Tunes show has been around for nearly 100 years since it premiered in 1930 with "Sinkin' in the Bathtub". Since then, the show has been known for its blend of comedy, animation, and music with iconic characters like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and more.

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However, Bugs Bunny wasn't introduced until 1940, meaning there are plenty of episodes that don't feature the rotating cast of iconic characters many people know. That includes the 1939 cartoon "A Day at the Zoo" and the coolest part is it may have been set in Kalamazoo, MI.

⬇️WAS THE SIMPSONS SET IN KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN?⬇️

A Day at the Zoo

Directed by Tex Avery, the eventual creator of Bugs Bunny, this 7-minute cartoon features a tour of the zoo, giving the viewer a "day at the zoo". The cartoon has a variety of scenes with many of the animals in iroinc situations set up as puns and plays on words, such as when the narrator shows that the zoo has an American Greyhound, but instead of the dog, its a bus.

How Does This Relate To Kalamazoo?

The connection to Kalamazoo is the very first shot of the cartoon, since the zoo is named Kalama Zoo, which the narrator dubs as "one the country's most interesting zoos". It is unknown why writer Melvin Millar chose to name the zoo Kalama Zoo considering that no one on the production team for this cartoon is from Kalamazoo let alone Michigan.

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However, Kalamazoo did have an interesting zoo of its own at the time known as the Milham Park Zoo that opened in 1935, 4 years before the release of this cartoon, so Millar could have taken inspiration from it.

Ultimately this could just be a coincidence. You can watch the original cartoon below. That's all folks!