Nancy Classics by Ernie Bushmiller for April 25, 2023

Smoking is what probably killed that bear.

Smokey the Bear and his breath is unbearable.

Reminds me of a 1953 Donald Duck cartoon called The Rugged Bear in which a live bear was posing as a bearskin rug to avoid being shot by Donald. The cartoon was good enough for an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short but lost out to the last Tom and Jerry cartoon to receive an Oscar – Johann Mouse. Donald Duck had already won an Oscar for Der Furher’s Face eleven years earlier in 1942. The last Donald Duck cartoon to be nominated for an Oscar would be another hunting-themed cartoon called No Hunting! in 1955 which would lose out to a Speedy Gonzalez cartoon called Speedy Gonzalez which saw the return of a character who first appeared in another 1953 cartoon Cat-tails For Two.

Definitely too close if it’s puffing out smoke rings.

Maybe his porridge was too hot.

O O O O nooooo! Smoke rings

Surprised the rug doesn’t catch firr

Now that would be some wild trick.