LOS ANGELES: The animator who helped design Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd has died. Bob Givens was 99 years old.
Daughter Mariana Givens says her father died Dec. 14 in Burbank, California from acute respiratory failure.
Bob Givens started working for Walt Disney Studios right out of high school. He initially made Donald Duck cartoon, after which he joined what would become Warner Bros. His version of Bugs Bunny debuted in 1940. Other characters he illustrated over his six-decade career included Tom & Jerry, Daffy Duck, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Popeye.
Givens also brought his skills to TV advertising, animating cartoon insects for Raid bug-killer commercials. As part of his military services, he also engaged in making military training films.
Mariana Givens said Saturday that she always likened her father to Popeye when she was growing up. He was always energetic and resilient, and even smoked a pipe.