Pepe Le Pew was one of my favorite cartoon characters,I couldn't tell you why after all these years but as a kid I loved him. I was somewhat alarmed to find out that he had a rather sorted past. Pepe's original name was Stinky and his first appearance was in a short titled "Odor-able Kitty" (1945). Instead of his later m.o. Pepe spends his time in pursuit of a male cat,who had disguised himself as a skunk to avoid abuse,Pepe is revealed to be a philandering American skunk (along with wife and kids) named Henry. After this initial introduction Pepe always had a French accent,bachelor status, and nearly always pursued female cats. In a couple of cartoons he had amorous intentions with dogs and in another feature he was attracted to a Wild Cat who had escaped from the zoo,it is discovered in this cartoon that Pepe likes to get beat up. I thought it was an interesting contrast between those story lines and what would clearly be censored in today's cartoon offerings. Makes a person wonder...were those more innocent times,or not?
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