Linda Jones, the daughter of Pepe Le Pew's creator Chuck Jones, is defending the character from criticisms regarding the normalization of rape culture. Linda’s defense of Pepe Le Pew comes a day after Warner Bros. announced that the character would not appear in any future projects. This decision was preceded by Pepe’s only scene in Space Jam: A New Legacy being cut by director Malcolm D. Lee. The scene in question was reportedly a spoof of Casablanca. Pepe played a bartender role and made unwanted advances towards a woman (Greice Santo), eventually being slapped by her and then reprimanded by LeBron James.
Pepe Le Pew was first introduced to the Looney Tunes in 1945, created by Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese. The cartoon depicted a French striped skunk always pursuing love, but other characters found his offensive odor and intrusive behavior to be repulsive. Pepe’s storylines usually involved him pursuing a female black cat, retroactively named Penelope Pussycat, whom Pepe mistakes for a skunk due to the white stripe painted down her back. When Penelope desperately tries to run away from Pepe, he can always keep up with her at an effortless pace.
Now, in a new report from TMZ, the daughter of Pepe Le Pew’s creator Linda Jones is speaking up about the controversy surrounding the character. Jones “strongly disagrees” with the New York Times op-ed by Charles M. Blow that claims the cartoon skunk has contributed to normalizing rape culture. Jones counters that point by saying that Pepe never inspired viewers to harass or rape anyone. Jones even goes as far as to say, “Pepe never raped another character on the show,” according to TMZ.
Like many fans of the Looney Tunes, Jones argues that Pepe Le Pew’s actions only seem problematic when judged by modern standards. At the time, Jones says, “it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.” Although Jones does admit, when viewed through a modern lens, it does appear that Pepe breaks rules of consent. Jones says the cartoon's original intent was “pure comedy,” and her father never meant to hurt anyone or inspire predatory behavior.
Like many of Chuck Jones’ Looney Tunes characters, Pepe Le Pew was inspired by pop culture trends and personalities, mainly spoofing the depiction of romantic pursuit in European films and television of the time. Le Pew was also inspired by a colleague of Chuck Jones named Tedd Pierce, a self-proclaimed “ladies man” despite being a hapless romantic. While one could argue Chuck Jones’s original intent with Pepe Le Pew was to shine a spotlight on men's lascivious behavior, many take issue with the depiction of the character today.
Source: TMZ
