Big Chungus: From Looney Tunes Origins to Viral Fame

Sometimes, the internet takes something ordinary and spins it into the extraordinary—and occasionally absurd.

Such is the tale of Big Chungus, an unlikely meme born from a vintage cartoon and inflated (pun intended) into a worldwide phenomenon.

Here’s everything you need to know about this cultural oddity, combining classic animation, modern humour, and a touch of digital chaos.

The Origin Story: Bugs Bunny’s “Big” Break

Big Chungus did not originate in the meme world, but in the 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon Wabbit Twouble.

In the short, Bugs Bunny mocks an unusually portly version of Elmer Fudd by inflating himself into an exaggeratedly round figure.

This moment, intended as a gag about Fudd’s redesign for comedic effect, inadvertently laid the groundwork for a meme that would emerge decades later.

Fast-forward to 2018, when a clever internet user photoshopped a still from Wabbit Twouble onto a fake PlayStation 4 game cover, captioned “Big Chungus.”

While “chungus” was coined earlier by video game journalist Jim Sterling as a nonsensical term, pairing it with a rotund Bugs Bunny launched a comedic storm.

How Big Chungus Took Over

The meme gained traction when a GameStop employee posted about a mother earnestly asking for the fictional “Big Chungus” game.

This hilarious misunderstanding went viral, spreading across Reddit, Twitter, and meme-focused platforms.

Soon, variations of the original image flooded social media, incorporating everything from political satire to gaming culture.

In true meme fashion, Big Chungus evolved rapidly. It wasn’t just a static image anymore; it became a symbol of internet irony.

Redditors spun elaborate backstories, declaring Chungus “eternal” and likening it to a deity in absurdly dramatic copypastas.

The internet took this one-time joke and amplified it into a multi-layered cultural touchstone.

The Modern-Day Legacy

Big Chungus isn’t confined to pixels and memes. Warner Bros. embraced the joke, giving Chungus a cameo in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy.

The character even found its way into mobile games like Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, cementing its status as a pop culture artefact.

Big Chungus in Space Jam: A New Legacy scene

Chungus-themed merchandise also made its mark, from unofficial fan creations to cancelled collectibles, like a planned vinyl figure by Youtooz that never saw the light of day due to design criticism.

*Youtooz Fandom Wiki (Creative Commons Attribution)*

Why Big Chungus Endures

The appeal of Big Chungus lies in its absurdity. It’s a perfect blend of nostalgia for classic cartoons and the internet’s love for recontextualising content.

For meme enthusiasts, Chungus represents creativity at its finest—taking something old and transforming it into something hilarious and completely unexpected.

It’s also a fine example of the internet’s power to blur the lines between pop culture and parody.

Big Chungus isn’t just a meme; it’s a reminder that humour knows no bounds, especially when Bugs Bunny is involved.