The Loving Bug

The final sequence of The Bug Parade (1941) involves a spider who loves little flies. Not only does he have Billy Bletcher’s evil laugh, but I really like his design. Here are some drawings.



The spider assures us “I just love little flies!” The gag is that he literally does.



He looks at the audience watching the cartoon. “I told you I love little flies, didn’t I?”



Iris out.

Reviewers in 1941 called the cartoon “The Bug Parade” but it was copyrighted that year as “Bug Parade.”

The Showmen’s Trade Review called it “clever”:

In a manner that has marked this series [Merrie Melodies] as one of the most entertaining on the cartoon market, “The Bug Parade” delves into the various habits and peculiarities of many well-known insects. The Technicolor subject is replete with subtle gags which should make it popular with adult audiences. Leon Schlesinger produced.

The story credit went to Dave Monahan and animation to Rod Scribner. Director Tex Avery was omitted; he was at MGM when this cartoon was released.