The Tasmanian Devil (Taz)

The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros. Animation closed down in 1964, but marketing and television appearances later propelled the character to new popularity in the 1990s.

As the youngest of the Looney Tunes, the Tasmanian Devil, or 'Taz' as he has come to be known, is generally portrayed as a dim-witted teenager-type with a notoriously short temper and little patience. He will eat anything and everything, with an appetite that seems to know no bounds. He is best known for his speech comprised mostly of grunts, growls and raspberries, and his ability to spin and bite through just about anything.

In 1991, Taz got his own show, Taz-Mania, which ran for three seasons, in which he was the protragonist. He was shown to be unusual amongst his family for his wild behaviour. Though being the oldest of three children, he appeared to be the least intelligent, and was generally treated by his family as having a developmental disability. Despite this, Taz can read and write, play computer games, and is capable of maintaining hobbies such as the collection of bottle caps and comic books.

Although the show Taz-Mania has ceased its re-runs, this is still the most popular interpretation of Taz, and he is portrayed regularly as alternately hero and villain in his more recent appearances. He is often portrayed as being too dim-witted to fool with clever traps, but too strong to capture with conventional traps.