The first Looney Tunes short, “Sinkin’ in the Bathtub,” premiered in 1930.
Directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, the short was released on April 19, 1930, at the Warner Bros. Theater in Hollywood. It introduced Bosko, the studio’s first major Looney Tunes star, and established the series’ early musical-comedy format.
The title is a pun on “Singin’ in the Bathtub,” a popular 1929 song written by Michael H. Cleary, Herb Magidson, and Ned Washington. The cartoon uses several contemporary songs, reflecting Warner Bros.’ strategy of connecting its animated shorts with the company’s music and film catalogs.
A common mix-up is confusing the Looney Tunes premiere with the start of Warner Bros.’ broader theatrical animation history. “Sinkin’ in the Bathtub” was both the first Looney Tunes short and the first Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short. It was made in black and white and originally accompanied the feature film “Song of the Flame.”