The Tortoise and the Hare is one of Aesop's Fables. The account of a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting interpretations. It is itself a variant of a common folktale theme in which ingenuity and trickery (rather than doggedness) are employed to overcome a stronger opponent. The story concerns a Hare who ridicules a slow-moving Tortoise and is challenged by the tortoise to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, takes a nap midway through the course. When the Hare awakes however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. Friday, December 27, 2013

In Bob Clampett's film "Tortoise Wins by a Hare," the title is an appropriate pun on "hair." Bugs again challenges Cecil to a race after viewing footage from their previous encounter two years earlier (which seems to depict Cecil as having won fairly instead of by cheating Bugs with his cousins). Bugs then goes to Cecil's tree home disguised as an old man to ask the turtle his secret. Cecil, not in the least bit fooled by the disguise remarks, "Clean livin,' friend. Clean livin'...". And then reveals his streamlined shell lets him win, and produces a set of blueprints for his "air-flow chassis." The turtle ends the conversation with the comment, "Oh, and another thing... Rabbits aren't very bright, either!" just before slamming the door in the enraged bunny's face. Not getting the hint that the turtle's story is a humbug, Bugs builds the device and prepares for the race.