Warner Bros. has filed a trademark for the Bugs Bunny meme, Big Chungus, and many think it's for an addition to fighitng game MultiVersus.
Per VGC reporter Andrew Marmo, the company has filed a trademark claim for the image of an inflated Bugs Bunny under the name “Big Chungus” – the very name given to him by an unknown Gamestop employee as per the original meme (based on a term coined by games critic Stephanie Sterling).
Warner Bros. trademark Big Chungus for use of a video game. pic.twitter.com/T9tTg9jrko
— Andrew Marmo (@the_marmolade) August 27, 2022
The trademark, filed on August 26, 2022 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office covers the use of “Big Chungus” and his image across video games, including “video and computer game programs." However, it also includes the use of Big Chungus in motion pictures as well as toys and merch.
MultiVersus fans are convinced that this means the classic Bugs Bunny meme is coming to the studio’s platform-based fighting game.
The design of Big Chungus originated from an old episode of Merrie Melodies in which Bugs Bunny inflates himself to oversized proportions in an effort to mock Elmer Fudd. But he wasn’t named “Big Chungus” until 2018, when a Gamestop employee’s encounter went viral.
Since then, Big Chungus has become a bit of an internet celebrity and has already made it into a previous Warner Bros. game – Looney Tunes World of Mayhem. Here, Big Chungus was a playable character, leading some to wonder whether this new trademark has in fact been sparked by the mobile game.
I mean I feel like big chungus in multiversus is very likely since they have been doing haha funny memes from like 4 years ago. but I also feel like this could just be updating stuff for world of mayhem but idk
— nooby (@NoobLikesCake) August 28, 2022
Does this mean we’ll see Big Chungus in MultiVersus? For now, we’ll have to wait and see. But the meta nature of the game, as well as the trademark’s timing as the company gears up to add more fighters to its roster, certainly suggests a potential connection.
We've contacted WB for comment.
Want to read more about MultiVersus? Check out all the latest MultiVersus characters as well as our guide on the best perks to use in-game.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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