One of my favorite cartoons was Warner Bros, Taz, the Tasmanian Devil. It tickled me to see that look on his face when he was foiled. Kinda like “huh?” It was also those little bowlegs and big chest, and the way he whirled around. Portrayed as dim-witted with a notoriously short temper, little patience, and a voracious appetite, he was best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls and rasps, and his ability to spin and bite through just about anything.

 I was surprised to find how different Taz looks to the real Tasmanian Devil, as you can see below. The size of a small dog, the animal comes from the Australian island state of Tasmania. It’s characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, extremely loud and disturbing screech, and ferocity when feeding. Well, that’s a match to the cartoon. But what really surprised me was that, according to David Owen and David Pemberton, who wrote the book, Tasmanian Devil—A Unique and Threatened Animal, the character of Taz was inspired by Errol Flynn. Now, how’s that for a head spinner? (Speaking of spinning.)