Great Horny Toads!!!

"Great Horny Toads!!!"

On February the 3rd (Australian time that is ... it would have been Feb. 2nd in The United States) I wrote a post about a book on shamanism that I was halfway through reading called Lightning in My Blood -
Lightning in My Blood/Shamanism and Lightning
Well, a day, or two later I had just read the above chapter about the Horned Lizard, or as it is also known as, the Horny Toad.

I had often heard the saying, "great horny toads" while watching the Bugs Bunny cartoons when I was growing up, but never really knew what one was.

And when I read about horned lizards spraying blood in that chapter I was reading, I just had to look these things up and see one in action.

And as I was watching horny toads tricking the Tricksters (coyotes) by squirting them with blood I saw a Facebook feed about Joe Alaskey passing away on February 3rd, 2016, which was the day (Australian time, one day ahead of The United States) I posted about being halfway through the book that mentioned the Horned Lizard.

Joseph Francis "Joe" Alaskey III
(April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016)

Joe Alaskey, voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 63
Joe did the voice for Yosemite Sam in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and his lines specifically mention the horny toads in the movie.

I also found it ironic that Joe voiced The Sheriff in an episode of The Back to the Future TV show directed by Ant man director Peyton Reed, since Horny Toads feed on ants.

I think We Are Going to See Some Serious S#it When This Baby Hits 88;-) 
Alaskey, 63, had been battling cancer.
Alaskey was one of the actors who handled Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck after the 1989 death of the famed Mel Blanc.
Daffy Duck proved to be one of his most prominent roles. 

He won an Emmy in 2004 for his performance on Cartoon Network's "Duck Dodgers."
The actor voiced many other beloved Looney Tunes characters including Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat and Plucky Duck. 

In addition, Alaskey also voiced Grandpa Lou Pickles on Rugrats, appearing in three films and the spin-off series, "All Grown Up."
He didn't just do cartoons. 

Among his other roles: Jackie Gleason in the TV movie "King of the World" and the voice of Richard Nixon in Forrest Gump. 

I also thought it was amusing that this webpage at CNN about Joe's death was updated at 18:18 GMT, 1818 being the dead man's hand in poker -
"Touch" the Deadman's Hand Coincidence
May your voice live on in movies and cartoons Joe.