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Montana "Monty" Max is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures. He is one of the main characters on the show. Monty was voiced by Danny Cooksey.

Biography

Montana Max is a young, brown-haired, male human, who wears a grayish-blue jacket, green shirt, grayish-blue pants and black loafers. He attends Acme Looniversity and lives in Acme Acres. Not surprisingly, Monty's favorite teacher and mentor is Yosemite Sam (also named after a location in the American West). Unlike Yosemite, however, Monty uses proper English, instead of using phrases like "ain't" and "ain't none."

Montana Max is an only child of wealthy parents and lives with them in a large mansion on the edge of Acme Acres. They have several servants, one of which, Grovely, has been seen is several episodes, even starring prominently in an episode revolving around him and his family. Arnold the Pit Bull also serves Monty personally on many occasions, usually as a watchdog. His doorbell at home chimes "Mon-ey!" in place of a bell sound.

In the reboot, he wears sneakers instead of loafers and is a conman.

Personality

Monty is a bullying, spoiled, rich kid who throws world-class temper tantrums. Monty possesses a nasty personality and a very short temper, and uses his wealth for his own amusement, often to the discomfort or belittlement of others. His pastimes include counting his capital, landscape deforestation and rabbit stomping. He also owns heavily polluting industries that push out extravagantly wasteful output for frivolous things like elevator buttons and holes. Some episodes feature Plucky fighting those factories as The Toxic Revenger (pun on The Toxic Avenger).

Monty enjoys cheating in all forms of competition; oppressing the weak, terrorizing the timid, masterminding hostile takeovers and watching the compound interest rate climb past twenty percent. Monty is bossy and abrasive and hates fair play, honesty and people who stand up to him. He delights in using his vast fortune to bring misery to others, particularly Buster and Babs. He'll spend any amount of money to spoil their fun, but most often winds up bankrupting himself in the process. Monty is the perfect foil for Buster. The sawed-off bully's temper is matched only by his greed, and Buster is always able to bilk some fast bucks out of Monty.

Deep down, Monty is very insecure and sometimes fears no one likes him. He's right, of course, and occasionally feels the need to call "Acme Rent-a-Friend." Although he yells most of the time, sometimes we get glimpses of the real kid beneath the temper. He lives in the grandest mansion in Acme Acres. The grounds include swimming pools, tennis courts, stables and the like. It's the kind of place that would make Donald Trump envious. It has signs which read "Poverty Stinks," and "Charity Workers Will Be Shot."

Monty's goal in life is to bring misery into the life of happy-go-lucky Buster. He's not particularly fond of anyone in Acme Acres, for that matter. He thinks Babs is a scatterbrain and his only use for Plucky is as a pawn in one of his devious plots. He thinks Elmyra is a drippy little nerd, but she is one of his only friends, and he will occasionally call her into service to help him pester Buster and Babs. Elmyra loves the attention, figuring her "boyfriend" has come around and appreciates her at last.

In the reboot, he's not so bad-tempered but at the same time also more sadistic.

Relationship with Buster and Babs

In the series premiere, "The Looney Beginning" (a non-canonical origin story), it is revealed that Max was the star of a show that had been pitched to Warner Bros., but rejected because of the character's brattiness. Taking revenge on the network for rejecting his series, Max boots Babs and Buster out of the cartoon, steals their scripts and takes over the show, renaming it The Montana Max Show. Buster and Babs manage to reclaim the show by visiting his mansion disguised as Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd, who Max admits are his personal heroes.

According to the half-hour episode "Citizen Max" (a parody of the movie, Citizen Kane), Monty was once impoverished and friends with one of the series' stars, Buster Bunny, until the day his parents won the lottery and became quite wealthy; after this, he abandoned Buster and quickly turned into his familiar bullying, juvenile delinquent self, thus setting the stage for his long-running feud with the blue rabbit.

In the "The Acme Acres Zone" (a parody of The Twilight Zone) episode segment "A Walk on the Flip Side", Max gets an ironic comeuppance from Babs and Buster. Monty hates rabbits so much that he dreams that he is a rabbit himself. As a rabbit, he tries to get back to his real home. Elmyra catches him, but he makes an easy getaway. When he gets to his house, he finds out that Buster and Babs have taken over his mansion. They call the animal shelter and the keeper puts him in with a bunch of rabbits. Max is terrorized by visions of rabbits and by Elmyra when she wants to take him home "forever and ever." As Max wakes up, he decides to be nice to rabbits, but reneges when Buster and Babs begs at his doorstep. After being chased off the premises, Babs observes that these zone shows are supposed to have a twist ending. Max gets his twist as he opens his cabinet and finds a whole bunch of rabbits in it.

In the "Rainy Daze" episode segment "Rent a Friend", Buster is the only one who willingly volunteered to be Monty's rent-a-friend for the day, as Monty's abusive and insensitive behavior (as well as many dangerous toys) has scared all of the other rent-a-friends away. Buster is forced to be friendly towards Monty, who mistreats the bunny and has him play with his deadly and destructive toys, but when Monty goes too far, Buster gets his revenge on him (also costing the rich brat $250,000 to be saved from a tremendous fall, plus $13.50 for his rent-a-friend fee).

Monty as the Good Guy

In the "Playtime Toons" episode segment "Fit to Be Toyed", Monty is bored playing with his toys and decides to blow them up to make room for new ones. One of the toys lands in the drink of his father, who outraged, donates the rest of them to Toys 4 Tots. He also takes away Monty's Acme Excess charge card and cuts it up, preventing him from buying any new ones. Monty is left with nothing to do, so his father tells him to use his imagination. Later that day, Monty goes up to the attic where he meets his imagination, who has shrunk down to the size of a mouse. He has not been used for a long time, as Monty previously had all those neat toys to play with. Monty tries to play with a paddle ball and his imagination tells him that there are other ways to play with it. Monty pretends the paddle ball is a musical instrument, a club, and a space weapon. His father, who decidedly gives him back his newly taped Acme Excess card, is proud of him, as imagination is where real play begins.

In the "Love Disconnection" double-length episode segment, "My Dinner With Elmyra", Monty's mother tells him that she is having dinner with a cute couple across town. The couple has a cute daughter, who turns out to be Elmyra Duff. Monty does not want to go on a date with her, but his mother tells him that Elmyra's parents are close friends of her's and Monty's father and that she will take away his allowance ($700,000 weekly) if he refuses. Monty has to suffer through the date, everything from buying her a Happy Baby Puppy Face Meal and being teased by the other Tiny Toons at Weenie Burger to sitting through The Adventures of Fido and Mewmew at the Acme Theater. When he walks Elmyra to her door in an attempt to seltzer her at the end of the cartoon, she kisses him, and as he gets back into his limousine, he utters to himself, "I think I'm in love."

There are two reasons why Monty has been depicted as the main protagonist in these shorts. On the show, it's because Monty's parents finally assert themselves in his life. In real life, it's because the young Danny Cooksey (Monty's voice actor) complained about being "the bad guy."

Romance

Elmyra Duff

Despite Monty's faults, Elmyra Duff, seems to harbor maniacal affection for him. In the Dating, Acme Acres Style episode segment, Dream Date Game, Elmyra chose Montana to be her date but only because Buster tricked her into believing that he is a rabbit. Their relationship to each other is toyed with in the episode, Sepulveda Boulevard, (a parody of Sunset Boulevard), in which Elmyra and Max have characters based on the Norma Desmond and Joe Gilis characters, respectively. On occasion, it is implied that he does have romantic feelings for Elmyra (at the end of the Love Disconnection double-length episode segment, My Dinner with Elmyra, he admits, "I think I'm in love!"), but would prefer not to show it. In spite of this, Max does not appear in Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, where Elmyra instead romantically pursued Rudy Mookich.

Babs Bunny

Monty had a brief romance with Babs Bunny in the Spring in Acme Acres episode segment, Love Among The Toons. This was because Concord Condor was filling in for Cupid. He had noticed Buster arguing with Babs and tried to fix it, and although the first arrow succeeded in hitting Babs, the second arrow that was meant for Buster hit Monty, who got in the way because he was in a grumpy mood. This had caused Monty and Babs to fall in love with each other, with Buster trying to talk Babs, who is too lovestruck to listen to him, out of it. When Cupid is forced to take his job and his arrows back, Monty and Babs are about to get married to each other. Cupid uses his anti-love arrows to return Monty and Babs to their normal (and not so loving) feelings for each other.

Quotes

  • "You can't do this to me! I'm rich!"
  • "Make my day, rabbit!"
  • "Ask me if I care!"

Appearances

Season 1

  • Episode 1: The Looney Beginning -- (Supporting role)
  • Episode 3: The Wheel o' Comedy -- Episode segment: Win, Lose, or Kerblowie (Main role)
  • Episode 4: Test Stress -- Episode segment: Never Too Late to Loon (Cameo)
  • Episode 7: Journey to the Center of Acme Acres -- (Main role)
  • Episode 8: Stuff That Goes Bump in the Night -- Episode segment: Home Wrecker (Main role)
  • Episode 9: It's Buster Bunny Time -- Prologue before the episode segment: Lifestyles of the Rich and Rotten (Cameo: A still image is shown), Episode segment: Lifestyles of the Rich and Rotten (Main role)
  • Episode 10: Looking Out for the Little Guy -- Episode segment: The Re-Return of the Toxic Revenger (Main role)
  • Episode 14: The Acme Acres Zone -- Episode segment: A Walk On the Flip Side (Main role), A Bacon Strip (Minor role)
  • Episode 15: Life in the 90s -- Episode segment: Whining Out (Cameo: A still image is shown), Episode segment: Paper Trained (Main role)
  • Episode 16: Rock 'N' Roar -- (Main role)
  • Episode 17: Prom-ise Her Anything -- (Supporting role)
  • Episode 18: Hare Today Gone Tomorrow -- (Supporting role)
  • Episode 19: Cinemaniacs! -- Episode segment: Superbabs (Main role), Episode segment: Duck Trek (Minor role), Episode segment: Pasadena Jones (Main role)
  • Episode 20: You Asked for It -- Prologue before the episode segment: Debutante Devil (Cameo: A still image is shown), Episode segment: Slight of Hare (Main role)
  • Episode 21: Gang Busters -- (Main role)
  • Episode 22: Citizen Max -- (Main role)
  • Episode 24: Buster and the Wolverine -- (Cameo)
  • Episode 25: You Asked for It, Part II -- Episode segment: The Return of the Toxic Revenger (Main role)
  • Episode 28: The Wacko World of Sports -- Episode Segment: Tennis the Menace (Main role)
  • Episode 29: Rainy Daze -- Episode segment: Rent A Friend (Main role), Episode segment: Bunny Daze (Minor role: Shown in Babs' dream sequences)
  • Episode 30: Fields of Honey -- (Minor role)
  • Episode 32: Spring in Acme Acres -- Episode segment: Love Among the Toons (Supporting role)
  • Episode 34: The Wide World of Elmyra -- Episode segment: Go Fetch (Cameo)
  • Episode 35: A Ditch in Time -- (Supporting role: A prehistoric version is shown)
  • Episode 36: Animaniacs! -- (Minor role)
  • Episode 37: Career Oppor-Toon-ities -- Episode segment: Buster's Guide to Part-Time Jobs (Main role), Episode segment: Falling to Pizzas (Cameo)
  • Episode 38: Strange Tales of Weird Science -- Episode segment: Duck in the Muck (Main role)
  • Episode 39: Inside Plucky Duck -- Episode segment: Wild Takes Class (Cameo)
  • Episode 41: Dating, Acme Acres Style -- Episode segment: Dream Date Game (Main role)
  • Episode 42: Looniversity Daze -- Episode segment: The Learning Principal (Minor role), Prologue before the episode segment: Eating Between the Lines (Cameo), Episode segment: What's Up Nurse? (Minor role)
  • Episode 43: Best O' Plucky Duck Day -- Episode segment: One Minute Til' Three (Minor role)
  • Episode 44: Hero Hamton -- (Main role)
  • Episode 46: Ask Mr. Popular -- Prologue before the episode segment: A Pigment of his Imagination (Cameo: A still image is shown)
  • Episode 47: Son of Looniversity Daze -- Prologue before the episode segment: Plucky's Dastardly Deed (Cameo), Episode segment: Plucky's Dastardly Deed (Minor role), Episode segment: Open and Shut Case (Cameo), Episode segment: C Flat or B Sharp (Cameo)
  • Episode 48: Mr. Popular's Rules of Cool -- Prologue before the episode segment: Venison Anyone? (Cameo), Episode segment: Venison Anyone? (Main role)
  • Episode 51: Tiny Toon Music Television -- Music video segment: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (Supporting role), Music video segment: Money (That's What I Want) (Main role)
  • Episode 52: The Return of the Acme Acres Zone -- Episode segment: Real Kids Don't Like Broccoli (Cameo: A droid version is shown), Episode segment: Duck Dodgers Jr. (Cameo: A still image is shown)
  • Episode 54: Weirdest Story Ever Told -- Prologue before the episode segment: Robin Hare (Cameo), Episode segment: Robin Hare (Main role)
  • Episode 56: Son of the Wacko World of Sports -- Episode segment: Acme Acres Summer Olympics (Cameo)
  • Episode 57: Pollution Solution -- Episode segment: Jungle Bungle (Minor role), Episode segment: Waste Deep in Wackyland (Main role)
  • Episode 59: Brave Tales of Real Rabbits -- Episode segment: And All That Rot (Main role), Episode segment: Day for Knight (Minor role)
  • Episode 62: Here's Hamton -- Episode segment: Milk, It Makes a Body Spout (Cameo)
  • Episode 64: K-Acme TV -- (Cameo)

Season 2

  • Episode 66: Pledge Week -- Prologue before the episode segment: It's All Relatives (Cameo), Prologue before the episode segment: The Kite (Cameo)
  • Episode 67: Going Places -- Prologue before the episode segment: When You're Hot (Cameo: Face not shown), Prologue before the episode segment: Slaughterhouse Jive (Cameo), Episode segment: Slaughterhouse Jive (Main role)
  • Episode 68: Elephant Issues -- Episode segment: Why Dizzy Can't Read (Minor role), Episode segment: C.L.I.D.E. and Prejudice (Main role)
  • Episode 69: Hog Wild Hamton -- (Cameo)
  • Episode 70: Playtime Toons --Prologue before the episode segment: Fit to be Toyed (Main), Episode segment: Fit to be Toyed (Main role)
  • Episode 71: Toon Physics -- Episode segment: The Year Book Star (Cameo)
  • Episode 72: Acme Cable TV -- (Supporting role)
  • Episode 73: Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian -- (Minor role)
  • Episode 74: Henny Youngman Day -- Prologue before the episode segment: Stand-Up and Deliver (Cameo), Episode segment: Stand-Up and Deliver (Minor role)
  • Episode 75: Love Disconnection -- Prologue before the episode segment: My Dinner with Elmyra (Cameo), Episode segment: My Dinner with Elmyra (Main role), Episode segment: The Amazing Three (Cameo)
  • Episode 77: Sepulveda Boulevard -- (Main role)

Season 3

  • Episode 79: Thirteensomething -- (Cameo)
  • Episode 80: New Class Day -- Episode segment: Just-Us League of Super Toons (Main role), Prologue before the episode segment: Sound Off (Cameo)
  • Episode 81: Fox Trot -- Episode segment: Can't Buy Me Love (Minor role)
  • Episode 82: What Makes Toons Tick -- Episode segment: Whirlwind Romance (Cameo)
  • Episode 85: Toons Take Over -- (Cameo: A still image is shown)
  • Episode 90: Toon TV -- Music video segment: Video Game Blues (Cameo: Face not shown), Music video segment: The Name Game (Supporting role), Music video segment: Toon Out, Toon In (Minor role)
  • Episode 92: Music Day -- Episode segment: The Horn Blows at Lunchtime (Minor role), Prologue before the episode segment: Loon Lake (Cameo: A still image is shown)
  • Episode 95: Weekday Afternoon Live -- (Minor role)
  • Episode 97: Best of Buster Day -- Episode segment: Compromising Principals (Cameo), Episode segment: Maid to Re-Order (Supporting role)
  • Episode 98: It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special -- (Supporting role)

Film

Specials

Tiny Toons Looniversity

Music

  • 1992 Japanese import audio CD of Tiny Toons Sing! -- Song: Tiny Toons Rap (Vocals only), Song: Don't Worry, Be Happy (Vocals only), Song: Money (That's What I Want) (Vocals only), Song: The Name Game (Vocals only)

Video Games

  • Montana Max is usually an enemy in the Tiny Toon Adventures video games. Often his plans involve him capturing Babs Bunny, in order to lure Buster Bunny into a trap.
  • Acme All-Stars for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive: Monty is one of twelve playable characters in multi-player mode.
  • Defenders of the Universe for PlayStation 2: Monty is one of the main antagonists, a secret boss that can only be fought if all the hidden powerups in the game are collected, and an unlockable character. There are two different unlockable variants of him in this game: regular Montana Max, and Evil Max, a red haired, pointy-eared, vampire-like version with purple wings, a white suit, and light purple shirt, pants and pointy shoes. His special move is being able to call up metal barriers than can impede enemy attacks, a weight down on enemies, or a limousine from the side to ram enemies, with Evil Max also being able to call down huge freeze rays from the sky.

Merchandise

Trivia

  • In the manga, Hellsing, the primary villain, a Nazi officer, is also named Montana Max. Because he shares many characteristics with his Tiny Toons counterpart, it is to be presumed that Kouta Hirano, author of Hellsing, largely based him on this character.
  • It is speculated that "Montana" could be in reference to Tony Montana from the movie, Scarface, though it is possible that it is coincidence. His character may also have been designed as an homage to Montana resident, Ted Turner, updating the image of Western nouveau riche from Yosemite Sam, a gold prospector. Coincidentally, WB's parent Time Warner would buy Turner Broadcasting System in 1996.
  • Montana Max has sometimes parodied the character of Lex Luthor, enemy of Superman and the Justice League (whose publishers, DC Comics, are owned by WB). He is called "Wex Wuther" and his enemies are members from "The Just-Us League Of Supertoons," made up of several Tiny Toons parodying the Justice League.

Gallery

Main article: Montana Max/Gallery

See Also

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