Top 10 Times Science Betrayed Wile E. Coyote

#10: The Rock Shower

There They Go-Go-Go! (1956)

For the final gag in this short, Wile E. tries to squash the Road Runner by dropping a pile of rocks. Only one problem - the rocks refused to fall. Now, one could easily look at that pile of rocks and tell how easily it should have collapsed, especially with how small the rocks were on the bottom of the pile. Apparently, gravity decided to take a momentary vacation until our beloved coyote started jabbing it with a stick. What in heavens name ARE you doing, Wile E.?

#9: Acme Glue

Ready, Set, Zoom! (1955)

We all know how glue works. Its a liquid substance that has a somewhat thick viscosity before solidifying. So, why does the short Ready, Set, Zoom! depict glue in a super watery form? In one of the shorts first gags, Wile E. lays down a spread of Acme-branded glue on the road in hopes of trapping the Road Runner. However, ol Speedipus Rex manages to tear through the puddle no problem. Normally, glue would not react to such force in a similar manner as muddy water would. But you know, the laws of physics will harm our genius when it feels like doing so.

#8: The Acme Giant Rubber Band

Whoa, Be-Gone! (1958)

Acme strikes again as Wile E. suffers another cruel twist of fate. This time, it happens before the Road Runner can even make its presence known. Our favorite genius sets up a giant rubber band to stop the Road Runner by strapping it to two rocks, one on both sides of the road. Almost instantly, the rocks give way and are flung into Wile E.! Now, normally, a rubber band would not have the strength to even slightly shift two massive rocks from their resting places no matter how big the rubber band is. But again, why expect logic in the realm of Looney Tunes?

#7: Fishing With Dynamite

Guided Muscle (1955)

Wile E. had the perfect setup. For once, everything should have gone swimmingly here! A plain stick of dynamite at the end of a fishing rod? And the Road Runner was oblivious the entire time? Perfect! And yet, science abandons him. Somehow, the dynamites fuse extended to the fishing line itself, all the way across Wile E.s outline, and straight into the box of dynamite behind. We cannot comprehend how, even in cartoon logic, this was possible in the first place.

#6: The Black Hole

Beep Prepared (1961)

Ah, the classic black hole trick! A staple of toon power that only the most unhinged cartoon characters could pull off. Beep Prepared is a short filled with all kinds of nonsense. Its here that we saw all logic get tossed out the window. Just as the Road Runner approaches, Wile E. lifts up a cover revealing a hole for the bird to fall in. But then the bird just stops, grabs the hole, and runs off to place it on a completely different spot. Were only at number six, and science somehow finds even more ridiculous ways to foil the great Wile E. Coyote!

#5: The Flying Saucer

Operation: Rabbit (1952)

Wile E.s first mistake here was going up against the likes of Bugs Bunny. Bugs has such an insane amount of toon power that it exceeds the Road Runners tenfold! That said, what made Wile E. think he had a shot at cooking Bugs up with an animal-hunting UFO? With this Radarscope programmed to detect birds, mice, and rabbits, there should have been no way for this plan to backfire. Au contraire as Bugs needs only a red marker to rewire the Radarscopes programming and make it hunt coyotes. Thats exactly how machines work.

#4: The Fake Railroad Crossing

Beep, Beep (1952)

Over the past century, weve seen all sorts of ways to hit Wile E. Coyote with a train, but this moment had us dumbfounded and laughing, of course. To slow down the Road Runner, the self-proclaimed genius lays down a single piece of train tracks with two bushes to mask the ends. This somehow summoned a whole new railroad with a speeding train barreling towards him. There is something truly eldritch happening in this desert if trains can just appear out of nowhere from a few pieces of wood and iron.

#3: The Archery Accident

Beep Prepared (1961)

In case you didnt know, bow strings can be made from an assortment of different fibers and synthetics. But even these materials have a breaking point. However, the bow Wile E. orders in this short seems to have some imperviousness to it for the sake of putting him through the wringer. Upon failing to take aim at the Road Runner, our poor genius gets slammed and launched from various points of one tall rock structure. At one point, the bow string manages to break a chunk of rock off of the structure and bend to an absurd degree! Judging from everything we see so far, it appears Acmes only durable product is the bow.

#2: Acme Tornado Seeds

Whoa, Be-Gone! (1958)

Now, we all know how tornadoes are formed, right? Wind currents moving at different speeds in opposite directions with different temperatures are what create some of the worst natural disasters one could ever experience. Well, somehow, Acme found a way to pack such a powerful force into a tiny pellet that only grows from a small dose of water. The laws of nature have completely abandoned Wile E. in this short, but come on, he should know that unleashing even a tornado as small as his would still lead to catastrophic consequences.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions

The Acme Rocket Sled, Beep Prepared (1961)

Another Haywire Rocket, But Its the Funniest Misfire

Cement Science, Going! Going! Gosh! (1952)

Its Just Like Acme Glue - Sticky, Water-y, &... Unreal

The Pistol-in-a-Box, There They Go-Go-Go! (1956)

That Spring Looked a Tad Too Sturdy to Bend That Far

#1: Painting the Tunnel

Fast and Furry-ous (1949)

Its the classic painting an object into existence trick, and goes about as well as youd expect. In one of his first desperate attempts to catch the Road Runner, Wile E. creates a crude painting of a fake tunnel. We all know what should happen, but the Road Runner has an unfathomable amount of Toon Force power as he proceeds to run through the painting as if it were a real thing. Not only that, the Road Runner even manages to trample Wile E. by running out of the exact same tunnel. This shattering of logic should have been enough for our coyote to just give up. Yet, his attempts have continued since 1949.

What do you think was the most absurd moment where science betrayed Wile E. Coyote? Let us know down in the comments!