In the much-loved Road Runner cartoons , it seemed that anything was possible – but the mayhem on the screen was born from writers that had incredibly strict rules to abide by . A former animator for Warner Brothers , which made the show , revealed in his autobiography that there were nine rules every cartoon had to follow . The star of each one was the Road Runner and his nemesis - Wile E. Coyote . A desert predator obsessed with catching and eating the Road Runner , he often used a bewildering and hilarious array of contraptions to snare his quarry . Scroll down for video . In the much-loved Road Runner cartoons , it seemed that anything was possible – but the mayhem on the screen was born writers that had incredibly strict rules to abide by . Rules included the Road Runner never being able to harm the coyote , except by saying ‘ beep beep ’ , 'no dialogue ' , and ‘ all materials , tools , weapons , or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the ACME corporation ’ . The writers also had to try and ‘ make gravity the coyote 's greatest enemy ’ and ensure that he ‘ is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures ’ . The rules come from the 1999 autobiography of former Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones , called Chuck Amuck : The Life And Times Of An Animated Cartoonist . The star of each show was the Road Runner and his nemesis - Wile E. Coyote . A desert predator obsessed with catching and eating the Road Runner , often using a bewildering and hilarious array of contraptions . They were posted on Twitter by director Amos Posner and have since generated considerable excitement on social media . One Reddit thread has been dedicated to a discussion about the rules , and whether they have ever been broken . One rule – ‘ the road runner must stay on the road , otherwise , logically , he would not be called road runner ’ – was broken many times , with the creature often appearing on rocky outcrops and once even pushing coyote along as he drives a speedboat . The cartoon first appeared in 1948 , with 48 made altogether , along with one half-hour special . The Road Runner can not harm the coyote except by going 'beep-beep ! ' No outside force can harm the coyote - only his own ineptitude or the failure of the Acme products . The coyote could stop anytime - if he were not a fanatic . No dialogue ever , except 'beep-beep ! ' The road runner must stay on the road - otherwise , logically , he would not be called road runner ( though this seems to be a rule that was often broken ) All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters - the southwest American desert . All materials , tools , weapons , or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the ACME corporation . Whenever possible , make gravity the coyote 's greatest enemy . The coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures .
The rules were revealed by former Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones . He listed them in his book The Life And Times Of An Animated Cartoonist . 1. Another rule was that the coyote always had to be humiliated , not harmed .