Cecil Turtle is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of films.

Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil has the unusual distinction that he is one of the very few characters who were able to outsmart Bugs Bunny, and the only one to do so three times in a row and at the rabbit's own game.

Animator Tex Avery introduced Cecil in the short Tortoise Beats Hare, released on March 15, 1941.

Bugs wanders onto the screen munching his obligatory carrot and absent-mindedly begins reading the title card, grossly mispronouncing most of the credits, such as /əˈvɛri/ for "Avery" rather than the correct /ˈeɪvəri/.

As Bugs runs relentlessly toward the finish line, Cecil and the other turtles take turns showing up at just the right moment to baffle the bunny.

Bob Clampett took Avery's scenario and altered it for his film Tortoise Wins by a Hare released on February 20, 1943.

Bugs then goes to Cecil's tree home disguised as an old man (a parody of Bill Thompson's "Old Timer" character from the radio series Fibber McGee and Molly) to ask the turtle his secret.

And then reveals his streamlined shell lets him win, and produces a set of blueprints for his "air-flow chassis".

Cecil reinforces this misconception by dressing in a gray rabbit suit and munching on some delicious carrots.

(The final gag is often cut when shown on basic cable television, but can be found uncut on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.)

Cecil and Bugs would have one final match up in Friz Freleng's cartoon, Rabbit Transit, released on May 10, 1947.

Cecil, however, quickly reveals that his shell is now rocket propelled, allowing him to go a surprising combination between fast and slow.

Cecil makes recurring appearances in New Looney Tunes, voiced by series producer Matt Craig.

He appears in the episode "Shell Shocked", where traveling from Bronx to Brooklyn, Bugs beats a Public Transit Train and comments how nobody is faster than him.

However, Bugs becomes infuriated when he comes across advertisements showcasing Cecil Turtle as the "actual fastest thing in New York City".

Unlike his original short films and other television series, he and Bugs appear on friendly terms.

Because of Cecil's modest amount of popularity, Warner Bros. created a protégé of the character in Tiny Toon Adventures named Tyrone Turtle.