He is the captain and only occupant of the H.M.S. Friz Freleng, a tribute to Sam's creator (Friz Freleng) who had died two years earlier.

In Along Came Daffy (1947), Sam and his black-haired twin brother Orville are starving in a snowbound cabin when Daffy Duck turns up as a door-to-door salesman.

After twenty years on a deserted island, Sam is tired of eating coconuts, and tired of being targeted as a meal himself by a shark named Dopey Dick.

For once, Sam isn't the aggressor. He is royal chef for a very spoiled king who wants something new to eat, specifically Hasenpfeffer, whose base is cooked rabbit. Sam captures Bugs but is outsmarted by the rabbit, who eventually replaces him as the new royal chef.

The studio originally considered calling the character Texas Tiny, Wyoming Willie, or Denver Dan before settling on the final name.

The role of Yosemite Sam was originated by Warners Bros' principal voiceman Mel Blanc. In his autobiography, Blanc said he had a difficult time coming up with a voice for the character. One day, inspired by a fit of road rage during his morning commute, he decided to simply yell at the top of his lungs. It fit perfectly with the blustery character but was also a strain on Blanc's throat, thus he always did Sam's lines at the end of a recording session so he could rest his voice overnight.

The company announced that Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam would no longer carry guns in the new Looney Tunes cartoons streaming on HBO Max. Just because the characters are disarmed, however, doesn't mean there won't be plenty of cartoon violence. The company promises there will still be Acme dynamite explosions and other antics.