Although initially intended to be a parody of cartoons like Tom and Jerry, the shorts featuring Wile. E Coyote and the Road Runner became incredibly popular in their own right. Although the show might seem like chaos at all times, the writers actually established a set of rules that the two characters had to follow.
For example, the Road Runner could only harm the Coyote by startling him with his trademark "meep meep" noise and had to stay on the road at all times. On the other hand, the Coyote's greatest enemy is always gravity, and all of the weapons and tools he acquired had to be products of the ACME Corporation. Although some rules were broken at times, for the most part, they were upheld.
P.S.
It is interesting to me, and what makes these Cartoons so Funny, and the moral lessons they teach. Is that all of Wiles' 'Drawing Board' Mechanical Contraptions he designs, and purchases from the ACME 'Gadget' Corporation, ALWAYS Backfire on The Coyote! Causing him Great Harm and Near Death. The Great Moral Lesson...'If You start-out to Hurt Someone, You'll only end-up Hurting Yourself!' Yes! Wiles' greatest Danger is Gravity!