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''Tom and Jerry'' is an American
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
media franchise and series of comedy
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s created in 1940 by
William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...
and
Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian im ...
. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
, the series centers on the rivalry between the titular characters of a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Many shorts also feature several
recurring characters A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
. In its original run, Hanna and Barbera produced 114 ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts for MGM from 1940 to 1958. During this time, they won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film, tying for first place with
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's ''
Silly Symphonies ''Silly Symphony'' is an American animation, animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Silly Symphonies'' were originally inte ...
'' with the most awards in the category. After the
MGM cartoon studio The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to ac ...
closed in 1957, MGM revived the series with
Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...
directing an additional 13 ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts for
Rembrandt Films Rembrandt Films is a Czech production company founded by American film producer William L. Snyder in 1949. It began as an importer of films from Europe and expanded into animated film production. Gene Deitch directed for the company both his own f ...
from 1961 to 1962. ''Tom and Jerry'' then became the highest-grossing animated short film series of that time, overtaking ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.
''.
Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...
then produced another 34 shorts with
Sib Tower 12 Productions MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and animator Ken Harris as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of ''T ...
between 1963 and 1967. Five more shorts were produced, '' The Mansion Cat'' in 2001, ''
The Karate Guard ''The Karate Guard'' is a 2005 American animated cartoon short film, and the 163rd ''Tom and Jerry'' short. Directed by Joseph Barbera (''Tom and Jerry'' co-creator and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera) and Spike Brandt, ''The Karate Guard'' was the ...
'' in 2005, ''A Fundraising Adventure'' in 2014, and ''On a Roll'' and ''The House That Cat Built'' in 2021, making a total of 166 shorts. A number of spin-offs have been made, including the television series '' The Tom and Jerry Show'' (1975), ''
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show ''The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show'' (also known as ''The New Adventures of Tom and Jerry'') is an American animated television program produced by Filmation for MGM Television featuring the popular cartoon duo Tom and Jerry. The show first aired on ...
'' (1980–1982), ''
Tom & Jerry Kids ''Tom & Jerry Kids'' (formerly known as ''Tom & Jerry Kids Show'' in the first season) is an American animated comedy television series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment Co., and starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry a ...
'' (1990–1993), ''
Tom and Jerry Tales ''Tom and Jerry Tales'' is an American animated television series featuring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment, it is the seventh installment in the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise as well ...
'' (2006–2008), and '' The Tom and Jerry Show'' (2014–2021). The first feature-length film based on the series, '' Tom and Jerry: The Movie'', was released in 1992, and 13 direct-to-video films have been produced since 2002, with a live-action/animated hybrid film released in 2021. A musical adaptation of the series, titled ''Tom and Jerry: Purr-Chance to Dream'', debuted in Japan in 2019 in advance of ''Tom and Jerry''s 80th anniversary.


Plot

The series features comic fights between an iconic set of adversaries, a house cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry). The plots of each short usually center on Tom's numerous attempts to capture Jerry and the mayhem and destruction that follows. Tom rarely succeeds in catching Jerry, mainly because of Jerry's cleverness, cunning abilities, and luck. However, on several occasions, they have displayed genuine friendship and concern for each other's well-being. At other times, the pair set aside their rivalry in order to pursue a common goal, such as when a baby escapes the watch of a negligent babysitter, causing Tom and Jerry to pursue the baby and keep it away from danger, in the
shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...
''Busy Buddies'' and ''
Tot Watchers ''Tot Watchers'' is a 1958 American one-reel animated ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. The short was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on August 1, 1958. It is the 114 ...
'' respectively. Despite their endless attacks on one another, they have saved each other's lives every time they were truly in danger, except in '' The Two Mouseketeers'', which features an uncharacteristically morbid ending. The cartoons are known for some of the most violent cartoon gags ever devised in theatrical animation: Tom may use axes, hammers, firearms, firecrackers, explosives, traps and poison to kill Jerry. On the other hand, Jerry's methods of retaliation are far more violent, with frequent success, including slicing Tom in half, decapitating him, shutting his head or fingers in a window or a door, stuffing Tom's tail in a
waffle iron A waffle iron or waffle maker is a utensil or appliance used to cook waffles. It comprises two metal plates with a connecting hinge, molded to create the honeycomb pattern found on waffles. The iron is heated and either batter is poured or dou ...
or a
mangle Mangle can refer to: * Mangle (machine), a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers * Box mangle, an earlier laundry mangle using rollers and a heavy weight * Mangled packet, in computing * Mangrove, woody trees or shrubs * Name mangling, ...
, kicking him into a refrigerator, getting him electrocuted, pounding him with a mace, club or
mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
, letting a tree or electric pole drive him into the ground, sticking matches into his feet and lighting them, tying him to a firework and setting it off, and so on. While ''Tom and Jerry'' has often been criticized as excessively violent, there is no blood or gore in any scene. Music plays a very important part in the shorts, emphasizing the action, filling in for traditional sound effects, and lending emotion to the scenes. Musical director Scott Bradley created complex scores that combined elements of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
, classical, and pop music; Bradley also often used contemporary pop songs and songs from other films, including MGM films like '' The Wizard of Oz'' and ''
Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas film, Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith famil ...
'', which both starred
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
in a leading role. Generally, there is little dialogue as Tom and Jerry almost never speak; however, minor characters are not similarly limited, and the two lead characters do speak English on rare occasions. For example, the character
Mammy Two Shoes Mammy Two Shoes is a Character (arts), fictional character in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM's ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons. She is a heavy-set middle-aged African Americans, African American woman who takes care of the house in which Tom and Jerry reside ...
has lines in nearly every cartoon in which she appears. Most of the vocal effects used for Tom and Jerry are their high-pitched laughs and gasping screams.


Characters


Tom and Jerry

Tom (named "Jasper" in his debut appearance) is a gray and white domestic shorthair cat. ("Tom" is a generic name for a male cat.) He is usually but not always, portrayed as living a comfortable, or even pampered life, while Jerry (whose name is not explicitly mentioned in his debut appearance) is a small, brown
house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...
who always lives in close proximity to Tom. Despite being very energetic, determined and much larger, Tom is no match for Jerry's wits. Jerry also possesses surprising strength for his size, approximately the equivalent of Tom's, lifting items such as anvils with relative ease and withstanding considerable impacts. Although cats typically chase mice to eat them, it is quite rare for Tom to actually try to eat Jerry, but only to hurt or compete with him as usual in a more intimidating strategy to just taunt Jerry (even as revenge), and even to obtain a reward from a human (including his owner(s)/master(s)) for catching Jerry, or for generally doing his job greatly as a house cat. By the final "fade-out" of each cartoon, Jerry usually gets the best of Tom. However, other results may be reached. On rare occasions, Tom triumphs, usually when Jerry becomes the aggressor or he pushes Tom a little too far. In '' The Million Dollar Cat'' Jerry learns that Tom will lose his newly acquired wealth if he harms any animal, especially mice; he then torments Tom a little too much until he retaliates. In '' Timid Tabby'' Tom's look-alike cousin pushes Jerry over the edge. Occasionally and usually ironically, they both lose, usually because Jerry's last trap or attack on Tom backfires on him or he overlooks something. In Chuck Jones' '' Filet Meow'', Jerry orders a shark from the pet store to scare Tom away from eating a goldfish. Afterward, the shark scares Jerry away as well. Finally, they occasionally end up being friends, although, within this set of stories, there is often a last-minute event that ruins the truce. One cartoon that has a friendly ending is '' Snowbody Loves Me''. Both characters display
sadistic Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...
tendencies, in that they are equally likely to take pleasure in tormenting each other, although it is often in response to a triggering event. However, when one character appears to truly be in mortal danger from an unplanned situation or due to actions by a third party, the other will develop a conscience and save him. Occasionally, they bond over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience and their attacking each other is more play than serious attacks. Multiple shorts show the two getting along with minimal difficulty, and they are more than capable of working together when the situation calls for it, usually against a third party who manages to
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
and humiliate them both. Sometimes this partnership is forgotten quickly when an unexpected event happens, or when one character feels that the other is no longer necessary. This is the case in ''
Posse Cat This is a complete list of the 164 shorts in the ''Tom and Jerry'' series produced and released between 1940 and 2014. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts, one is a made-for-TV short, and one is a 2-minute sketch shown as part of a telethon. ...
'', when they agree that Jerry will allow himself to be caught if Tom agrees to share his reward dinner, but Tom then reneges. Other times, however, Tom does keep his promise to Jerry and the partnerships are not quickly dissolved after the problem is solved. Tom changes his love interest many times. The first love interest is Toots who appears in ''Puss n' Toots'', and calls him "Tommy" in ''The Mouse Comes to Dinner''. He is also interested in a cat called Toots in ''The Zoot Cat'' although she has a different appearance to the original Toots. The most frequent love interest of Tom's is
Toodles Galore This is a list of characters in the ''Tom and Jerry'' animated short series, given in the order of the era they first appeared in. Main Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse Tom (originally called "Jasper") is an adult bluish grey and white domestic s ...
, who never has any dialogue in the cartoons. Despite five shorts ending with a depiction of Tom's apparent death, his demise is never permanent; he even reads about his own death in a flashback in ''Jerry's Diary''. He appears to die in explosions in ''
Mouse Trouble ''Mouse Trouble'' is a 1944 American one-reel animated cartoon short and is the 17th ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced by Fred Quimby. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music direction by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was a ...
'' (after which he is seen in
heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
), ''
Yankee Doodle Mouse ''The Yankee Doodle Mouse'' is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon in Technicolor. It is the eleventh ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced by Fred Quimby, and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical supervision by Scott ...
'' and in ''Safety Second'', while in '' The Two Mouseketeers'' he is guillotined
offscreen The terms offscreen, off camera, and offstage refer to fictional events in theatre, television, or film which are not seen on stage or in frame, but are merely heard by the audience, or described (or implied) by the characters or narrator. Off ...
. The short ''
Blue Cat Blues ''Blue Cat Blues'' is a 1956 one-reel animated ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon and was written, directed and produced by co-creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The short was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 16, 1956 in CinemaScope. ...
'' ends with both Tom and Jerry sitting on the railroad tracks with the intent of
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
while the whistle of an oncoming train is heard foreshadowing their imminent death.


Tom and Jerry speaking

Although many supporting and minor characters speak, Tom and Jerry rarely do so themselves. One exception is ''The Lonesome Mouse'' where they speak several times briefly, primarily Jerry, to contrive to get Tom back into the house. Tom more often sings while wooing female cats; for example, Tom sings
Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...
's "
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" is a song written by Louis Jordan and Billy Austin. The song's first recording, by Jordan, was made on October 4, 1943. It was released as the B-side of a single with "G.I. Jive" with the title "Is You Is or Is ...
" in the 1946 short ''
Solid Serenade ''Solid Serenade'' is a 1946 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 26th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on August 31, 1946 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby, directed by William Hanna ...
''. In that short and ''Zoot Cat'', Tom woos female cats using a deep, heavily French-accented voice in imitation of then-popular leading man, actor
Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...
. At the end of ''The Million Dollar Cat'', after beginning to antagonize Jerry he says, "Gee, I'm throwin' away a million dollars... BUT I'M HAPPY!" In '' Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring'', Jerry says, "No, no, no, no, no," when choosing the shop to remove his ring. In ''The Mouse Comes to Dinner'', Tom speaks to his girlfriend Toots while inadvertently sitting on a stove: "Say, what's cookin'?", to which Toots replies "You are, stupid." Another instance of speech comes in ''Solid Serenade'' and ''The Framed Cat'', where Tom directs Spike through a few dog tricks in a dog-trainer manner. In '' Puss Gets the Boot'' Jerry prays for his life when Tom catches him by the tail. Jerry has also whispered in Tom's ear on several occasions. In ''
Love Me, Love My Mouse ''Love Me, Love My Mouse'' is a 1966 Tom and Jerry short produced by Chuck Jones and directed by him and Ben Washam. Plot Tom, in love with Toots, goes to her house, carrying Jerry in a ring box to woo her. Tom presents Jerry to his love in ...
'' Jerry calls Toots "Mama". Co-director William Hanna provided most of the squeaks, gasps, and other vocal effects for the pair, including the most famous sound effects from the series, Tom's leather-lunged scream (created by recording Hanna's scream and eliminating the beginning and ending of the recording, leaving only the strongest part of the scream on the soundtrack) and Jerry's nervous gulp. The only other reasonably common vocalization is made by Tom when some external reference claims a certain scenario or eventuality to be impossible, which inevitably, ironically happens to thwart Tom's plans – at which point, a bedraggled and battered Tom appears and says in a haunting, echoing voice "Don't you believe it!", a reference to the then-popular 1940s radio show '' Don't You Believe It!'' In ''Mouse Trouble'', Tom says "Don't you believe it!" after being beaten up by Jerry, which also happens in ''The Missing Mouse''. In the 1946 short ''Trap Happy'', Tom hires a
cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
disguised as a mouse exterminator who, after several failed attempts to dispatch Jerry and suffering a lot of accidents in the process, changes profession to ''Cat'' exterminator by crossing out the "Mouse" on his title and writing "CAT", resulting in Tom spelling out the word out loud before reluctantly pointing at himself. One short, 1956's ''Blue Cat Blues'', is narrated by Jerry in
voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...
(voiced by
Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...
) as they try to win back their ladyfriends. Jerry was voiced by
Sara Berner Sara Berner (born Lillian Ann Herdan; January 12, 1912 – December 19, 1969) was an American actress. Known for her expertise in dialect and characterization, she began her career as a performer in vaudeville before becoming a voice actress for r ...
during his appearance in the 1945 MGM musical ''
Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...
''. '' Tom and Jerry: The Movie'' is the first (and so far only) installment of the series where the famous cat-and-mouse duo regularly speaks or is able to be understood by humans. In that film, Tom was voiced by
Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...
, and Jerry was voiced by
Dana Hill Dana Hill (born Dana Lynne Goetz; May 6, 1964 – July 15, 1996) was an American actress. She was known for playing Audrey Griswold in ''National Lampoon's European Vacation'', and also known for her roles in ''Shoot the Moon'' and '' Cross Cree ...
.


Spike and Tyke

In his attempts to catch Jerry, Tom often has to deal with Spike (known as "Killer" and "Butch" in some shorts), an angry, vicious but easily duped
bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Disne ...
and later
Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Ho ...
) modeled after comedian
Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...
. Spike's coat has altered throughout the years between gray and creamy tan. The addition of Spike's son Tyke in the late 1940s led to both a slight softening of Spike's character and a short-lived spin-off theatrical series (''
Spike and Tyke ''Spike and Tyke'' is a short-lived theatrical animated short subject series, based upon the American bulldog father-and-son team from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons. The characters first appeared in the ''Tom and Jerry'' seri ...
''). Most cartoons with Spike in them conform to a theme: usually, Spike is trying to accomplish something (such as building a dog house or sleeping) when Tom and Jerry's antics stop him doing it. Spike then (presumably due to prejudice) singles out Tom as the culprit, and threatens him that if it ever happens again, he will do "something horrible" to him (effectively forcing Tom to take the blame) while Jerry overhears; afterward, Jerry usually does anything he can to interrupt whatever Spike is doing while Tom barely manages to stop him (usually getting injured in the process). Usually, Jerry does eventually wreck whatever Spike is doing in spectacular fashion and leaves Tom to take the blame, forcing him to flee from Spike and inevitably lose (usually because Tom is usually framed by Jerry and that Spike just dislikes Tom). Off-screen, Spike does something to Tom and finally, Tom is generally shown injured or in a bad situation while Jerry smugly cuddles up to Spike unscathed. Tom sometimes gets irritated with Spike (an example is in ''That's My Pup!'', when Spike forces Tom to run up a tree every time his son barked, causing Tom to hang Tyke on a flag pole). At least once, however, Tom does something that benefits Spike, who promises not to interfere ever again; causing Jerry to frantically leave the house and run into the distance (in ''Hic-cup Pup''). Spike is well known for his famous "''Listen pussycat!'' catchphrase when he threatens Tom, his other famous catchphrase is "''That's my boy!'' normally said when he supports or congratulates his son. Tyke is described as a cute, sweet-looking, happy and lovable puppy. He is Spike's son; but unlike Spike, Tyke does not speak and only communicates (mostly towards his father) by barking, yapping, wagging his tail, whimpering and growling. Spike would always go out of his way to care and comfort his son and make sure that he is safe from Tom. Tyke loves his father and Spike loves his son and they get along like friends, although most of time they would be taking a nap or Spike would teach Tyke the main facts of life of being a dog. Like Spike, Tyke's appearance has altered throughout the years, from gray (with white paws) to creamy tan. When ''Tom & Jerry Kids'' first aired, this was the first time that viewers could hear Tyke speak.


Butch and Toodles Galore

Butch is a black, cigar-smoking alley cat who also wants to eat Jerry. He is Tom's most frequent adversary. However, for most of the shorts he appears in, he is usually seen rivaling Tom over Toodles. Butch was also Tom's chum as in some cartoons, where Butch is leader of Tom's alley cat buddies, who are mostly
Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
,
Topsy Topsy may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Topsy, a character in the novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * Topsy, a character in the 2018 film ''Mary Poppins Returns'' * ''Topsy and Eva'', a 1928 film based on ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * ''Topsy and Tim'', ...
, and Meathead. Butch talks more often than Tom or Jerry in most shorts. Butch and Toodles were originally introduced in
Hugh Harman Hugh Harman (August 31, 1903 – November 25, 1982) was an American animator. He was known for creating the Warner Bros. Cartoons and MGM Cartoons and his collaboration with Rudolf Ising during the golden age of American animation. Career He ...
's 1941 short '' The Alley Cat'', but were integrated into ''Tom and Jerry'' rather than continuing in their own series.


Nibbles

Nibbles is a small gray mouse who often appears in shorts as an orphan mouse. He is a carefree individual who very rarely understands the danger of the situation, simply following instructions the best he can both to Jerry's command and his own innocent understanding of the situation. This can lead to such results as "getting the cheese" by simply asking Tom to pick it up for him, rather than following Jerry's example of outmaneuvering and sneaking around Tom. Many times Nibbles is an ally of Jerry in fights against Tom, including being the second Mouseketeer. He is given speaking roles in all his appearances as a Mouseketeer, often with a high-pitched French tone. However, during a short in which he rescued Robin Hood, his voice was instead more masculine, gruff, and cockney accented.


Mammy Two Shoes

Mammy Two Shoes is a heavy-set, middle-aged black woman who often has to deal with the mayhem generated by the lead characters. Voiced by character actress
Lillian Randolph Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of radi ...
, she is often seen as the owner of Tom. Her face was only shown once, very briefly, in ''
Saturday Evening Puss ''Saturday Evening Puss'' is a 1950 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 48th ''Tom and Jerry'' short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The cartoon was released on January 14, 1950, produced by Fred Quimby, scored by Scott Bradley (com ...
''. Mammy's appearances have often been edited out, dubbed, or re-animated as a slim white woman in later television showings, since her character is a
mammy archetype A mammy is a U.S. historical stereotype depicting black women who work in a white family and nurse the family's children. The fictionalized mammy character is often visualized as a larger-sized, dark-skinned woman with a motherly personality ...
that had been protested as
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
by the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
and other civil rights groups since the 1940s. She was mostly restored in the DVD releases of the cartoons, with an introduction by
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
on the '' Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Vol. 2'' DVD set explaining the importance of African-American representation in the cartoon series, however stereotyped.


History

"Tom and Jerry" was a commonplace phrase for young men given to drinking, gambling, and riotous living in 19th-century
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The term comes from '' Life in London; or, The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., and his elegant friend, Corinthian Tom'' (1821) by
Pierce Egan Pierce Egan (1772–1849) was a British journalist, sportswriter, and writer on popular culture. His popular book '' Life in London'', published in 1821, was adapted into the stage play ''Tom and Jerry, or Life in London'' later that year, which ...
, the British sports journalist who also authoring and writing another and related novel, '' Boxiana''. However
Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
notes no more than an "unconscious" echo of the
Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. George III of the United Kingdom, King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 18 ...
(and thus
Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
) original in the naming of the cartoon.


Hanna-Barbera era (1940–1958)

In August 1937, animator and storyman
Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian im ...
began to work at
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
, then the largest studio in Hollywood. He learned that co-owner
Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...
wished to boost the animation department by encouraging the artists to develop some new cartoon characters, following the lack of success with its earlier cartoon series based on the '' Captain and the Kids'' comic strip. Barbera then teamed with fellow Ising unit animator and director
William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...
and pitched new ideas, among them was the concept of two "equal characters who were always in conflict with each other". An early thought involved a fox and a dog before they settled on a cat and mouse. The pair discussed their ideas with producer
Fred Quimby Frederick Clinton Quimby (July 31, 1886 – September 16, 1965) was an American animation producer and journalist best known for producing the ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon series, for which he won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Films ...
, then the head of the short film department who, despite a lack of interest in it, gave them the green-light to produce one cartoon short. The first short, '' Puss Gets the Boot'', features a cat named Jasper and an unnamed mouse, named Jinx in pre-production, and an African American housemaid named Mammy Two Shoes.
Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...
described it as "very new and special ..that was to change the course of MGM cartoon production" and established the successful ''Tom and Jerry'' formula of comical cat and mouse chases with slapstick gags. It was released onto the theatre circuit on February 10, 1940, and the pair, having been advised by management not to produce any more, focused on other cartoons including ''
Gallopin' Gals ''Gallopin' Gals'' is a 1940 American one-reel Technicolor animated film directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. It belonged to the screwball comedy genre. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in October 26 ...
'' (1940) and ''
Officer Pooch ''Officer Pooch'' is a 1941 animated short film produced by Fred Quimby, directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The cartoon is mostly done in pantomime. Plot A canine officer (modeled after the Keyst ...
'' (1941). Matters changed, however, when Texas businesswoman Bessa Short sent a letter to MGM asking whether more cat and mouse shorts would be produced, which helped convince management to commission a series. A studio contest held to rename both characters was won by animator John Carr, who suggested Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse. Carr was awarded a first-place prize of $50. It has been suggested, but not proven, that the names were derived from a 1932 story by
Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To ...
, who took them from the name of a popular Christmastime cocktail, itself derived from the names of two characters in an 1821 stage play by William Moncrieff, an adaptation of 1821 Egan's book titled ''Life in London'' where the names originated, which was based on
George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached ...
's,
Isaac Robert Cruikshank Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank (27 September 1789 – 13 March 1856), was a caricaturist, illustrator and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of George Cruikshank, both sons of Isaac Cruikshank. Just ...
's, and Egan's own careers. ''Puss Gets the Boot'' was a critical success, earning an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Short Subject: Cartoons in 1941 despite the credits listing Ising and omitting Hanna and Barbera. After MGM gave the green-light for Hanna and Barbera to continue, the studio entered production on the second ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, ''The Midnight Snack'' (1941). The pair would continue to work on the series for the next fifteen years of their career. The composer of the series, Scott Bradley, made it difficult for the musicians to perform his score which often involved the
twelve-tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...
developed by
Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
. The series developed a quicker, more energetic and violent tone which was inspired by the work of MGM colleague
Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
. Hanna and Barbera made minor adjustments to Tom and Jerry's appearance so they would "age gracefully". Jerry went on to lose weight and his long eyelashes, while Tom lost his jagged fur for a smoother appearance, had larger eyebrows, and received a white and gray face with a white mouth. He adopted a quadrupedal stance at first, like a real cat, to become increasingly and almost exclusively bipedal. Hanna and Barbera produced 114 cartoons for MGM, thirteen of which were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject and seven went on to win, breaking the winning streak held by Walt Disney's studio in the category. ''Tom and Jerry'' won more Academy Awards than any other character-based theatrical animated series. Barbera estimated the typical budget of $50,000 for each ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon which made the duo take "time to get it right". A typical cartoon took around six weeks to make. As per standard practice for American animation production at the time, Barbera and Hanna did not work with a script beforehand. After coming up with a cartoon idea together, Barbera would flesh out the story by drawing a
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
and provide character designs and animation layouts. Hanna did the animation timing - planning the music and temporal beats and accents the animation action would occur on - and subsequently assigned the animators their scenes and supervised their work. In addition, Hanna provided incidental voice work, in particular Tom's numerous screams of pain. Despite minimal creative input, as head of the MGM cartoon studio, Quimby was credited as the producer of all cartoons until 1955. The rise in television in the 1950s caused problems for the MGM animation studio, leading to budget cuts on ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons due to decreased revenue from theatrical screenings. In an attempt to combat this, MGM ordered that all subsequent shorts be produced in the widescreen
CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
format; the first, ''Pet Peeve'', was released in November 1954. However, the studio found that re-releases of older cartoons were earning as much as new ones, resulting in the executive decision to cease production on ''Tom and Jerry'' and later the animation studio on May 15, 1957. The final cartoon produced by Hanna and Barbera, ''
Tot Watchers ''Tot Watchers'' is a 1958 American one-reel animated ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. The short was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on August 1, 1958. It is the 114 ...
'', was released on August 1, 1958. The pair decided to leave and went on to focus on their own production company
Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, which went on to produce such popular animated television series including ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'', ''
Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...
'', ''
The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced ...
'' and ''
Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...
''. ;Production formats Before 1954, all ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons were produced in the standard
Academy ratio The Academy ratio of 1.375:1 (abbreviated as 1.37:1) is an aspect ratio of a frame of 35 mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown.Monaco, James. ''How to Read a Film: The Art, Technology, Language, History and Theory of Film and Media''. Rev. ...
and format; in 1954 and 1955, some of the output was dually produced in dual versions: one Academy-ratio negative composed for a flat
widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
(1.75:1) format and one shot in the CinemaScope process. From 1955 until the close of the MGM cartoon studio a year later, all ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons were produced in CinemaScope; some even had their soundtracks recorded in Perspecta directional audio. All of the Hanna and Barbera cartoons were shot as successive color exposure negatives in
Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
.


Gene Deitch era (1961–1962)

In 1961, MGM revived the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise, and contracted European animation studio
Rembrandt Films Rembrandt Films is a Czech production company founded by American film producer William L. Snyder in 1949. It began as an importer of films from Europe and expanded into animated film production. Gene Deitch directed for the company both his own f ...
to produce 13 ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
.Brion, p. 34 All were directed by
Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...
and produced by William L. Snyder. Deitch himself wrote most of the cartoons, with occasional assistance from
Larz Bourne Larz may refer to: * Lärz, a municipality in Germany * Larz, a given name; people with the name include: ** Larz Anderson (1866–1937), American diplomat ** Larz Bourne (1916–1993), American cartoon writer {{Disambiguation, given name ...
and Eli Bauer. Štěpán Koníček provided the musical score for the Deitch shorts. Sound effects were produced by
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
composer
Tod Dockstader Tod Dockstader (March 20, 1932 – February 27, 2015) was an American electronic music composer and sound designer. He is particularly regarded as one of the first American '' musique concrète'' composers. Biography Dockstader was born in Sain ...
and Deitch. The majority of vocal effects and voices in Deitch's films were provided by
Allen Swift Ira Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American voice actor, best known for voicing cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the ''Underdog'' cartoon show. He took his pro ...
and Deitch.Grimes, William (April 27, 2010)
"Allen Swift, Voice Actor for Radio and TV, Dies at 86"
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
Deitch states that, being a " UPA man", he was not a fan of the ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons, thinking they were "needlessly violent". However, after being assigned to work on the series, he quickly realized that "nobody took he violenceseriously", and it was merely "a parody of exaggerated human emotions". He also came to see what he perceived as the "biblical roots" in Tom and Jerry's conflict, similar to
David and Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant defeated by the young David in single combat. The story signified King Saul's ...
, stating "That's where we feel a connection to these cartoons: the little guy can win (or at least survive) to fight another day." Since the Deitch/Snyder team had seen only a handful of the original ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts, and since the team produced their cartoons on a tighter budget of $10,000, the resulting films were considered
surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
in nature, though this was not Deitch's intention. The animation was limited and jerky in movement compared to the more fluid Hanna-Barbera shorts, and often utilized
motion blur Motion blur is the apparent streaking of moving objects in a photograph or a sequence of frames, such as a film or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single exposure, due to rapid movement or lo ...
. Background art was done in a more simplistic, angular,
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
-esque style. The soundtracks featured sparse and echoic
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
, futuristic
sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...
, heavy
reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
and dialogue that was mumbled rather than spoken. According to Jen Nessel of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "The Czech style had nothing in common with these gag-driven cartoons."Nessel, Jen (August 9, 1998)
"...a spicy, funny memoir!"
. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
Whereas Hanna-Barbera's shorts generally took place in and outside of a house, Deitch's shorts opted for more exotic locations, such as a 19th-century whaling ship, the jungles of
Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, an
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
acropolis, or the Wild West. In addition, Mammy Two-Shoes was replaced as Tom's owner by a bald, overweight, short-tempered, middle-aged white man, who bore a striking resemblance to another Deitch character,
Clint Clobber This is a list of characters in the ''Tom and Jerry'' animated short series, given in the order of the era they first appeared in. Main Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse Tom (originally called "Jasper") is an adult bluish grey and white domestic sh ...
. Just like Spike the Bulldog, he was also significantly more brutal and violent in punishing Tom's actions as compared to previous owners, often beating and thrashing Tom repeatedly; the character and his extreme treatment of Tom was poorly received. To avoid being linked to Communism, Deitch romanized the Czech names of his crew in the
opening credits In a motion picture, television program or video game, the opening credits or opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen ...
of the shorts (e.g. Stěpán Koníček became "Steven Konichek" and Václav Lídl became "Victor Little"). In addition, these shorts are among the few ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons not to carry the "Made In Hollywood, U.S.A." phrase on the end title card; due to Deitch's studio being behind the
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
, the production studio's location is omitted entirely on it. After the 13 shorts were completed, Joe Vogel, the head of production, was fired from MGM. Vogel had approved of Deitch and his team's work, but MGM decided not to renew their contract after Vogel's departure. The final of the 13 shorts, '' Carmen Get It!'', was released on December 21, 1962. Deitch's shorts were commercial successes. In 1961, the ''Tom and Jerry'' series became the highest-grossing animated short film series of that time, dethroning ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.
'', which had held the position for 16 years; this success was repeated once more in 1962. However, unlike the Hanna-Barbera shorts, none of Deitch's films were nominated for nor did they win an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. In retrospect, these shorts are often considered the worst of the ''Tom and Jerry'' theatrical output. Deitch stated that due to his team's inexperience as well as their low budget, he "hardly had a chance to succeed", and "well understand the negative reactions" to his shorts. He believes "They could all have been better animated – truer to the characters – but our T&Js were produced in the early 1960s, near the beginning of my presence here, over a half-century ago as I write this!" Despite the criticism, Deitch's ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts are appreciated by some fans due to their uniquely surreal nature. The shorts were released on DVD in 2015 in " Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection". ;Production formats The 1960s entries were done in
Metrocolor Metrocolor is the trade name used by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for films processed at their laboratory. Virtually all of these films were shot on Kodak's Eastmancolor film. Although MGM used Kodak film products, MGM did not use all of Kodak's proc ...
but returned to the standard Academy ratio and format.


Chuck Jones era (1963–1967)

After the last of the Deitch cartoons were released,
Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...
, who had been fired from his 30-plus year tenure at Warner Bros. Cartoons, started his own animation studio,
Sib Tower 12 Productions MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and animator Ken Harris as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of ''T ...
(later renamed MGM Animation/Visual Arts), with partner Les Goldman. Beginning in 1963, Jones and Goldman went on to produce 34 more ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts, all of which carried Jones' distinctive style (and a slight psychedelic influence). Jones had trouble adapting his style to ''Tom and Jerry''s brand of humor, and a number of the cartoons favored full animation, personality and style over storyline. The characters underwent a slight change of appearance: Tom was given thicker
eyebrow An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, preven ...
s (resembling Jones'
Grinch The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' He has been portrayed and voiced by many different actors, including Boris Karloff ...
, Count Blood Count or
Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episod ...
), a less complex look (including the color of his fur becoming gray), sharper ears, longer tail and furrier cheeks (resembling Jones' Claude Cat or Sylvester), while Jerry was given larger eyes and ears, a lighter brown color, and a sweeter,
Porky Pig Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...
-like expression. Some of Jones' ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons are reminiscent of his work with
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, ...
, included the uses of
blackout gag A blackout gag is a kind of joke in broad, rapid-fire slapstick comedy. The term is derived from burlesque and vaudeville, when the lights were quickly turned off after the punchline of a joke to accentuate it and/or allow for audience laughter. ...
s and gags involving characters falling from high places. Jones co-directed the majority of the shorts with layout artist
Maurice Noble Maurice James Noble (May 1, 1911 – May 18, 2001) was an American animation production designer, background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate and right-hand m ...
. The remaining shorts were directed by
Abe Levitow Abraham Levitow (July 2, 1922 – May 8, 1975) was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction. Career Levitow was born in Los Angeles ...
and Ben Washam, with
Tom Ray Thomas Archer Ray (August 2, 1919 – April 6, 2010) was an American animator. Career Ray was born in Williams, Arizona. He began work at Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1937, working under Tex Avery for six months. He applied for a job at MGM and wa ...
directing two shorts built around footage from earlier ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons directed by Hanna and Barbera, and Jim Pabian directed a short with Maurice Noble. Various vocal characteristics were made by
Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
,
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
and even Jones himself. These shorts contain a memorable opening theme, in which Tom first replaces the MGM lion, then is trapped inside the "O" of his name. Though Jones's shorts were generally considered an improvement over Deitch's, they nevertheless had varying degrees of critical success. MGM ceased production of ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts in 1967, by which time Jones had moved on to television specials and the feature film ''
The Phantom Tollbooth ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, first published in 1961. The story follows a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollb ...
''. The shorts were released on DVD in 2009 on '' Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection''.


''Tom and Jerry'' hit television

Beginning in 1965, the Hanna and Barbera ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons began to appear on television in heavily edited versions. The Jones team was required to take the cartoons featuring Mammy Two Shoes and remove her by pasting over the scenes featuring her with new scenes. Most of the time, she was replaced with a similarly fat white Irish woman; occasionally, as in ''
Saturday Evening Puss ''Saturday Evening Puss'' is a 1950 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 48th ''Tom and Jerry'' short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The cartoon was released on January 14, 1950, produced by Fred Quimby, scored by Scott Bradley (com ...
'', a thin white teenager took her place instead, with both characters voiced by
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
. However, recent telecasts on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
retain Mammy with new voiceover work performed by
Thea Vidale Thea R. Vidale (born November 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in the ABC sitcom '' Thea'', which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted as ...
to remove the stereotypical black jargon featured on the original cartoon soundtracks. The standard ''Tom and Jerry'' opening titles were removed as well. Instead of the roaring
MGM Lion Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures, featured in the studio's production logo, which was created by the Paramount Pictures, Paramou ...
sequence, an opening sequence featuring different clips of the cartoons was used instead. The title cards were also changed. A pink title card with the name written in white font was used instead. Debuting on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
' Saturday morning schedule on September 25, 1965, ''Tom and Jerry'' moved to CBS Sundays two years later and remained there until September 17, 1972.


Second Hanna-Barbera era: ''The Tom and Jerry Show'' (1975–1977)

In 1975, Tom and Jerry were reunited with Hanna and Barbera, who produced '' The Tom and Jerry Show'' for Saturday mornings. These 48 seven-minute cartoon shorts were paired with ''
Grape Ape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...
'' and '' Mumbly'' cartoons, to create '' The Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show'', '' The Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show'', and '' The Tom and Jerry/Mumbly Show'', all of which initially ran on ABC Saturday mornings between September 6, 1975, and September 3, 1977. In these cartoons, Tom and Jerry (now with a red bow tie), who had been enemies during their formative years, became nonviolent pals who went on adventures together, as Hanna-Barbera had to meet the stringent rules against violence for children's TV. This format has not been used in newer Tom and Jerry entrees.


Filmation era (1980–1982)

Filmation Studios were commissioned by
MGM Television MGM Television Worldwide Group and Digital (alternatively Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television Group and Digital, commonly known as MGM Television and then-known as MGM/UA Television; common metonym: Lion) is an American television production/dis ...
to produce a ''Tom and Jerry'' TV series, ''
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show ''The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show'' (also known as ''The New Adventures of Tom and Jerry'') is an American animated television program produced by Filmation for MGM Television featuring the popular cartoon duo Tom and Jerry. The show first aired on ...
'', which debuted in 1980 and also featured new cartoons starring
Droopy Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Go ...
, Spike, Slick Wolf, and
Barney Bear ''Barney Bear'' is an American series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. The title character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a sluggish, sleepy bear who often is in pursuit of nothing but ...
, not seen since the original MGM shorts. The Filmation ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons were noticeably different from Hanna-Barbera's efforts, as they returned ''Tom and Jerry'' to the original chase formula, with a somewhat more "
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
" humor format. This incarnation, much like the 1975 version, was not as well received by audiences as the originals, and lasted on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
Saturday mornings from September 6, 1980, to September 4, 1982.


Tom and Jerry's new owners

In 1986, MGM was purchased by WTBS founder
Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...
. Turner sold the company a short while later, but retained MGM's pre-1986 film library, thus ''Tom and Jerry'' became the property of
Turner Entertainment Co. Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...
(where the rights stand today via
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
), and have in subsequent years appeared on Turner-run stations, such as TBS,
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
,
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
,
The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...
,
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
, and
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...
.


Third Hanna-Barbera era: ''Tom & Jerry Kids'' (1990–1994)

One of the biggest trends for Saturday morning television in the 1980s and 1990s was the "babyfication" (child versions) of classic cartoon stars, and on March 2, 1990, ''
Tom & Jerry Kids ''Tom & Jerry Kids'' (formerly known as ''Tom & Jerry Kids Show'' in the first season) is an American animated comedy television series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment Co., and starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry a ...
'', co-produced by Turner Entertainment Co. and Hanna-Barbera Productions (which would be sold to Turner in 1991), debuted on
Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...
, and also aired for a few years on British children's block,
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
. It featured a youthful version of the famous cat-and-mouse duo chasing each other. As with the 1975 H-B series, Jerry wears his red bowtie, while Tom now wears a red cap. Spike and his son Tyke (who now had talking dialogue), and Droopy and his son Dripple, appeared in back-up segments for the show, which ran until November 18, 1994. ''Tom & Jerry Kids'' was the last ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon series produced in 4:3 (full screen) aspect ratio.


One-off productions (2001; 2005)

In 2001, a new television special titled '' Tom and Jerry: The Mansion Cat'' premiered on
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
. It featured Joe Barbera (who was also a creative consultant) as the voice of Tom's owner, whose face is never seen. In this cartoon, Jerry, housed in a
habitrail Habitrail is a brand name for a hamster cage made by the Hagen corporation. It is a series of translucent plastic tubes and "houses" for use in home terrariums, designed specially for hamsters. The design of the Habitrail is modular and can be co ...
, is as much of a house pet as Tom is, and their owner has to remind Tom to not "blame everything on the mouse". In 2005, a new Tom and Jerry theatrical short, titled ''
The Karate Guard ''The Karate Guard'' is a 2005 American animated cartoon short film, and the 163rd ''Tom and Jerry'' short. Directed by Joseph Barbera (''Tom and Jerry'' co-creator and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera) and Spike Brandt, ''The Karate Guard'' was the ...
'', which had been written and directed by Barbera and Spike Brandt,
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
ed by Joseph Barbera and
Iwao Takamoto Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He began his career as a production and character designer for Walt Disney Animation Studios films such as ''Cinderella ...
and produced by Joseph Barbera, Spike Brandt, and Tony Cervone premiered in Los Angeles cinemas on September 27, 2005, as part of the celebration of ''Tom and Jerry''s sixty-fifth anniversary. This marked Barbera's first return as a writer, director and storyboard artist on the series since his and Hanna's original MGM cartoon shorts, and last overall; he would die shortly after production ended. Director/animator, Spike Brandt was nominated for an Annie award for best character animation. The short debuted on Cartoon Network on January 27, 2006. The short was filmed in the standard Academy ratio and format.


Warner Bros. era (2006–present)

In 1996, Turner merged with
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
, the parent company of
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
The characters from the MGM library, including ''Tom and Jerry'', were placed under the control of
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
. A relaunch of the theatrical shorts series was planned for 2003 alongside a similar relaunch of the ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.
'' theatrical shorts, but was canceled after the financial failure of '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action''. In 2006, a new series called ''
Tom and Jerry Tales ''Tom and Jerry Tales'' is an American animated television series featuring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment, it is the seventh installment in the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise as well ...
'' premiered. Thirteen half-hour episodes each consisting of three shorts were produced. Some of the segments, like ''The Karate Guard'', had originally been produced and completed in 2003 as part of the planned theatrical cartoon relaunch. The show debuted in markets outside the US and UK, before premiering in February 2006 on the UK version of
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
, and the following autumn in the US on
Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The W ...
on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. ''Tales'' is the first ''Tom and Jerry'' TV series that utilizes the original style of the classic shorts, along with the slapstick. ''Tales'' is also the first ''Tom and Jerry'' production produced in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio but was cropped to 4:3 fullscreen aspect ratio when initially aired on in the United States. The series was canceled in 2008, shortly before the Kids' WB block shut down.
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
, which began rerunning ''Tom and Jerry Tales'' in January 2012, subsequently launched a series titled '' The Tom and Jerry Show'' consisting of two 11-minute shorts per episode that likewise sought to maintain the look, core characters and sensibility of the original theatrical shorts. Similar to other reboot works like ''
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Mystery Incorporated'' or ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'') is an American animated television series that serves as the eleventh incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' media franchise created by Han ...
'' and ''
New Looney Tunes ''New Looney Tunes'', originally titled ''Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production'' in the US and ''Bugs!'' in some markets for its first season, is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from ''Loon ...
'', several episodes the new series brought Tom and Jerry into contemporary environments, telling new stories and relocating the characters to more fantastic worlds, from a medieval castle to a mad scientist's lab. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, with
Sam Register Samuel Barnard Register (born June 16, 1969) is an American television producer, animator, and businessman. He is the president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. Career Formerly Vice President o ...
serving as executive producer in collaboration with
Darrell Van Citters Darrell Van Citters (born October 29, 1956) is an American director, animator, and author, whose credits include directing the animated television series ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' and directing popular ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons featuring Bugs Bun ...
and Ashley Postelwaite at
Renegade Animation Renegade Animation is an American animation studio located in Glendale, California which currently specializes in Adobe Animate/Toon Boom animation. It was founded by Disney and Warner Bros. animator and director Darrell Van Citters and his busin ...
. Originally slated for a 2013 Cartoon Network premiere, the series was pushed back to April 9, 2014. It is the second ''Tom and Jerry'' production presented in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. In November 2014, a two-minute sketch was shown as part of the Children in Need telethon in the United Kingdom, the sketch was produced as a collaboration with Warner Bros. In May 2016, WB Kids began releasing excerpts from various ''Tom and Jerry'' works to the online platform
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. By January 2017, compilation videos of the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise began to be released by WB Kids on the platform. On February 20, 2021, Warner Bros. released two new shorts onto
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
titled ''
Tom and Jerry Special Shorts ''Tom and Jerry Special Shorts'' is a short-lived American animated television series based on ''Tom and Jerry'' that premiered and ended on HBO Max on February 20, 2021, making it the shortest lived of any ''Tom and Jerry'' related shows. The s ...
'' to honor the 81st anniversary of ''Tom and Jerry'', as well as to promote the 2021 film. These shorts share the style of the other HBO Max original ''
Looney Tunes Cartoons ''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' is an American animated television series developed by Peter Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies''. The series made its worldwide debut ...
'', also produced by Warner Bros. Animation.


Outside the United States

When shown on terrestrial television in the United Kingdom (from April 1967 to February 2001, usually on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
) ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons were not edited for violence, and Mammy was retained. As well as having regular slots (mainly after the evening BBC News with around two shorts shown every evening and occasionally shown on children's network
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
in the morning), ''Tom and Jerry'' served the BBC in another way. When faced with disruption to the schedules (for example when live broadcasts overran), the BBC would invariably turn to ''Tom and Jerry'' to fill any gaps, confident that it would retain much of an audience that might otherwise channel hop. This proved particularly helpful in 1993, when ''
Noel's House Party ''Noel's House Party'' is a BBC light entertainment series that was hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it ran from 23 November 1991 to 26 March 2000 on BBC One, a ...
'' had to be cancelled due to an
IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
bomb scare at
BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for ...
; ''Tom and Jerry'' was shown instead, bridging the gap until the next programme. In 2006, a mother complained to
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
about the smoking shown in the cartoons, since Tom often attempts to impress love interests with the habit, resulting in reports that the smoking scenes in ''Tom and Jerry'' films may be subject to censorship. Due to its very limited use of dialogue, ''Tom and Jerry'' was easily translated into various foreign languages. ''Tom and Jerry'' began broadcast in Japan in 1965. A 2005 nationwide survey taken in Japan by
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
, sampling age groups from teenagers to adults in their sixties, ranked ''Tom and Jerry'' No. 85 in a list of the top 100 "
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
" of all time; while their web poll taken after the airing of the list ranked it at No. 58 – the only non-Japanese animation on the list, and beating anime classics like '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'', ''
A Little Princess Sara , also spelled as ''Princess Sarah'', is a Japanese anime series produced by Nippon Animation, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 novel, ''A Little Princess''. Spanning 46 episodes, it originally premiered in 1985 across Japan on Fuji Te ...
'', and the ultra-classics ''
Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
'' and ''
Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...
''. (In Japan, the word "anime" refers to ''all'' animation regardless of origin, not just Japanese animation.) ''Tom and Jerry'' also serve as long-time licensed mascots for
Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...
-based Juroku Bank. Unlike some other Western cartoons such as ''
Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along with ...
'', whose characters had to be doctored to have five fingers in each hand instead of the original four, ''Tom and Jerry'' aired in Japan without such edits, as did other series starring non-human protagonists such as ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...
''. ''Tom and Jerry'' have long since been popular in Germany. The different shorts are usually linked together with key scenes from ''Jerry's Diary'' (1949), in which Tom reads about his and Jerry's past adventures. The cartoons are introduced with rhyming
German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...
verse, and when necessary, a German voice spoke the translations of English labels on items and similar information. The show was aired in mainland China by CCTV in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s and was extremely popular at the time. Collections of the show are still a prominent feature in Chinese book stores. In the Philippines, the series was aired on
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
from 1966 until its closure due to the country's declaration of martial law in 1972, with the later Hanna-Barbera shorts from Barbecue Brawl to Tot Watchers and all of Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones shorts. RPN aired most of Hanna-Barbera shorts from 1977 until 1989. ABS-CBN would later return to the air after the restoration of democracy in 1986 and air the same shorts as in the pre-martial law era. This lasted until the end of 1988. In Indonesia, the series was aired on TPI (later re-branded as MNCTV) from the mid-1990s to early 2010s and
RCTI RCTI (''Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia'') is a West Jakarta-based Indonesian free-to-air television network. It is best known for its soap operas, celebrity bulletins, news, and sports programmes. It was first launched in 1989, origina ...
during 2000s. Even though
Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...
's shorts were created in Czechoslovakia (1960–1962), the first official TV release of ''Tom and Jerry'' were in 1988. It was one of the few cartoons of western origin broadcast in Czechoslovakia (1988) and Romania (until 1989) before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. The Pakistani ice cream brand Omoré has launched a chocolate bar ice cream based on the show.


Feature films

Tom and Jerry's first feature film appearance was in the 1945 MGM musical ''
Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...
'', in which Jerry performs a dance number with
Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...
. In this scene, Tom also made a cameo as a servant. Filmmakers had wanted
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
for the scene, but
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
had rejected the deal, as the Disney studio was focusing on its own cartoons to help pay off its debts after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. William Hanna and Joe Barbera supervised animation for the scene. Tom and Jerry's second feature film appearance was swimming with
Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...
in a dream sequence in another MGM musical, '' Dangerous When Wet'' (1953). On October 1, 1992, the first international release of '' Tom and Jerry: The Movie'' arrived when the film was released overseas to theaters in Europe and then domestically by
Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey Weinstein, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was ...
on July 30, 1993, with future video and DVD releases that would be sold under
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, which, following Disney's acquisition of Miramax and Turner's subsequent merger with
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
, had acquired the film's distribution rights. Barbera served as creative consultant for the picture, which was produced and directed by
Phil Roman Philip Roman (born December 21, 1930) is an American animator and the director of the ''Peanuts'' and ''Garfield'' animated specials. He is the founder of animation studios Film Roman and Phil Roman Entertainment. Early life Philip Roman was ...
. The film was a musical with a structure similar to MGM's blockbusters, '' The Wizard of Oz'' and ''
Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...
''. In 2001, Warner Bros. (which had, by then, merged with Turner and assumed its properties) released the duo's first direct-to-video film, '' Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring'', in which Tom covets a ring that grants mystical powers to the wearer, and has become accidentally stuck on Jerry's head. It would mark the last time Hanna and Barbera co-produced a ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon together, as William Hanna died shortly after ''The Magic Ring'' was released. Four years later,
Bill Kopp William Kopp is an American animator, writer and voice actor. Career Kopp studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts. In 1984, he won a Merit Award from the Student Academy Awards for ''Mr. Gloom''. In 1985, he won a Student Acade ...
scripted and directed two more ''Tom and Jerry'' DTV features for the studio, '' Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars'' and '' Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry'', the latter one based on a story by Barbera. Both were released on DVD in 2005, marking the celebration of Tom and Jerry's 65th anniversary. In 2006, another direct-to-video film, '' Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers'', tells the story about the pair having to work together to find the treasure. Joe came up with the storyline for the next film, '' Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale'', as well as the initial idea of synchronizing the on-screen actions to music from Tchaikovsky's ''
Nutcracker Suite ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into ...
''. This DTV film, directed by
Spike Brandt Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
and
Tony Cervone Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone are an American television writing, animation and production team at Warner Bros. Animation and formerly at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Brandt was born on December 24, 1961, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Cervone on ...
, would be Joe Barbera's last ''Tom and Jerry'' project due to his death in December 2006. The holiday-set animated film was released on DVD in late 2007 and dedicated to Barbera. A new direct-to-video film, ''
Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes This is a list of feature length films of the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise. Theatrical films Direct-to-video films All direct-to-video films are produced by Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. ''Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring' ...
'', was released on August 24, 2010. It is the first made-for-video Tom and Jerry film produced without any of the characters' original creators. The next direct-to-video film, ''
Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz This is a list of feature length films of the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise. Theatrical films Direct-to-video films All direct-to-video films are produced by Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. ''Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring'' ...
'', was released on August 23, 2011, and was the first made-for-video Tom and Jerry film made for
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
. It had a preview showing on Cartoon Network. '' Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse'' was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 2, 2012. ''
Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure ''Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure'' is a 2013 animated fantasy comedy direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Tom and Jerry are the faithful servants of Jack, son of the founder of a struggling storybook a ...
'' was released in 2013 on Blu-ray and DVD. '' Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon'' was released on DVD on September 2, 2014. '' Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest'' was released on DVD on June 23, 2015. '' Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz'' was released on DVD on June 21, 2016. '' Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'' was released on DVD on July 11, 2017. A live action/2D animated hybrid film was directed by
Tim Story Timothy Kevin Story (born March 13, 1970) is an African American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), the '' Fantastic Four'' (2005) and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for O ...
and starred
Chloë Grace Moretz Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards. She began actin ...
,
Michael Peña Michael Anthony Peña (; ; born January 13, 1976) is an American actor. He has starred in many films, including ''Crash'' (2004), '' World Trade Center'' (2006), '' Shooter'' (2007), '' Observe and Report'' (2009), '' Tower Heist'' (2011), '' Batt ...
Colin Jost Colin Kelly Jost (; born June 29, 1982) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He has been a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) since 2005 and ''Weekend Update'' co-anchor since 2014. He also served as one of the show's co-head write ...
,
Rob Delaney Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and activist. He was the co-star and co-writer of the TV show ''Catastrophe'', and has appeared in comedy films such as ''Deadpool 2'' (2018) and ''Tom & Jerry'' (2021). ...
and
Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong (, ; born July 13, 1969) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, writer and licensed physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the ...
. The film was released on February 26, 2021.


Controversies

Like many animated cartoons from the 1930s to the 1950s, ''Tom and Jerry'' featured racial stereotypes. After explosions, for example, characters with blasted faces would resemble stereotypical blacks, with large lips and bow-tied hair. Perhaps the most controversial element of the show is the character Mammy Two Shoes, a poor black maid who speaks in a stereotypical "black accent". Joseph Barbera, who was responsible for these gags, claimed that they did not reflect his racial opinion; they were just reflecting what was common in society and cartoons at the time and were meant to be humorous. Today, the blackface gags are often censored when these shots are aired. Following the 1949 re-issue of the 1943 ''Tom and Jerry'' short ''The Lonesome Mouse,'' the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
, which had begun protesting stereotypical and racist depictions of African-Americans in Hollywood cinema, began a campaign against the use of the maid character in the ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts. Lillian Randolph left her role as the voice of Mammy Two-Shoes in 1952 to instead take a job on television in '' Amos & Andy'', and Hanna and Barbera retired the character at that time. In the 1960s, shorts featuring Mammy Two-Shoes were re-animated in part by Chuck Jones' team at MGM, alongside their work on the newer entries produced by Jones, in order to be shown on television. These versions of the shorts replace the African-American maid with a white woman, voiced by
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
with an Irish accent. These versions of the ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts were broadcast on television until the MGM catalog's acquisition by Turner in 1986. Turner redubbed Mammy Two-Shoes' voice in these shorts in the mid-1990s to make the character sound less stereotypical. Two shorts – ''His Mouse Friday'', which depicts cannibals, and ''A Mouse in the House'', which shows Mammy getting spanked repeatedly by Tom and Butch in the end resulting in racial abuse – have been removed from circulation. Two others in particular – ''
Casanova Cat ''Casanova Cat'' is a 1951 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 55th ''Tom and Jerry'' short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. Plot Tom heads to Toodles' home to woo her with flowers upon learning that ...
'', which features a scene where Jerry's face is blackened by Tom with cigar smoke and he is forced to perform a minsterel dance, and ''
Mouse Cleaning ''Mouse Cleaning'' is a 1948 one-reel animated cartoon and the 38th ''Tom and Jerry'' short. The title is a play on "house cleaning". It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on December 11, 1948, by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and again o ...
'', where Tom is shown with blackface speaking in a stereotypical " Negro dialect" – were omitted from DVD/Blu-ray releases. Notably the other two – ''Fraidy Cat'', showed Tom biting Mammy in the rear near the end, and ''The Mouse Comes to Dinner'', including Jerry briefly dressing up as a Native American stereotype during the beginning – have Mammy edited in complete absence. At the start of the 2005 '' Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Vol 2.'' DVD set, a disclaimer by actress and comedian
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
warns viewers about the potentially offensive material in the cartoons. Goldberg's disclaimer emphasizes that the racial and ethnic stereotypes present in the shorts were "wrong then and they are wrong today", borrowing a phrase used in disclaimers done for Warner Bros. ''
Looney Tunes Golden Collection The ''Looney Tunes Golden Collection'' is a series of six four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' animated shorts. The series began on October 28, 2003, and ended on Octo ...
'' DVD sets. This disclaimer is also used in the ''Tom and Jerry Golden Collection: Volume 1'' Blu-Ray/DVD/digital release as well. As of 2011, most shorts that feature Mammy Two Shoes, except ''Part Time Pal'', are rarely seen on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
. There are other shorts (''The Lonesome Mouse'' and ''Blue Cat Blues'') that are found inappropriate for the intended audiences rather than just having racist contents and are censored from the two channels as well. In 2006, the British version of the Boomerang channel made plans to edit ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons being aired in the UK where the characters were seen to be smoking. There was a subsequent investigation by UK media watchdog Ofcom. It has also taken the U.S. approach by censoring blackface gags, though this seems to be random as not all scenes of this type are cut. One Gene Deitch-era short, ''Buddies Thicker Than Water'', is shortened as one scene involves
drunkenness Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main p ...
. In 2013, it was reported that
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
of Brazil censored 27 shorts on the grounds of being "politically incorrect". In an official release, the channel confirmed that it had censored only two shorts (''The Two Mouseketeers'' and ''Heavenly Puss'') "by editorial issues and appropriateness of the content to the target audience—children of 7 to 11 years".


In other media


Comic books

''Tom and Jerry'' began appearing in
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s in 1942, as one of the features in
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
' ''Our Gang Comics''. In 1949, with MGM's live-action ''
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...
'' shorts having ceased production five years earlier, the series was renamed ''Tom and Jerry Comics''. That title ran 212 issues with Dell before being handed off to
Western Publishing Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...
, where it ran until issue #344 in 1984. Tom and Jerry continued to appear in various comic books for the rest of the 20th century. Tom and Jerry comics were also extremely popular in Norway, Germany, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, and Australia. A licensed European version has been drawn by Spanish artist Oscar Martin since 1986.


Comic strip

A ''Tom and Jerry''
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
was syndicated from 1950 to 1952. Although credited to MGM animation studio head
Fred Quimby Frederick Clinton Quimby (July 31, 1886 – September 16, 1965) was an American animation producer and journalist best known for producing the ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon series, for which he won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Films ...
, experts believe the strips were ghosted by Gene Hazleton and possibly Ernie Stanzoni and Dan Gormley. Tom and Jerry was revived as a comic strip from 1989 to 1994, syndicated to the South American market by
Editors Press Service Editors Press Service (EPS) (later known as Atlantic Syndication) was a print syndication service of columns and comic strips that was in operation from 1933 to 2010. It was notable for being the first U.S. company to actively syndicate material ...
. The strip was produced by Kelley Jarvis during this era, with the exception of a short period in 1990–1991 when it was done by
Paul Kupperberg Paul Kupperberg (born June 14, 1955) is an American writer and comics editor. He is currently a writer and executive editor at Charlton Neo Comics and Pix-C Webcomics, and a contributing author with Crazy 8 Press. Formerly, he was an editor for D ...
& Rich Maurizio.


Video games

The pair have appeared in a number of
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s as well, spanning titles for systems for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
plus also
Sega Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
and the
Sega Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...
and their rival console around the 1990s,
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
and
Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
and
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
to more recent entries for
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, and
GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
and also on the portable
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
consoles,
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
and
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
.


Musical adaptation

A musical, or , adaptation of the cartoon series, titled , debuted in Japan in 2019 in advance of the series' upcoming 80th anniversary. The musical was composed by
Masataka Matsutoya is a Japanese arranger, composer, music producer, and motor journalist. He currently resides in Setagaya, Tokyo. He is a graduate of Keio Senior High School and Keio University (literature department). His wife is singer-songwriter, composer, an ...
, staged by Seiji Nozoe, and written by Shigeki Motoiki.


Cultural influences

Throughout the years, the term and title ''Tom and Jerry'' became practically synonymous with never-ending rivalry, as much as the related "cat and mouse fight" metaphor has. Yet in ''Tom and Jerry'' it was not the more powerful Tom who usually came out on top. In 2005, TV Asahi ranked ''Tom and Jerry'' as 58th of the Top 100 Animated TV Series in Japan overall, outranking titles like ''
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work ...
'', '' Initial D'', and even ''
Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
''. In January 2009, IGN named Tom and Jerry as the 66th best in the Top 100 Animated TV Shows.
Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
named the main pair of chips in the
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
's chipset after the duo. The ''Tom'' chip is its
GPU A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobi ...
, while the ''Jerry'' chip is the
DSP DSP may refer to: Computing * Digital signal processing, the mathematical manipulation of an information signal * Digital signal processor, a microprocessor designed for digital signal processing * Yamaha DSP-1, a proprietary digital signal ...
.


In popular culture

In 1973, the magazine '' National Lampoon'' referenced ''Tom and Jerry'' in a violence-filled
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
parody, ''Kit 'n' Kaboodle''. In ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', ''
The Itchy & Scratchy Show ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'' (often shortened as ''Itchy & Scratchy'') is a fictional animated television series featured on ''The Simpsons''. Description The show depicts a blue mouse named Itchy who repeatedly and violently maims or kills a ...
'' is a spoof of ''Tom and Jerry''—a "cartoon within a cartoon". In an episode of the series titled "
Krusty Gets Kancelled "Krusty Gets Kancelled" is the twenty-second and final episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1993. In the episode, a new show fea ...
", ''Worker and Parasite'', a replacement cartoon for ''Itchy & Scratchy'', is a reference to Soviet-era animation.Groening, Matt. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Krusty Gets Kancelled", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. In an interview found on the DVD releases, several ''
Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentie ...
'' cast members stated that ''Tom and Jerry'' is one of their biggest influences for slapstick comedy. Also in the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
show '' MAD'', ''Tom and Jerry'' appear in three segments "Celebrity Birthdays", "Mickey Mouse Exterminator Service", and "Tom and Jury".
Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), best known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, writer, producer, and professional wrestler. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ...
from '' Jackass'' has stated that watching ''Tom and Jerry'' inspired many of the stunts in the films. In the second episode of season 2 of ''
Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
'', a segment titled "Mom and Jerry" is a parody of ''Tom and Jerry'', but with a mother and a mouse with Dexter's brain inside. In the anime/manga series, ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
'', the main protagonist,
Monkey D. Luffy , also known as , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''One Piece'' manga series, created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil f ...
, unlocks the true potential of his abilities, granting him various cartoonish abilities. According to the series creator,
Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'' (1997–present). With more than 516.5 million ''tankōbon'' copies in circulation worldwide, ''One Piece'' is both the best-selling manga in history and the best-se ...
, these abilities were mostly inspired by the ''Tom and Jerry'' series.


Home media

In the pre-video era, ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons were a popular subject for 8mm home movies, with the UK-based Walton Films issuing dozens of titles as colour one-reel Super 8 films, in both silent and sound editions. Walton's agreement with MGM obligated them to release the films in slightly edited form, even though the single-reel format would have comfortably accommodated the cartoons' seven to eight minute running time. MGM/UA released a series of ''Tom and Jerry'' laserdisc box sets in the 1990s. ''The Art of Tom & Jerry'' volumes 1 and 2, contain all the MGM shorts up to (but not including) the Deitch Era, including letterboxed versions of the shorts filmed in CinemaScope. The cartoons are all intact save for ''His Mouse Friday'' (dialogue has been wiped) and ''
Saturday Evening Puss ''Saturday Evening Puss'' is a 1950 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 48th ''Tom and Jerry'' short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The cartoon was released on January 14, 1950, produced by Fred Quimby, scored by Scott Bradley (com ...
'', which is the re-drawn version with June Foray's voice added. A third volume to ''The Art of Tom & Jerry'' was released and contains all of the Chuck Jones-era ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts. There have been several ''Tom and Jerry'' DVDs released in Region 1 (United States and Canada), including a series of two-disc sets known as the ''
Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection The ''Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection'' is a series of two-disc DVD sets released by Warner Home Video. Originally planned as an uncensored, chronological set, the issued ''Spotlight Collection'' sets include selected ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts ...
''. There have been negative responses to Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, due to some of the cartoons included on each having cuts and redubbed Mammy Two-Shoes dialogue. A replacement program offering uncut versions of the shorts on DVD was later announced. There are also negative responses to Vol. 3, due to ''
Mouse Cleaning ''Mouse Cleaning'' is a 1948 one-reel animated cartoon and the 38th ''Tom and Jerry'' short. The title is a play on "house cleaning". It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on December 11, 1948, by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and again o ...
'' and ''Casanova Cat'' being excluded from these sets and ''His Mouse Friday'' being edited for content with an extreme zooming-in towards the end to avoid showing a particularly race-based caricature. There have been two ''Tom and Jerry'' DVD sets in Region 2. In Western Europe, most of the ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts have been released (only two, ''The Million Dollar Cat'' and ''Busy Buddies'', were not included) under the name " Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection". Almost all of the shorts contain re-dubbed Mammy Two-Shoes tracks. Despite these cuts, ''His Mouse Friday'', the only ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon to be completely taken off the airwaves in some countries due to claims of racism, is included, unedited with the exception of zooming-in as on the North American set. These are regular TV prints sent from the U.S. in the 1990s. Shorts produced in CinemaScope are presented in
pan and scan Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown in fullscreen proportions of a standard-definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus ...
. ''Mouse Cleaning'' and ''Casanova Cat'' are presented uncut as part of these sets. "The Classic Collection" is available in six double-sided DVDs (issued in the United Kingdom) and 12 single-layer DVDs (issued throughout Western Europe). Another ''Tom and Jerry'' Region 2 DVD set is available in Japan. As with "The Classic Collection" in Western Europe, almost all of the shorts (including ''His Mouse Friday'') contain cuts. ''Slicked-up Pup'', ''Tom's Photo Finish'', ''Busy Buddies'', ''The Egg and Jerry'', ''Tops with Pops'' and ''Feedin' the Kiddie'' are excluded from these sets. However, most of these cartoons are included in the UK version. Most shorts produced in CinemaScope are presented in
pan and scan Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown in fullscreen proportions of a standard-definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus ...
for showing on the 4:3 aspect ratio television screen. Prior to 2015, the Gene Deitch-era shorts saw limited home media release outside of Europe and Asia. In Japan, all thirteen shorts were released on the "Tom and Jerry & Droopy"
laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
and VHS, as well as on the bonus DVD for those who have purchased all the ten titles of the DVD collection series at its initial release. In the United Kingdom, the shorts are available on the second side of the "Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection: Volume 5" DVD. In the United States, '' The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit'', '' Down and Outing'', and '' Carmen Get It!'' were included on the "Paws for a Holiday" VHS and DVD, the "Summer Holidays" DVD, and the "Musical Mayhem" DVD, respectively. On June 2, 2015, '' Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection'' DVD was released in the United States, with all thirteen shorts as well as special features. The Chuck Jones-era ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts were released in a two-disc set titled " Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection" on June 23, 2009. On October 25, 2011,
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
released the first volume of the "
Tom and Jerry Golden Collection ''Tom and Jerry Golden Collection'' is a series of two-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets, produced by Warner Home Video. It was expected to be collecting the 161 theatrical ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon shorts released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from the 1940s thr ...
" on DVD and Blu-ray. This set featured newly remastered prints and bonus material never before seen. The sets were aimed at the collector in a way that the previous "''
Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...
''" DVD releases were not. A second set was due for release at June 11, 2013. In February 2013, it was announced by
TVShowsOnDVD.com TVShowsOnDVD.com was a website dedicated to cataloging, campaigning for, and reporting news about Region 1 television series releases on DVD and region A Blu-ray. The site's slogan asked "Is YOUR Favorite Show On DVD?" From February 2007 until ...
that ''Mouse Cleaning'' was not part of the list of cartoons on this release, as well as the cartoon ''Casanova Cat'' that was also skipped over on the 2007 DVD release. Many collectors and fans have posted negative reviews of the product on Amazon and other various websites to make Warner put ''Mouse Cleaning'' and ''Casanova Cat'' on the release.


Theatrical shorts

The following cartoons won the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Best Short Subject: Cartoons: *1943: ''
The Yankee Doodle Mouse ''The Yankee Doodle Mouse'' is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon in Technicolor. It is the eleventh ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced by Fred Quimby, and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical supervision by Scott B ...
'' *1944: ''
Mouse Trouble ''Mouse Trouble'' is a 1944 American one-reel animated cartoon short and is the 17th ''Tom and Jerry'' short produced by Fred Quimby. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music direction by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was a ...
'' *1945: ''Quiet Please!'' *1946: ''
The Cat Concerto ''The Cat Concerto'' is a 1947 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 29th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, released to theatres on April 26, 1947. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical super ...
'' *1948: ''
The Little Orphan ''The Little Orphan'' is a 1949 American one-reel animated cartoon and the 40th ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, released in theaters on April 30, 1949 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Ba ...
'' *1952: '' The Two Mouseketeers'' *1953: ''
Johann Mouse ''Johann Mouse'' is a 1953 American one-reel animated cartoon and the 75th ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon, released in theaters on March 21, 1953 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The short is directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, composed by Scott Brad ...
'' These cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, but did not win: *1940: '' Puss Gets the Boot'' *1941: ''
The Night Before Christmas ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' i ...
'' *1947: ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse'' *1949: ''Hatch Up Your Troubles'' *1950: ''Jerry's Cousin'' *1954: ''Touché, Pussy Cat!''


Television


Television shows


Packaged shows and programming blocks


Television specials


See also

* ''Tom and Jerry'' filmography * * List of ''Tom and Jerry'' characters * Golden age of American animation *
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to a ...
and
MGM Animation/Visual Arts MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and animator Ken Harris as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of ''Tom ...
*
List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of Hanna-Barbera characters The following is a list of characters created by and featured in various Hanna-Barbera productions and series: 2 Stupid Dogs (1993–1995) ;2 Stupid Dogs * Big Dog * Little Dog * Mr. Hollywood * The Kitten * Red Riding Hood * Grandma * The Wo ...
*
Oggy and the Cockroaches ''Oggy and the Cockroaches'' (french: Oggy et les Cafards) is a French comedy-adventure animated television series produced by Gaumont Multimedia (first two seasons) and Xilam Animation (third season onwards), and created by Jean-Yves Raimbaud, ...
* Pakdam Pakdai


Notes


References

References * *


Further reading

*Adams, T.R. (1991). ''Tom and Jerry: Fifty Years of Cat and Mouse''. Crescent Books. . *Aravind, Aju. ''Mammy Two Shoes: Subversion and Reaffirmation of Racial Stereotypes in Tom and Jerry.'' The IUP Journal of History and Culture, Vol. V, No. 3, July 2011. Pp. 76–83. . *Barrier, Michael (1999). ''Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . *Brion, Patrick (1990) ''Tom & Jerry: The Definitive Guide to their Animated Adventures'', New York: Harmony Books. . {{navboxes , title = Articles related to Tom and Jerry , list= {{The Hanna–Barbera Tom and Jerry shorts, state=collapsed {{The Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry shorts, state=collapsed {{The Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry shorts, state=collapsed {{Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoons, state=collapsed {{Hanna-Barbera, state=collapsed Animated duos Animated film series Censored films Comedy film series Fictional rivalries Fictional anthropomorphic characters Film series introduced in 1940 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films MGM cartoon characters Surreal comedy films Television censorship Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio film series Rembrandt Films Animated films without speech