Tom & Jerry

Copyright

A Slice of History

Tom and Jerry is an American animated media franchise with short animated films typically lasting between 5 and 7 minutes. Created by the prolific William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1940 and is best known for the 161 shorts created, initially by MGM Studios. When MGM Studios closed in 1957, the pair revived the animation with 13 more shorts, and, at this time, Tom and Jerry became the highest-grossing animated series of all time.

Hanna and Barbera produced 141 of these shorts between 1940 and 1968, winning an incredible seven Academy Awards, tying with Walt Disney for Silly Symphonies. Between 1963-1967 Chuck Jones produced a further 34 shorts. In 1975 they were again with Hanna and Barbera, who produced more of the cartoons for the next decade for Saturday morning TV until 1986.

Warner Bros. introduced Tom and Jerry Kids throughout the 1980s and 1990s as many cartoons underwent a ‘babyfication’, making many cartoon characters into babies for a growing younger market watching television.

Amazingly, in 2005 a theatrical short was written and directed by Joseph Barbera, who was 95 at the time, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the cartoon. Many other producers kept up the animation, in pockets up to the last animation, for now, in 2021.

Centring on the rivalry between a cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry) and many of the shorts feature several recurring characters. The animation is known for some of the most violent cartoon gags ever devised using axes, hammers, dynamite and firearms.

As the storyline develops, the music plays a pivotal role as voices are rarely heard in the cartoon giving the viewer a sense of the animated action.

Initially shown in theatres, by 1965, the cartoons started to appear on television, although heavily edited to reflect a changing American society. 

The Plot

The cartoon revolves around comic fights between house cat Tom and mouse Jerry and Tom’s numerous attempts to capture Jerry as mayhem unfolds from his actions. Tom rarely captures Jerry due to the mouse’s cunning abilities and smart-wittedness.  Ironically, both characters are concerned for each other’s safety while continuing their endeavours.

Copyright

The Characters

Tom

Tom is a grey, short-haired house cat often, but not always, seen to be living in luxury. Over the years, his image has been altered several times to make him seem softer to the eye to a culturally changing audience. He doesn’t have any other interests outside capturing Jerry by any means possible, and, on many occasions, this is not to eat his rival but rather to score points with his mistress.

Although Tom rarely talks when he has a voice part, he is heard with a smooth, sophisticated American accent.

Jerry

Jerry is often seen living in a mouse hole in Tom's house. Like Tom, his appearance has changed over time to move with the changing animation times. Changing ears and hair. Jerry has surprising strength for his size and can lift things like chairs, dogs and anvils.

Like all the other characters, Jerry rarely speaks, typically having a higher-pitched voice than Tom when he does. Jerry will usually get the better of Tom!

Spike & Tyke

Tom also has to deal with Spike (also known as Killer and Butch), an angry bulldog who tries to attack him. Spike is often seen building his kennel, which is prevented by the antics of what he thinks is Tom, but Jerry has tricked. Spike is often brought into the action by Jerry, making him aware of Tom’s presence. Tyke only has minor roles in the cartoon as Spike’s son and always tries to be like his dad. In the 1940s, they had a short-lived spin-off cartoon made about them.

Nibbles

This tiny grey mouse has no concept of danger and relies on Jerry to save him. Although only appearing occasionally, he is used to add more comedy to the animation with his carefree attitude. Again he rarely speaks and has had both a French voice and a very masculine voice.

Mammy Two Shoes

A controversial character as times changed from the 1940s. Initially, she is Tom’s owner and is seen as a heavy-set, middle-aged black woman who deals with the carnage the pair brings and is voiced by Lillian Randolf. Over time her character was edited and, with pressure from the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), taken from the animation. See controversies.

Spin-Offs

Other Countries -The cartoon was easy to market to other countries as there were very few voices in the shows, which meant there aren’t many countries where the show hasn’t been seen. This made the cartoon accessible to many countries, especially in the late 1960s when distribution networks improved.

Videos- There have been thirteen straight-to-video movies made initially by the MGM Studios and then Warner Bros, who now own the rights to the show.

Movies- There have been several Tom and Jerry movies, the first in 1992, with the most recent grossing $136.5m in 2021.

Musical - In 2019, a musical to celebrate the 80th anniversary (2020) was produced in Japan.

Others- Tom and Jerry clothing remain a popular line along with the board game and soft toys, to name a few.

Controversies

The cartoon has changed over time, trying hard to reflect cultural changes made through pressure from many outside agencies and cultural acceptance. With a video release in 2005 of old episodes, Whoopi Goldberg issues this disclaimer about the cartoon before it starts-

The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in U.S. society. These depictions were wrong then, and they are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros. view of today’s society, these cartoons are being presented as they were initially created because to do otherwise would be the same as these prejudices never existed.

Fun Facts

• Tom was named Jasper in his debut, and Jerry was Jinx in pre-production.

• The characters rarely speak, but Tom can do a wolf whistle.

• Tom and Jerry were originally going to be a fox and a dog.

• After the first cartoon was shown, MGM was undecided whether to commit to the cartoon. By chance, a letter from a prominent businesswoman (Bessa Short) asking for more of the cartoon made them decide.

• The names Tom and Jerry were given their names in a studio contest which employee John Carr won (he did get $50 for it)

• It was shown regularly in the UK for 33 years. 

• The Simpsons Itchy and Scratchy show is based on Tom and Jerry.