Tom and Jerry need no introduction. The series is a sensation and the characters have been ruling the hearts of millions of children as well as adults. I am emotionally attached to them because they’ve been around all my childhood. The original series started from 1940 continuing till 1958 after that there have been various spin offs. Did you know that there are some unusual facts about these something more than cartoons! Let’s check them out!
10 Things You Might Wanna Know About Tom and Jerry
10- They have Won an Oscar
Even Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr haven’t won an Oscar yet but Tom and Jerry have! In its original run, Hanna and Barbera produced. During this time, they won seven Academy Awards or animated category and became the highest grossing animated series of that time and was watched by every child (and most adults) all around.
9- The Real Man Behind Tom and Jerry
The real chap behind naming the cat & mouse characters was an animator named as John Carr. He actually won a competition to suggest the names of the characters which won him $50. We hope he spend his earnings wisely! The creators of the show were initially unhappy with the name but now they won’t be, will they? John Carr has also been the animator of The Yogi Bear show and The Flintstones.
See also; Top 10 Controversial Trivia of Cartoon Characters.
8- The Creators of Tom and Jerry
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera formed the most successful partnership in the animation category. The duo didn’t rest on their fame and success but went out to make their own studio that gave us Scooby-doo, The Flintstones, Smurfs, Top-cat and other numerous icons! I think I owe them my childhood. We all do!
7- Not So Silent!
People have been saying that Tom and Jerry are both silent characters but we all know that they have been uttering lines including the line which has been haunting me for decades. Remember the episode where Jerry causes a big explosion and soot-blackened Tom rises from the debris proclaiming “WON’T YOU BELIEVE IT!”
Did you read that in Tom’s voice? Because I did!
6- Tom and Jerry as BFF!
Can you imagine Tom & Jerry being Best Friends Forever? This actually happened for the first time in 1975 where Tom and Jerry become friends. Since then, it has been shown in a lot of episodes both of them forming an alliance against an outsider, just like we siblings do! Moreover, in other episodes they form a bromance and travel around the world , compete in sports and solve mysteries. Much like majority of episodes it typically doesn’t last forever and they sooner or later become rivals playing dirty tricks and pulling pranks on each other.
5- Jasper and Jinx
In their initial airing, in 1940, Tom was actually called Jasper and Jerry was referred as Jinx. I know that’s a horrible thing to mention as we can’t have any other name for them except Tom and Jerry. It’s unthinkable.
See also; 10 Cartoon Characters with Psychological Disorders.
4- Controversies
All famous projects come with controversies so why not this. Tom & Jerry featured racial stereotypes such as blasted faces with big lips and pony tails resembling black people or the poor black maid who speaks in a typical black accent. However, these parts were later censored and the character was dubbed. Other controversies include showing violence, glamorization of smoking and cannibalism. Can you recall any cannibalism though?
5- Spin-off, no spin-off
Tom and Jerry also had its own spin off series. It was created in 1950s and featured the adventures of the bulldog Spike and his son Tyke who were seen in Tom & Jerry episodes quite often. Unfortunately, the series ran for just two episode because the studio closed.
4- The acting Prequel
The series were renewed in the 1990s which acted as a prequel to the series. It focuses on the early years spent with each other by Tom & Jerry. Though both of them seem to look quite young, they still possess those sadistic tendencies to take pleasure while tormenting one another!
3- Tom and Czerry
Tom & Jerry was not always an American cartoon as you might think. In the early 1960s the animates series were actually made in Czechoslovakia. There were just thirteen episodes made like that but you can just notice a different tone in them. They have a strange atmosphere and are different from the usual hard edged violence pictured normally.
2- Tom and Jerry: The Movie
The first ever international movie release of Tom & Jerry was held on October 1st 1992. After that, numerous other movies starring Tom & Jerry were made and released following their universal appreciation and accolades. Both the animated characters have also made guest appearances in some other movie projects including non animated movies.
1- The Last Episode of the Original Series
Did you know that Tom & Jerry die in the last episode of the series? It is the episode “Blue Cat Blues” where a distraught Tom is sitting on the railway track to commit suicide and Jerry joins him. Not a happy ending but maybe the show-runners were expressing their sentiments in the ending, they didn’t want the show to end so the characters committed suicide.
But no worries, we all know that Cartoon Network still airs Tom and Jerry cartoons everyday in Armenia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Lebanon, The Middle East, several Southeast Asian countries, Venezuela, Latin American countries and Eastern European countries such as Romania. It is pretty much the whole world!
