15+ “Tom & Jerry” trivia to celebrate its 80th birthday

We all know the classic Tom & Jerry cartoon series. But how much do we really know about these characters? Did you know, for example, that many of your episodes were censored, edited and some even banned altogether? Or that the friendly mouse was created to “compete” with Mickey Mouse? Or even that their original names weren’t “Tom” and “Jerry”?

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the drawing’s launch, the awesome.club created a special post about the history of these “inseparable enemies”. In the end, we prepared a bonus that anticipates a return that will be talked about. Enjoy.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (a duo that became known as Hanna-Barbera and which we will discuss later) introduced their characters in 1940, in the short film “Puss Gets The Boot”. Released on February 10 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1941, it was the first episode of the 164 that the series would later have.

In the first movie, Tom & Jerry didn’t have their current names: they were called Jasper and Jinx. In the second short, however, they appear with their current names. Both were chosen by animator John Carr, who was summoned, along with other MGM studio employees, to suggest the definitive names for the animation’s protagonists. He won the “competition” and received 50 dollars as a reward.

The cartoon, which was born to “compete” with Mickey Mouse, was not Hanna and Barbera’s first attempt. In fact, it was the first hit after a series of previous tests that had failed. The duo could not shape the ideas their bosses asked for, and their work systematically lost popularity to the Disney mouse. The first episode did not inspire confidence or was praised by the studio. But after some time, an influential producer sent a letter asking when the second would be released. Although the cartoon never surpassed Mickey Mouse, the truth is that it gained relevance and will always be remembered as an animation classic that made — and still does — a huge success.

Hanna and Barbera’s successes continued beyond MGM. When the company’s animation studio closed in 1957, they founded their own production company, Hanna-Barbera Productions, responsible for unforgettable classics like send rain🇧🇷 Crazy race🇧🇷 The Atomic Ant🇧🇷 The Flintstones🇧🇷 Zé Hive🇧🇷 the Jetsons🇧🇷 Scooby Doo and The Smurfs, among many others.

Overall, neither Tom nor Jerry speak in the shorts, except in episode 10, “The Lonely Mouse”, in which the two converse. But most of the time, they just use their voice to express cries of joy or pain — usually from Tom, who almost always gets it wrong. The sounds were recorded with the voice of its own creator, William Hanna.

Some say that the names of the protagonists are a reference to the First World War, when British soldiers were called Tommies and Germans, Jerries. But this alleged link was never confirmed by the creators.

Tom’s full name is “Tom Cat”, derived from Tom Cat, term used to identify male cats. Due to his coat color, blue-gray or blue-gray (depending on the short film), Tom could be considered a Russian Blue cat.

Unlike Jerry, whose appearance has remained fairly stable over the years, Tom’s appearance and personality have changed considerably. At first, he walked on all fours (as any cat does) and behaved exactly like a feline. But over time, he started to walk on two legs and have human attitudes and thoughts, feeling guilty and regretting some actions against Jerry. In some episodes, Tom even got depressed.

No less than 13 Tom & Jerry productions were nominated for the Oscar for best animated short, seven of which were winners. One of the explanations is the fact that the Tom & Jerry movies are considered very valuable for their music, specially created by music director Scott Bradley. In addition, the animation was hand-drawn and has detailed backgrounds. Each episode of this adventure took weeks to complete and cost up to $50,000.

Tom & Jerry episodes were not always in charge of the famous Hanna-Barbera duo. In 1960, after a break, MGM decided to return to producing the cat and mouse shorts and, for that, hired director Gene Deitch. These shorts, 13 in total, were produced in Prague (in the Czech Republic or Czechia) and are considered the worst in the series’ history: confused expressions, little music, lots of sound effects, added to a tight budget and a team that had never seen the designs seem to have pushed towards such failure.

Three years later, MGM hired American director Chuck Jones, who had participated in the creation of famous characters such as Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Daffy Duck. However, these episodes (34 in total) were also not well received by critics: perhaps the lack of plot and the change in the characters’ appearance (Tom was fatter and had different eyebrows, and Jerry’s eyes and ears were bigger and bigger). their expression, sweeter) have made the public not recognize in them the authentic Tom & Jerry.

In 1975, the cartoon was again produced by its creators, Hanna and Barbera, in association with MGM Television. There were 38 seven-minute shorts, broadcast on TV on Saturday mornings for two years. Perhaps because of the stricter rules regarding violence in children’s programs, in this new “season” the two returned as friends, traveling the world and participating in sports competitions. However, this “lighter” version didn’t have the same success as those in which the cat and mouse weren’t exactly “friends”. Apparently, the public preferred them as adversaries.

In the Chuck Jones period, the cartoon’s presentation image was also modified: the well-known MGM lion was replaced by Tom trying to imitate its roar.

The show has a long history of criticism for its scenes of violence and several of its episodes were considered racist. For this reason, some of them were cut, edited and even censored. The character Mammy Two Shoes, an African-American woman with an exaggerated southern accent, often seen from the waist down, was considered an offensive racial caricature. Mammy was a maid who was apparently in charge of the house when the owners left and always ended up punishing Tom and letting the rat go unpunished.

In the 1960s, when the original episodes were broadcast on television under Chuck Jones’ supervision, this character was edited (as a similar but lighter-skinned woman or a different one: white, slender, and with an Irish accent). In other cases, the drawings in which the maid appeared were directly censored. In 1980, Mammy Two Shoes returned to her original design, although her voice was re-recorded, in this case without the typical Southern African-American accent.

Tom & Jerry is the series with the most violent actions per minute. The characters struggle to get rid of each other anyway: rifles, axes, knives, fire and bombs are all part of their routine. In 2006, two short films, from 1949 and 1950, in which they appear smoking, were censored in England. Currently, the episodes considered the most violent are not broadcast.

On November 16, 1956, Hanna and Barbera released a short called Blue Cat Blue, which generated controversy among the public. In it, the cat and the mouse, depressed by failed romantic relationships, sit on the tracks of a railroad – which suggests that they would try to take their own lives. The episode ends with the noise of the machine, implying that this, in fact, has occurred. The director was forced to edit the short, considering that the scene could have a negative impact on children – this reaction of the characters to a failure in love would not be a good example for them.

In 2000, Tom & Jerry was chosen one of the best television shows of all time by the magazine Team🇧🇷 Even today, 80 years after their first appearance, the image of these companions, as enemies as they are necessary for each other, remains a cultural icon for young people and adults alike. The image of the characters is still used to stamp various products, being, therefore, a powerful brand. Episodes are still broadcast worldwide and its app in China currently has over 100 million users.

In December 2020, Tom & Jerry will return to the big screen with a new movie. From there, we have some more information:

Its premiere was brought forward (it was planned for April 2021).

What was originally going to be a 100% animated film has become a hybrid, in which Tom & Jerry live with real people, such as actress Chloë Grace Moretz.

The launch will be handled by Warner Bros., which currently owns the rights to the cartoon, and will be directed by Tim Story.

Some story data: Chloë Grace Moretz will be a hotel employee who needs to get Jerry out of there. To help with the “mission”, she seeks a stray cat, none other than Tom. Will the cat finally be able to catch the mouse, putting an end to 80 years of persecution?

Do you know of an episode where Tom’s persistence finally trumps Jerry’s cunning? Tell us what it is or give us a tip!