February 10, 2020

On Feb. 10, 1940, 80 years ago today, the classic animation comedy duo “Tom and Jerry” first appeared in the cartoon, “Puss Gets the Boot.” Created by the famous animation team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the ongoing slapstick rivalry between Tom, the cat, and Jerry, the mouse, has entertained generations of viewers. Hundreds of episodes of the cartoon have been made, as well as films, direct-to-video productions, and even a stage musical. Originally made at a time when cartoons were shown before motion pictures in cinemas, “Tom and Jerry” won eight Academy Awards between 1940 and 1952.

Tom and Jerry first appeared in the cartoon “Puss Gets the Boot” 80 years ago today on Feb. 10, 1940. Credit: © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The “Tom and Jerry” series was the first big hit for Hanna and Barbera and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) cartoon studio. Originally a one-shot deal, “Puss Gets the Boot”—in which the cat was named Jasper and the mouse was named Jinx—was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. The short proved popular enough to warrant the duo’s return—now as Tom and Jerry—in 1941′s “The Midnight Snack.” Hanna and Barbera and MGM producer Fred Quimby then made over 100 more “Tom and Jerry” shorts until competition from television forced the closure of MGM’s cartoon studio in 1957. Hanna and Barbera then formed their own studio, where they created such cartoon classics as “The Flintstones,” “The Jetsons,” and “Scooby-Doo, Where are You!”

In the 1960′s, various producers—including Looney Tunes animation legend Chuck Jones—continued to make “Tom and Jerry” shorts, which had migrated to the Saturday morning television cartoon lineup. Tom and Jerry found their way home to Hanna-Barbera Productions in the 1970′s before moving to the networks of Ted Turner in the 1980′s. The show continued sporadically under various producers in the 1990′s and 2000′s. Since 2006, “The Tom and Jerry Show” has appeared on the Cartoon Network and the Boomerang streaming service.

Tom and Jerry made cameos in the Hollywood musical films Anchors Aweigh (1945) and Dangerous When Wet (1953). The duo finally got their first theatrical feature-length animated film, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, in 1992. A new animated-live-action movie, Tom and Jerry, is due for wide cinema release in December 2020. In Japan, the live-action stage musical Tom and Jerry: Purr-Chance to Dream debuted in 2019, and the pair’s 80th anniversary is being celebrated in a special exhibition at Tokyo’s Matsuya Ginza department store in 2020.