Jasper the cat sits holding Jinx the mouse's tail. All attempts made by Jinx fail as he is constantly caught and can't escape…His last effort at getting back home safe is to get to the mistress of the house. Once there she rescues him and he is now back in his corner…This is how Tom and Jerry began 70 years ago in 1940 when it was first aired.
What nobody knew then was how popular this duo was destined to become. Year after year producers were in a battle to make it better than before. The cat was renamed Tom and Jinx officially became Jerry!
It's time now to blow the candles, cut the cake and sing out loud — “Happy Birthday to Tom and Jerry”. They are television's ‘most celebrated cartoon characters ever. Tom and Jerry have always managed to capture hearts irrespective of age.
Tom, the cat, is an opportunist, always crawling up to the powerful, whether it is the housekeeper, the dog, or even, on occasions, the mouse. While Jerry, the mouse, is a schemer, happy with his tiny little world until he is cornered or poked at. Together they form an incredible pair where constantly Tom chases Jerry and Jerry chases the cheese and from time to time they team up to get rid of an outside menace.
Seventy years and growing popular by the day Tom and Jerry continue to remain on top. It's amazing to see the magic of Tom and Jerry alive and kicking as they continue to entertain generations with their endearing humour, pranks and their never-ending chase. Started as a television series, Tom and Jerry has made its way into the movies, the theatre and short films too.
Tom and Jerry have managed to grab a place be it our bookshelves or the video racks. Their popularity not only put them right on top in the charts but also had retailers selling merchandise like Tom and Jerry cups, plates, spoons, clothes, shoes and other accessories. Another interesting fact about them is that they have managed the maximum number of hits on their webpage and also have the maximum number of search engines surpassing almost all the big celebrities in both Bollywood and Hollywood!
Journey so far
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera — circa 1938 (Tom and Jerry was their baby)
Debut “Puss Gets The Boot” in 1940 was nominated for Academy Award
Total seven Academy Award wins in nine years — unbroken record till date
Prestigious wealth of 161 titles
Cartoon Network, No. 1 kids' channel in India has worldwide TV rights
Indian version: “Chooha Billi Chor Police”
Academy Award (Oscar) winner for Best Short Subject
1943: The Yankee Doodle Mouse
1944: Mouse Trouble
1945: Quiet Please!
1946: The Cat Concerto
1948: The Little Orphan
1951: The Two Mouseketeers
1952: Johann Mouse
Transformation of Jerry
In the beginning Jerry had no name
In 1942 from the time of the “The Bowling Alley-Cat” Jerry had smaller ears, a longer nose and was lighter in colour
1949 “Hatch up your troubles” saw ‘Classic Jerry'
1954 “Downhearted Duckling” onwards saw Jerry with heavier line drawing and with no eyelashes
Transformation of Tom
‘Jasper' in the 1940s was inspired from “Puss Gets The Boot”
1941 Jasper is more catlike, running on all fours
1950 saw the ‘Classic Tom' from the episode of the "Cueball Cat"
1955 from the episode “That's my mommy” saw Tom in thicker line drawing
