Here’s how the iconic Cartoon Network duo Tom and Jerry have managed to evolve in 82 years-Entertainment News , Firstpost

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was watching my favourite Tom and Jerry with my sister. We would come back from school and just sit in front of the television in our uniforms to watch the show. Tom and Jerry has managed to cut across age groups and language barriers. I remember watching it on repeat, and I still do that, even when I know that a Jerry, the mouse, would get away with his shenanigans and fool blue-grey longhaired Tom, the cat. Even after 82 years, Tom and Jerry connects with the audience on an emotional level and brings out our inner-child. The physical appearances of both the characters have been evolved over the years. Though the original theme of the series, cat chases mouse, remained the same, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera – the creators of Tom and Jerry — came up with numerous variations on this theme.

Tom and Jerry got their start under the names Jasper and Pee-Wee respectively in 1941. The shorts received its first Academy Award nomination in 1941 for Puss Gets the Boot and garnered first award in 1943 for The Yankee Doodle Mouse. The pair first appeared exclusively on television in 1975 in the US.

Denzil Dias, Managing Director, Warner Bros. Pictures India, tells us, “A blend of classic animation and live-action, Tom & Jerry: The Movie outperformed at the Indian box office with its theatrical release across 1,000 screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu. Despite the pandemic, the world’s most famous frenemies romped on the big screen, attracting over half a million people to the cinema screens in 2021. The reimagined tale grossed nearly Rs 80 million in ticket sales, reigniting its fandom. It became the number 1 Hollywood family film/animation film and the 10th highest-grossing Hollywood film in India last year.”

In 1995, Cartoon Network decided to make entry in India with dual feed. It operated from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm and Turner Classic Movies took up the remaining schedule. In 2001, Cartoon Network became a separate 24-hour channel and the show Tom and Jerry became an inseparable part of its legacy.

As this iconic duo turns 82, we caught up with Cartoon Network’s Abhishek Dutta to talk about its evolution in India, how the network has benefitted from this property over the years and what today’s kids expect from their cartoon shows.

Dutta says, “An inseparable part of Cartoon Network’s legacy, Tom and Jerry’s legendary tales became an ever-dependable source of entertainment, fun and mayhem for everyone for more than eight decades.  In India, we broke new frontiers with a ‘glocalised’ rendition of The Tom and Jerry Show in 2020 with ‘thought-over commentaries’ dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Bringing the iconic show for Indian kids in a more relatable way garnered tremendous success and achieved rank 1 rating in its launch week, reiterating its impact and following. The quintessential slapstick animation comedy continues to be in the top 5 highest rated slots of Cartoon Network India. For Tom and Jerry’s 82^nd birthday this year, we are bringing brand new episodes of Tom and Jerry Tales to celebrate the notorious duo and their gleeful banter.”

Telling us how Tom and Jerry cuts across different age groups, Vikram Sharma, Head of Consumer Products, Advertising & Partnerships, WarnerMedia India, Southeast Asia and Korea, says, “A testament to the widespread admiration of Tom and Jerry is that it remains the most popular Kids Consumer Products animation IP for WarnerMedia. Young and adult fans of the franchise in India have more than 1,000 SKUs of Tom and Jerry consumer products to love and own. The sheer diversity of the products available, spread across verticals such as fashion, accessories, toys, collectibles, puzzles, and stationery, proves the global phenomena that the characters are.”

To celebrate this lovable slapstick comedy’s anniversary, Cartoon Network India is airing new episodes of Tom and Jerry Tales this week from 10:30 am onwards.

Insights on the evolution of Tom and Jerry

1940s

Tom and Jerry got their start in 1940 under the names Jasper and Pee-Wee respectively (Puss Gets the Boots) along with Dinah (the maid turned head of-house)

In 1941, Tom and Jerry’s names are established in the second short (The Midnight Short). The show Puss Gets the Boots gets its first Oscar nomination

In 1942, Spike the dog and Toots are introduced. Tom also gradually begins to walk on two feet

In 1943, Meathead (Sufferin’ Cats), Butch and Topsy (Baby Pussy) are introduced. The Yankee Doodle Mouse wins the first Oscar. In The Lonesome Mouse, Tom and Jerry speak for the first time

In 1945, Jerry danced with Gene Kelly in MGM Musical Anchors Aweigh

From 1946 to 1949, the characters Toodles Galore (‘Spring time for Thomas‘), Nibbles (The Milky Waif), Lightning (‘Old Rockin’ Chair Tom’) and Tyke (‘Love that Pup’) are introduced

1950s

From 1950 to 1957, the characters Quacker (Little Quacker), Muscles Mouse (Jerry’s Cousin), Joan and George (Pet Peeve), Uncle Pecos (Pecos Pest), Jeannie (Busy Buddies), and Tom’s cousin, George (Timid Tabby) were introduced

1960s- 1980s

In 1975, MGM and Hanna-Barbera produced The Tom and Jerry Show for ABC. It is the first time the pair appear exclusively on television

In 1980, MGM leased Tom and Jerry to CBS for The Tom & Jerry Comedy Show

1990s- 2020

In 1990, Tom and Jerry celebrated their 50th anniversary

In 1992, Tom and Jerry: The Movie was released

In 2020, for the first time ever, the iconic show was dubbed with Hindi, Tamil, Telugu commentary on Cartoon Network India

2021

From small screen to big screen, Tom and Jerry has received overwhelming response across, for the movie Tom & Jerry: The Movie released worldwide in 2021

Fun facts about the characters, show and franchise

• Tom and Jerry’s mischievous bond transcends typical cartoon rivalries. With their enduring spirit and love for the chase, Tom and Jerry epitomise animated mayhem and slapstick pantomime in gleeful contests that take them across the living room and beyond
• Tom and Jerry got their start under the names Jasper and Pee-Wee respectively in 1941
• Tom and Jerry shorts received its first Academy Award nomination in 1941 for Puss Gets the Boot and garnered first award in 1943 for The Yankee Doodle Mouse
• The pair first appeared exclusively on television in 1975 in the US
• Toodles and the similar-sounding name, Toots, refer to several different characters in Tom and Jerry’s world
• The playfulness of Tom and Jerry’s perpetual tug of war relies on the originality and rule-bending behind slapstick’s signature ways of subverting expectations and exaggerating outcomes
• Human characters have frequently and iconically been portrayed with only their lower body visible indicating a pet’s eye view
• William Hanna (animator, television producer and co-founder of the animation company Hanna-Barbera) famously supplied Tom’s yowls and screeches, giving them a more human than creaturely sound
• Sometimes Tom and Jerry’s escapades take them beyond their everyday and into realties where cats headline world-class concert venues (The Cat Concerto) and mice lead the Kings Guard
• They have also explored fantasy locations such as Space Station, The Moon (Made of Cheese), The 17th Century and The Year 2565