Published By: Sakshi Agrawal

Tom and Jerry: Fun facts you probably didn’t know about the cartoon

The cat and mouse cartoon will hands-down remain our favourite cartoon of all time.

Don’t you miss the good old days when you would rush back from school and watch Tom and Jerry terrorize each other? For some, they have been the most beloved cartoon characters, and the hours spent watching them will be most cherished.

No matter how many times you have watched the cartoon, we bet you didn’t know the below facts about it.

  • Tom and Jerry were originally named Jasper and Jinx
In the debut cartoon, Puss Gets the Boot, the name of the duo was Jasper and Jinx, even though the cartoon did not feature the name “Jinx” but was decided during pre-production. There was some debate over the name among the creators. Hanna considered the name Jinx for the mouse but Barbera was not convinced.
  • A contest was held to decide the name
After the success of the debut cartoon, the creators, Hanna and Barber, wanted to change the name. They organized a competition in the studio where employees could suggest names. An animator, John Carr, suggested the current name and won $50 for it.
  • The face of Tom’s owner was shown only once and very briefly
The viewers know Mammy Two Shoes, the owner of Tom in the series, only by her legs and not her face. In the entire series, her face is shown only once that too very briefly during an episode released on January 14, 1950, named “Saturday Evening Puss”.
  • The cartoon won seven Oscars
In addition to being loved by people across generations, Tom and Jerry were also loved by the Oscar community. The series won seven Oscars under the category of “Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons”. They were nominated for an additional six more Oscars.
  • The animated series has a total of 163 episodes
The entire Tom and Jerry cartoon series has three runs. The first and original run was from February 10, 1940, till August 1, 1958, and was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The second run has 13 episodes directed by Gene Ditch. And the final run has a total of 34 episodes produced by Chuck Jones.
  • The first episode is the longest
The first episode in the series known as “Puss Gets the Boots” is the longest episode with a runtime of nine minutes and eight seconds.

Did we blow your minds with these lesser-known facts?