Summary
"Tom & Jerry" is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon focusing on the rivalry between a cat called Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Hollywood's MGM studio created 114 short episodes between 1940 and 1957. Tom uses every item he can lay his paws on to ensnare Jerry, such as axes, guns, explosives, traps and poison. He also has to contend with Spike, an angry bulldog who doesn't like Tom bothering his son, Tyke. Another occasional character is Tufty, a diaper-wearing orphan mouse. Further episodes were made in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s. The latter ones saw the trademark violence markedly reduced. There have been a handful of feature films, most notably one in 1992, which saw the duo given dialogue for the first time. The popularity of the duo has never diminished and the 70th anniversary of the cartoon creation was celebrated in February 2010. New "Tom & Jerry" cartoons have been made in the last decade by the Warner Bros studio, and the show remains a lucrative franchise.
