Thomas "Tom" Jasper Cat is a fictional character and one of the two titular main protagonists (alongside Jerry Mouse) in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's franchise of Tom & Jerry theatrical cartoon short films, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Tom is an adult blue/grey anthropomorphic domestic short-haired cat who first appeared in the 1940 animated short Puss Gets the Boot. Tom was originally known as "Jasper" during his debut in that short, however, beginning from his next appearance in The Midnight Snack and onwards, he is known as "Tom" or "Thomas".
His full name "Tom Cat" is based on "tomcat", a phrase which refers to male cats. He is very rarely heard speaking with the exception of a few cartoons (such as the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "League of Cats") and Tom and Jerry: The Movie. His only notable vocal sounds outside of this are his various screams whenever he is subject to pain or panic. He is continuously after Jerry, for whom he sets traps, many of which backfire and cause damage to him rather than Jerry. Tom very rarely sets out to eat Jerry, but only to hurt or compete with him, going to great lengths in order to just strategically taunt Jerry (even as revenge), rather than the stereotype of a predatory cat and mouse pairing. However, Tom is shown to get along with Jerry, let alone bonding secretly with each other in terms of their friendship in reality over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience. Multiple times, the story will start with him having nothing against Jerry, and is merely chasing him out of fear of receiving abuse at the hands of his owner if he doesn't do his job as a cat.
Personality[]
Tom's personality has changed remarkably over the years, especially after the first episodes. For example, in his debut, he was quadrupedal and had normal cat intelligence. However, over the years (since the episode Dog Trouble), he has become almost completely bipedal and has superhuman level of intelligence. As a slapstick cartoon character, Tom has a superhuman level of elasticity. Tom is usually defeated with Jerry getting the best of him in the end, although there are some stories where he outwits, defeats, and gets the best of Jerry.
Voice actors[]
Harry E. Lang: Vocal effects in the Hanna-Barbera era (1940–1941)
William Hanna: Vocal effects in the Hanna-Barbera era (1942–1958) shorts: The Lonesome Mouse, The Million Dollar Cat
Billy Bletcher: 1944–1945 shorts: The Bodyguard, The Zoot Cat, Quiet Please!
Danny Webb: 1948 short: Mouse Cleaning
Daws Butler: 1956 short: Mucho Mouse(and a few others as well)
Allen Swift: Vocal effects in the Gene Deitch era (1961–1962) shorts
Mel Blanc: Vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1963–1967) shorts
Television series:The Tom and Jerry Show (1975) • The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show • Tom & Jerry Kids • Tom and Jerry Tales • The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) Specials:Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration • Tom and Jerry: The Mansion Cat • Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers Films:Tom and Jerry: The Movie • Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring • Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars • Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry • Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers • Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale • Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes • Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz • Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse • Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure • Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon • Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest • Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz • Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory • Tom and Jerry • Tom and Jerry: Cowboy Up! • Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio • MGM Animation/Visual Arts • Turner Entertainment • Hanna-Barbera • Warner Bros. • Miramax Films • Warner Bros. Animation • Warner Bros. Television • Warner Home Video • Warner Archive Collection • Taft Broadcasting • Worldvision Enterprises • MGM Television • Turner Program Services • Filmation
Template:Hanna-BarberaTemplate:Turner Broadcasting System
