TOM AND JERRY TALES

 

TOM AND JERRY TALES

(The CW, September 23, 2006-March 22, 2008)

 

Turner Entertainment Co., Warner Bros. Animation

 
 
MAIN CAST:
Don Brown – Tom, Droopy (season 1)
Sam Vincent – Jerry, Kid
Michael Donovan – Spike, Droopy (season 2), Topsy
Colin Murdock – Butch, Meathead

Check out the history of Tom and Jerry at this post here.

 

Warner Bros. was banking heavily on Looney Tunes: Back in Action being a success. So much so, they imagined it as the springboard into which they could revitalize the Looney Tunes franchise and re-introduce theatrical shorts. Unfortunately, those plans all fell apart when the movie underperformed at the box office. Warner Bros. immediately cancelled their planned slate of Looney Tunes shorts, but kept production going on the 30 Tom and Jerry ones they commissioned for the next two years before pulling the plug. While “The Karate Guard” did actually manage to make it to theaters as intended, Warner Bros. decided the best place for the rest was on television. A few of the shorts aired on Cartoon Network before being packaged together to air on Kids’ WB as Tom and Jerry Tales.

Spike and Butch pick on Tom and Jerry at the beach.

The series was a return to form for the Tom and Jerry franchise. Each episode featured three shorts with some kind of connecting theme and had Tom (Don Brown, with co-creator William Hanna’s archived yell used a few times) and Jerry (Sam Vincent) engaged in their slapstick-laden rivalry (although they would occasionally team-up against a common foe). A great number of characters from the franchise were revived for the shorts, including Tom’s primary nemesis Spike (Michael Donovan) and his son, Tyke; Butch (Colin Murdock), an alley cat who was sometimes Tom’s friend and other times his rival for Jerry; Tom’s equally-silent love interest Toodles Galore; Tom’s owner Mrs. Two-Shoes (a modified version of the racially-charged Mammy Two Shoes, voiced by Nicole Oliver); young mouse Nibbles (Reece Thompson & Chantal Strand); and frequent appearances by Droopy Dog (Brown & Donovan). Character designs were handled by Dan Haskett, Frank Molieri, and Tony Cervone, and while they adhered to the most up-to-date models of the characters, occasionally they would slip back into earlier designs in various episodes. Despite having credited voice actors, Tom and Jerry didn’t speak like in the disastrous Tom and Jerry: The Movie.  They only spoke in the short “Kitty Hawked” as it relied on them relaying a story to an audience on and through the screen.

Taking the battle to cyberspace.

Tom and Jerry Tales debuted on The CW as part of the Kids’ WB programming block on September 23, 2006; although it did air in markets outside of the United States earlier in the year. It would be the first Tom and Jerry show produced by Warner Bros. since their acquisition of the MGM properties through the merger of Turner Entertainment and Time Warner. The series was very well-received due to its harkening back to the franchise’s earlier days. The writing and animation by Yearim Productions Co., Ltd, Lotto Animation, Toon City Animation, Inc. and Rough Draft Studios were praised. A second season was ordered and brought the total number of episodes to 26 for the course of the series; with 78 shorts total (some of which served as updates or contained similarities to earlier entries of the franchise).

Jerry model sheet.

Co-creator Joseph Barbera, who worked on “The Karate Guard”, served as an executive producer for the first season and received story credit for “The Itch” before he passed away in December of 2006. The series was written by Cervone, Charles Schneider, Eric Donald, Jim Gomez, Richard Pursel, Robert Ramirez, Matt Wayne, Bradley Zweig, Tom Minton, Earl Kress, Meredith Jennings-Offen, Mark Turosz, Chris Painter, Joe Purdy, Christopher Keenan, Eric Shaw and T.J. House, who also directed and storyboarded some of the season 2 episodes. Minton and Pursel served as story editors, with Painter joining in the second season.  “The Karate Guard” co-producer and co-director and voice of Tom Spike Brandt also joined in season 2 as a writer, director, character designer and storyboarder. The series’ theme and first season music were composed by Tom Erba, with Gordon Goodwin taking over the music for the second season.

Tom being driven crazy by "The Itch".

Any chance of a third season was likely killed by the fact that Kids’ WB was on the way out when the second season was due to finish airing. Reruns of the series survived the block’s transition to The CW4Kids, remaining on the network until September of 2008. The series would return in reruns on Cartoon Network in 2011 where the series was able to be broadcast in the widescreen aspect ratio it was produced in due to the changing television technology.

The Nintendo DS game cover.

A video game based on the show was released for the Nintendo DS as a 3D platformer and Game Boy Advance as a 2D platformer. Developed by Sensory Sweep Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the game saw the player control Jerry with the objective of getting Tom into trouble and kicked out of the house. 26 shorts were released across 6 DVD volumes between 2006 and 2009 (the United Kingdom releases had slightly different numberings), of which the first 3 were collected and re-released together in 2009 and were all re-released later in two-packs. Volume 1 was also re-released as part of Tom and Jerry Fun Pack in 2011. 12 segments were included on volumes 2 and 3 of Fur Flying Adventures in 2011, with 9 more in In the Dog House in 2012 and 2 more in Summer Holidays in 2012. The complete first season was released in 2012. In 2010, the short “Game of Mouse & Cat” was included in Tom and Jerry: Deluxe Anniversary Collection. The complete first season was released in 2012. The series was made available to stream on Boomerang SD, Boomerang’s Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:
 
“Tiger Cat / Feeding Time / Polar Peril” (9/23/06) – After Tom accidentally wrecks his art, a monkey stealthily paints Tom to look like a tiger. / Tom must keep Jerry from feeding the zoo animals or else Spike will fire him. / An overprotective polar bear becomes Jerry’s defender.

“Joy Riding Jokers / Cat Got Your Luggage? / City Dump Chumps” (9/30/06) – Mistaken as parking valets, Tom and Jerry take Spike’s car on a joyride. / Trashing a hotel lobby leads to Tom being made a bellboy to pay for the damages. / Tom and Butch battle over who gets Jerry in a junkyard.

 
“Way-Off Broadway / Egg Beats / Cry Uncle” (10/7/06) – Tom and Jerry compete as buskers to try and out-earn each other. / Tired of the city noise drowning out his music, Jerry moves to Tom’s farm where the music causes Tom’s pet hen to rapidly lay eggs. / Jerry’s uncle Pecos Pest comes for a visit and keeps him and Tom up with his annoying singing.
 
“Bats What I Like About the South / Fraidy Cat Scat / Tomb It May Concern” (10/28/06) – Jerry uses a bat that resembles him to put a scare into Tom. / Jerry pretends to be a ghost in order to scare away Tom after he buys the haunted house he lives in. / Tom follows Jerry to an ancient tomb where they disturb and anger the mummy within.
 
“Dine-O-Sores / Freaky Tiki / Prehisterics” (11/4/06) – Tom and Jerry end up shipwrecked on an island full of dinosaur eggs. / Under mind control, Tom and Jerry enter a Hawaiian volcano where they meet Pele, goddess of flame. / The rivalry transcends generations to Tom and Jerry’s prehistoric ancestors.
 
“Digital Dilemma / Hi, Robot / Tomcat Jetpack” (11/11/06) – A lightning strike sends Tom and Jerry into their new computer. / Jerry falls in love with the robot female mouse Tom builds to trap him. / Jerry and Spike team-up to take Tom down after he acquires a jetpack.
 
“Fire Breathing Tom Cat / Medieval Menace / The Itch” (2/3/07) – Jerry ends up getting Sir Tom eaten by the dragon he’s sent to slay, which ends up with Tom acquiring the dragon’s flame breath for himself. / A chase ending up in a medieval castle goes magical when Tom and Jerry get ahold of a magic wand. / Jerry wants to join a band of rats whose music causes everyone to become itchy.
 
“Ho, Ho, Horrors / Doggone Hill Hog / Northern Light Fish Fight” (2/10/07) – Tom and Jerry battling it out in Tom’s dream ends up with them wrecking the house for real. / Spike claims Tom and Jerry’s sledding hill for himself. / Ice fishing at the North Pole leads to Tom trying to steal Jerry’s fish.
 
“Cat Nebula / Martian Mice / Spaced Out Cat” (2/17/07) – Jerry and Nibbles encounter an alien squid Tom while traveling through space. / Giant mice from Mars abduct Tom and Jerry. / Tom attempts to become the first to reach the moon in order to impress Toodles and win her back from Spike.
 
“Octo Suave / Beach Bully Bingo / Treasure Map Scrap” (2/24/07) – An underwater chase leaves Tom looking like a mermaid and attractive to an octopus. / A relaxing day at the beach for Tom and Jerry is interrupted by Butch and Spike. / Tom attempts to get some sunken treasure for himself and cut Jerry out of the deal.
 
“Destruction Junction / Battle of the Power Tools / Jackhammered Cat” (3/3/07) – An extreme case of splinters sees Spike put in charge of finishing a building’s construction. / A suddenly rich Tom and Jerry try to outdo each other while building their neighboring mansions. / Tom and Jerry attempt to get at a feast Spike is guarding at a construction site.
 
“Tin Cat of Tomorrow / Beefcake Tom / Tomcat Superstar” (4/28/07) – Mrs. Two Shoes gets a robotic cat to catch Jerry. / Tom enrolls in a gym to get into better shape to catch Jerry. / Tired of a life of fame, Tom retires to the countryside.
 
“Piranha Be Loved by You / Spook House Mouse / Abracadumb” (5/5/07) – Jerry sicks a piranha on Tom as Tom tries to win Toodles’ affection. / A chase leads Tom and Jerry into an amusement park haunted house. / Tom and Jerry battle with magic.
 
Season 2:
“More Powers to You / Catch Me Though You Can’t / Power Tom” (2/22/07) – Tom must protect a team of superheroes’ power rings from an evil dog. / Jerry gains super speed, making him uncatchable. / Tom and Jerry accidentally end up in the lair of a superheroine.
 
“Zent Out of Shape / I Dream of Meanie / Which Witch” (9/29/07) – Jerry constantly foils Tom’s attempts to achieve inner peace. / Sultan Tom uses genie Spike to grant his wishes and remove Jerry from his palace. / Tom is caught in a feud between two witches and must catch Jerry for one of their potions.
 
“Don’t Bring Your Pet to School Day / Cat Show Catastrophe / The Cat Whisperer with Casper Lombardo” (10/6/07) – Nancy brings Tom to school and tells him to behave so she’ll win a gold store, but that’s made difficult when another student brings in Jerry. / Jerry and Nibbles try to spoil Tom’s chances at winning a cat show. / When Tom accidentally ruins her tea party, Mrs. Two Shoes hires him a trainer.
 
“Adventures in Penguin Sitting / Cat of Prey / Jungle Love” (10/13/07) – Jerry takes in a penguin that escaped from the zoo. / Tom sneaks into an animal park to make a meal out of its star: Jerry. / Jerry is protected by a baby rhinoceros while a snake falls in love with Tom’s tail.
 
“Invasion of the Body Slammers / Monster Con / Over the River and Boo the Woods” (10/27/07) – A shape-shifting alien emerges from a ship that lands next to Tom and Jerry’s house. / Abraham Van Helsing crashes a monster convention, but all his assistant Tom is interest in is catching Jerry. / A fishing trip takes Tom and Jerry to a haunted forest where they encounter a bat creature.
 
“Xtreme Trouble / A Life Less Guarded / Sasquashed” (11/3/07) – Jerry rides his skateboard to catch a cheese truck with Tom in hot pursuit. / Jerry sabotages Tom as he tries out for a lifeguard job against Droopy. / A camping trip has Tom, Jerry and Tuffy meet Bigfoot.
 
“Summer Squashing / League of Cats / Little Big Mouse” (11/10/07) – Tom must protect a garden from Jerry and his clan. / Butch invites Tom to join a secret organization of cats that unite to catch mice. / Tom gets blamed when Jerry steals all the food from the refrigerator, but Jerry ends up too bothered by an ant to enjoy it.
 
“Bend it Like Thomas / Endless Bummer / Game Set Match’ (12/1/07) – Tom’s enthusiasm for soccer bothers the neighborhood. / Tom and Jerry compete against Droopy in a surfing competition. / Spike forces Tom to teach Tyke tennis.
 
“The Declaration of Independunce / Kitty Hawked / 24 Karat Kat” (12/8/07) – Tom must retrieve the Declaration of Independence after using it to send Jerry off in a paper airplane. / Museum tour guides Tom and Jerry recount their parts in the Wright Brothers’ flight. / Tom and Butch attempt to steal Jerry’s gold claim.
 
“Hockey Schtick / Snow Brawl / Snow Mouse” (2/2/08) – Jerry freezes the pond to skate, but Tom wants to play hockey. / Magic hats end up making Tom and Jerry’s snowball fight more interesting. / Tom and Jerry encounter a giant abominable snow mouse in the Himalayas.
 
“DJ Jerry / Kitty Cat Blues / Flamenco Fiasco” (2/9/08) – Jerry hosts a party in the record store Tom is meant to guard. / Tom gives Jerry as a gift to the girl he likes. / Jerry and his girlfriend compete against Tom and Toodles in a flamenco contest.
 
“You’re Lion / Kangadoofus / Monkey Chow” (3/8/08) – Tom visits his lion relatives to give Jerry as a gift, but they both end up on the menu. / Jerry is adopted by an overprotective momma kangaroo. / Tom and Mrs. Two Shoes move to get away from Jerry, but he follows them and causes trouble with a monkey.
 
“Game of Mouse & Cat / Babysitting Blues / Catfish Follies” (3/22/08) – Tom and Jerry play virtual games in which their roles are reversed. / Tom and Jerry’s nephews prove to be a handful. / A fishing trip leads to an encounter with catfish Butch, who wants to eat Jerry while Tom wants to eat him.

THE WIZARD OF OZ: THE ANIMATED SERIES

THE WIZARD OF OZ: THE ANIMATED SERIES

(ABC, September 8, 1990 – December 1, 1990)

DiC Entertainment, Turner Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Liz Georges – Dorothy Gale

Charlie Adler – Cowardly Lion

David Lodge – Scarecrow

Hal Rayle – Tin Man

Frank Welker – Toto, Hyena

Tress MacNeille – Wicked Witch of the West, Miranda

Alan Oppenheimer – Wizard of Oz

Pat Fraley - Truckle

B.J. Ward -  Glinda

            The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an illustrated novel first published in 1900 by the George M. Hill Company. Written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow, the novel was inspired Baum’s personal life and experiences, as well as his desire to capture the wonder of the stories of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen without all the horror. He recognized from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that its ultimate source of popularity was the titular Alice herself, giving children a character they could identify with, and that children’s books should be lavishly illustrated, pleasurable to read, and devoid of moral lessons (something expected of kids’ books at the time). 

The cover to the first edition of the book.

            The book was about a young Kansas farmgirl named Dorothy Gale who was swept away in a tornado with her dog, Toto, to the magical Land of Oz. Her house landed on and killed the evil Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the Munchkin people—diminutive inhabitants of Oz adorned from head-to-toe in blue, their favorite color—from her rule. The Good Witch of the North gave Dorothy the Wicked Witch’s Silver Shoes and sent her to the Emerald City so that the powerful Wizard of Oz could send her home. While following the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy met, befriended and was joined on her journey by the Scarecrow, who wanted a brain, Tin Woodman, who wanted a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, who wanted courage. The Wizard agreed to give them what they wanted in exchange for freeing the Winkies—expert tin-smiths who loved the color yellow—from the rule of the Wicked Witch of the West. After doing so, they learned that the Wizard was actually an ordinary man from Nebraska who was stranded in Oz when his hot air balloon was blown off course. The Wizard granted Dorothy’s friends their wishes, but Dorothy was still stuck until Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, revealed that the Silver Shoes had the power to send Dorothy home. The novel ended with Dorothy finally returning home; the Woodman becoming king of the Winkies; the Lion king of a forest he rescued from a giant spider; and Scarecrow the new ruler of the Emerald City.

The final Thompson book.

            Publisher George Hill didn’t have much faith in the book and had given a skeptical prediction of selling around 250,000 copies; although he initially only produced 10,000. He only agreed to publish it at all when Fred R. Hamlin, manager of the Chicago Grand Opera House, agreed to turn the book into a musical stage play for publicity. The book ended up becoming a phenomenon, selling out that initial print run and every printing afterward, and the musical, which opened in 1902, did just as well. Baum had never planned beyond the first book, but by popular demand he ended up writing 13 sequels and 6 short stories until his death in 1919. Ruth Plumly Thompson was named Baum’s successor by the publisher, and she wrote 21 more sequels that were released every Christmas until she left the series in 1939 and was replaced by various other authors. As the books remained popular, they were translated into many other forms of media from radio plays to films, both live and animated. The most famous adaptation of Baum’s work came with 1939’s The Wizard of Oz by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

            The musical film was directed by Victor Fleming with music written by Yip Harburg and composed by Harold Arlen. It starred Judy Garland as Dorothy, Billie Burke as Glinda, Ray Bolger as Scarecrow, Jack Haley as Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Frank Morgan as the Wizard, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. While the most faithful adaptation at that point, the film strayed from the original book by combining, condensing or omitting several elements. Glinda’s character was merged with the Good Witch of the North, appearing at both the beginning and end of the story. Many of Dorothy’s side adventures were eliminated, with the focus placed on her meeting her friends and journeying to the Emerald City. The Wicked Witch’s role was enlarged to become a looming threat, whereas she only appeared in one chapter of the book. Dorothy’s Silver Shoes were changed to Ruby Slippers in order to take full advantage of the Technicolor process used during all the Oz scenes of the film (the Kansas scenes were shot in a sepia tone, later made pure black and white). Dorothy herself was also older than the book depicted.

1949 re-release poster.

            The film, while critically acclaimed, was actually a financial loss for MGM in relation to its budget until its re-release in 1949, where it made an additional $1.5 million. It went on to become one of the first movies MGM/CBS Home Video released on VHS and Betamax in 1980, as well as the basis for several other Oz adaptations. One of those, to commemorate the film’s 50^th anniversary, was an animated series produced by DiC Entertainment and Turner Entertainment.

Scarecrow, Lion, Dorothy, Toto and Tin Man.

            Titled simply The Wizard of Oz, the series saw Dorothy (Liz Georges) and Toto (Frank Welker) returning to Oz by using the Ruby Slippers after they appeared on her doorstep, reciting the reverse of her famous line: “There’s no place like Oz.” The slippers were sent by Glinda (B.J. Ward) to recruit Dorothy to help Oz rid itself of the Wicked Witch of the West (Tress MacNeille), who was revived by her minions, the evil winged monkeys, and conquered the Emerald City; stealing her friends’ gifts. Reunited with the Scarecrow (David Lodge), Tin Man (Hal Rayle) and the Lion (Charlie Adler), Dorothy and her friends set out to find a way to free Oz from the Wicked Witch once and for all and rescue the Wizard (Alan Oppenheimer), who was trapped on his balloon and constantly being blown around by a magical wind created by the Witch.

Hyena captures the friends.

            The Wizard of Oz debuted on September 8, 1990 on ABC and ran for a single season before it was cancelled. The introduction depicted the backstory on Dorothy’s return to Oz and was produced in the same way as the movie; with the Kansas scenes in black and white except for the Ruby Slippers. The series was adapted by Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and written by Pat Allee, Gordon Bressack, Bob Carrau, Jules Dennis, Ben Hurst, Lisa Maliani, Michael Maroney, Michael Maurer, Richard Merwin, Doug Molitor, Michael O’Mahony, Laurie Sutton, Chris Weber and Karen Willson, with Molitor serving as story editor. Animation was handled by Pacific Rim Productions, Inc.

Dorothy and Glinda.

Despite the visual similarities to the 1939 film and the use of several of its songs (with additional music by Tom Worral), a few things were changed for the show. For starters, the entire premise was closer to the books in that Oz was a real and vast place and not the trauma-induced delusion it was suggested as being at the end of the film. The Witch’s demise was changed to her becoming a statue, rather than having been melted when Dorothy doused her with water; which was how her monkey minions managed to revive her. In order to keep the Ruby Slippers from being the dues ex machina of every story, their magic was shown to be unreliable because Dorothy didn’t know how to use them properly. The Slippers also shouldn’t have been able to be removed from Dorothy’s feet until her death, even though they were several times during the show’s run. The Witch’s crystal ball was also limited, only able to work once a day due to its creator sabotaging it when she first stole it. 

DVD cover art.

Shortly after its conclusion, Turner Home Entertainment released 11 episodes on VHS between 1991 and 1995. Lions Gate/Trimark Home Entertainment brought three episodes to DVD as The Rescue of the Emerald City in 2002. In 2003, United American Video released The Continuing Story as part of the “Animation Station” line. Although it had the same cover art as the previous volume, it featured four different episodes. They next released four more episodes on We’re Off to Save the Wizard in 2005 under their new name of Sterling Entertainment Group. The only episode not released on DVD was “The Marvelous Milkmaid of Mechanica”.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Rescue of the Emerald City (Part 1)” (9/8/90) – Dorothy returns to Oz only to learn the flying monkeys had resurrected the Wicked Witch.

“Rescue of the Emerald City (Part 2)” (9/15/90) – Dorothy and her friends manage to expel the Wicked Witch from the Emerald City.

“Fearless” (9/22/90) – The Witch disguises herself as a fortune teller and curses the Lion to become a coward every other time he hears the word “courage.”

“Crystal Clear” (9/29/90) – The friends track the Wizard to Crystal Land after he left, and learns the Wicked Witch had stolen the crystal ball the citizens made for Glinda.

“We’re Not in Kansas Anymore” (10/6/90) – Dorothy wants to visit her family and the Wicked Witch disguises herself and Truckle as Auntie Em and Uncle Henry to greet her.

“The Lion that Squeaked” (10/13/90) – A hyena working for the Witch captures Dorothy, Toto and the Lion’s roar.

“Dream a Little Dream” (10/20/90) – Truckle ends up with the ruby slippers and dominates the Wicked Witch.

“A Star is Gone” (10/27/90) – The Wicked Witch kidnaps the Green Luminary who takes the color from the Emerald Star, and the friends are accused of the kidnapping when they investigate.

“Time Town” (11/3/90) – The Wicked Witch steals the History of Oz and begins erasing all that is Oz so that she can rewrite her own version.

“The Marvelous Milkmaid of Mechanica” (11/10/90) – The friends must rescue the Milkmaid from the Wicked Witch.

“Upside-Down Town” (11/17/90) – The friends track the Wizard to Upside-Down town, which lives up to its name and causes additional problems for them as they try to figure it out.

“The Day the Music Died” (11/24/90) – Maestro’s baton ends up missing, meaning the land will be devoid of music unless Dorothy puts on the shoes that appear that will allow her to find it.

“Hot Air” (12/1/90) – The Wicked Witch tricks the Wizard and Dorothy into participating in a balloon race of her own design.


Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2024.

TOM AND JERRY KIDS

TOM AND JERRY KIDS

(FOX, September 7, 1990-December 10, 1993)

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Tuner Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Frank Welker – Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, McWolf, Wildmouse

Don Messick – Droopy

Charlie Adler – Dripple, Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel, Screwball Squirrel

Teresa Ganzel – Miss Vavoom

Dick Gautier – Spike

Patric Zimmerman - Tyke

For the history of Tom and Jerry, check out the post here.

Production art of Tom and Jerry's younger selves.

            In 1986, Ted Turner bought and sold Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists, but kept its pre-1986 library which included RKO Radio Pictures and pre-1950 Warner Bros. films to form Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. Now holding the rights to Tom and Jerry, Turner sought to bring the pair back to the small screen and turned to their creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. 

Tom and Jerry taking a break from fighting to ride a dolphin.

            Not giving up on the babyfication movement yet, Hanna-Barbera decided to take Tom and Jerry and de-age them to kids. While Jerry looked basically the same, Tom had noticeably shrunk to being just taller than Jerry and was given a baseball cap. Hanna-Barbera brought the shorts back to their origins with the violence and antics in their constant game of cat and mouse, although they were toned down with respect to FCC regulations for network children’s programming. A few episodes even recycled plots of some of the original Hanna and Barbera MGM shorts. Tom and Jerry continued to remain silent, but both of their vocal effects were provided by Frank Welker.

Miss Vavoom, McWolf, Droopy and Dripple in a court scene.

            Like other Hanna-Barbera productions, the show was broken up into short segments rather than a full half-hour episode. Joining the main segment of Tom and Jerry were their old friends from their shorts, bulldog Spike (still in his adult form, voiced by Dick Gautier) and his son, Tyke (rendered more intelligent and spoke for the first time, voiced by Patric Zimmerman). Spike was much gentler than he was depicted during the run of the theatrical shorts, and the segment particularly focused on family values as stories centered around his love for Tyke. The other segment focused on the Tex Avery-created character of Droopy Dog (Don Messick), a lethargic and depressed-sounding basset hound. Droopy spent his time with his son, Dripple (Charlie Adler), who was an older version of a character that debuted in the short Homesteader Droopy, in various professions and settings. Droopy’s primary nemesis was McWolf (Welker) as he was in the 1940s shorts. The object of Droopy’s affections, and frequent cause of his rivalry with McWolf, was Miss Vavoom (Teresa Ganzel), based on Avery’s Red Hot Riding Hood.

Tom, Kyle, Clyde, Slowpoke Antonio, Spike, Tyke, Wildmouse, Droopy, Dripple, McWolf, gopher, Calaboose Cal and Jerry.

            New characters included Calaboose Cal (Phil Hartman), an arrogant gold cat who ran a show of demonstration and participation and frequently proved a rival for Tom; Urfo, a six-legged alien dog; Clyde (Brian Cummings), a fat cat that often required Tom and Jerry to rescue him, resulting in his becoming their very best (and disastrous friend); Kyle (Pat Fraley), a mangy orange cat that served as an antagonist for Spike and Tyke; Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel (Adler), a campy and flamboyant superhero who could fling lightning bolts; Slowpoke Antonio (William Callaway), Jerry’s cowboy cousin; and Wildmouse (Welker), a savage mouse raised in the wild by Wolves akin to Warner Bros.’ Tasmanian Devil.

            Tom and Jerry Kids debuted on September 7, 1990, becoming the first program in fledgling FOX network’s Fox Kids programming block. It was written by Jim Ryan, Marty Murphy, Patrick A. Ventura, Jack Hanrahan, Sandy Fries, Dennis Marks, Eric Alter, Barry Blitzer, Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, Fred Kron, Arthur Alsberg, Don Nelson, Bruce Morris, Stewart St. John, Carl Swenson and Janis Diamond. Jurwich and Neal Barbera served as story editors.  The series ran for four seasons, with the opening intro changing from season two until the end. The theme and first season score was composed by Tom Worrall, with Gary Lionelli joining him for the show’s remainder. The third season was also the longest, running 26-episodes that were broadcast both on Saturday and Sunday. FOX finally cancelled it in 1994 and the show was replaced by short-run spinoff Droopy, Master Detective starring Droopy and Dripple. Reruns of the show began the following year on Cartoon Network, which was created by Turner to showcase their large animation library. During the show’s third season, Turner bought Hanna-Barbera and the series received a Daytime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music Direction and Composition”. 

Size comparison production art.

            In 1991, 12 episodes were put on two VHS tapes in the United States by Warner Home Video, but only a few million units were made of each. In the United Kingdom, 11 VHS tapes were released. The series first hit DVD in 2008 in Germany, released by Kinowelt Home Entertainment. In 2010, the episode “Flippin’ Fido” was featured on the Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection DVD set. In 2013, Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD, however in the UK the season was broken up into two DVDs as part of the WB’s Big Faces series as Baby Tom and Jerry.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Flippin’ Fido / Dakota Droopy & the Lost Dutch Boy Mine / Dog Daze Afternoon” (9/8/90) – Tom tries to get a watchdog off his tail using Frisbees. / McWolf wants to steal Droopy and Dripple’s gold claim. / Jerry rescues all the neighborhood dogs from the dog catcher.

“Toys Will be Toys / Droopy Delivers / My Pal” (9/15/90) – Tom chases Jerry in a toy store. / McWolf tries to ruin Droopy’s pizza business in order to take it over. / Tom regrets saving Clyde when he tries to help capture Jerry.

“Prehistoric Pals / Super Droop & Dripple Boy Meets the Yolker / Marvelous Marvin” (9/22/90) – Jerry befriends a dinosaur in the Stone Age. / Droopy and Dripple pursue the Yolker as superheroes. / Tom wants to catch Jerry in order to become a spokesperson for cat food.

“Bat Mouse / Puss n’ Pups / Outer Space Rover” (9/29/90) – Jerry uses Bat-Mouse to teach Tom a lesson. / Spike uses Kyle to teach Tyke how to chase cats. / Jerry befriends space dog Urfo.

“The Vermin / Aerobic Droopy / Mouse Scouts” (10/6/90) – Jerry keeps Tom up with his guitar playing. / McWolf tries to lure Miss Vavoom over to his aerobic studio from Droopy’s. / A bear interrupts Jerry’s mouse scout outing.

“Sugar Belle Loves Tom, Sometimes / Mall Mouse / Super Duper Spike” (10/13/90) – Sugar Belle makes it hard for Tom to focus on protecting a banquet from Jerry. / Tom has to guard a cheese shop from Jerry, who is secretly superhero Mall Mouse. / Spike masquerades as Tyke’s favorite superhero.

“Cosmic Chaos / Droopy of the Opera / Beach Bummers” (10/20/90) – Tom pursues Jerry in the future. / Pepperoni McWolf tries to ruin Droopy’s opera career. / Jerry rescues a dolphin at the beach while evading Tom.

“Gator Baiter / Hoodwinked Cat / Medieval Mouse” (10/27/90) – A wrestling gator leaves his career and encounters Tom and Jerry. / Kyle tries to get the bird Tyke is bringing to his grandmother. / In medieval times, Squire Tom is ordered to remove Jerry from the castle.

“Clyde to the Rescue / Droopio & Juliet / Maze Monster Zap Men” (11/3/90) – Clyde helps golfer Tom chase Jerry. / Droopy writes a story about competing with McWolf over Juliet. / Tom and Jerry are chased by monsters in a video arcade.

“Crash Condor / Yo Ho Ho…Bub / Scrub-A-Dub Tom” (11/10/90) – Jerry tries to rescue a baby condor from Tom. / Pirates Droopy, Dripple and McWolf compete over the same treasure and female pirate Vavoom. / A little girl dresses Tom up for a pet show, despite his objections.

“No Biz Like Snow Biz / The Maltese Poodle / Cast Away Tom” (11/17/90) – Tom goes skiing while Jerry’s mouse scouts tour the resort. / Detectives Droopy and Dripple search for the Maltese Poodle. / Tom ends up on an island and searches for food.

“The Little Urfulls / Droopo: First Bloodhound / Indy Mouse 500” (11/24/90) – Urfo puts 6 space pups in Jerry’s care. / Convict McWolf disguises himself as a sheriff to seek revenge on movie star hero Droopy. / Tom and Jerry enter a cross-country road race.

“Exterminator Cometh / Foreign Legion Frenzy / Urfo Returns” (12/1/90) – Calaboose Cal threatens to replace Tom if he captures Jerry first. / McWolf attacks Droopy and Dripple’s desert castle. / Urfo escapes a robotic Urfo catcher.

Season 2:

“Circus Antics / Tres Shiek / Head Banger Buddy” (9/14/91) – Tom interrupts Jerry’s day at the circus. / Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf for a princess. / Tom hits a dog on the head, making him think he’s a cat.

“Pump ‘Em up Pals / Droopyland / The Exterminator Cometh…Again” (9/21/91) – Tom and Jerry workout to outdo each other. / McWolf tries to destroy Droopy’s new amusement park. / Calaboose Cal takes Tom and Jerry to his TV studio.

“Jerry’s Mother / Stage Fright / Tom’s Terror” (9/28/91) – Jerry’s mother helps Jerry with Tom. / Miss Lolly Vavoom organizes a race between Droopy and McWolf. / Tom moves to a witch’s house.

“Who Are You, Kitten? / Broadway Droopy / Pussycat Pirate” (10/5/91) – An orphaned kitten moves in with Tom and becomes a nuisance to him and Jerry. / McWolf attempts to ruin Droopy’s Broadway performance. / A pirate hires Tom to catch Jerry on his ship.

“Father’s Day / Scourge of the Sky / Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel” (10/12/91) – Tom’s grandfather takes him to the desert to learn survival skills. / Droopy and Dripple are pilots in a war against McWolf. / Lightning Bolt gives Tom, Jerry and a dog the power of lightning.

“Amademouse / Muscle Beach Droopy / Perky the Fish Pinching Penguin” (10/19/91) – Tom and Jerry play music for a king. / Hank Hardbody gets angry when Droopy steals the attention of all the women. / A penguin escapes show business to find more fish to eat.

“Slowpoke Antonio / Haunted Droopy / Wildmouse” (10/26/91) – Jerry’s cousin Slowpoke comes to town to practice for a rodeo. / McWolf tries to scare Droopy out of his late-brother’s home. / Tom has to catch Wildmouse, a mouse raised in the wild by wolves.

“Catch That Mouse / Good Knight Droopy / Birthday Surprise” (11/2/91) – Tom appears on Calaboose Cal’s show to catch Jerry. / Droopy battles another knight for Princess Vavoom. / Tom tries to woo Cindy Lou with presents, including Jerry in a music box.

“Cleocatra / McWolfenstein / Chase School” (11/9/91) – Cleocatra orders Tothentamon to catch The Desert Shadow. / McWolf sends his new complaining monster after his rival Dr. Droopy. / Tom and Jerry become reference subjects at Cat and Mouse Chase School.

“Zorrito / Deep Sleep Droopy / Hard to Swallow” (11/16/91) – Zorrito steals back money from the fat cat that robbed the village’s mice. / Droopy and Dripple are Miss Vavoom’s bodyguards. / Jerry saves an injured bird from Tom.

“The Little Thinker / Rap Rat Is Where It’s At / My Pet” (11/23/91) – A little boy finds Urfo hiding from another adventure. / Droopy and Dripple pursue a rapping rat thief. / Tyke wants a pet cat and ends up adopting an escaped Bengalese tiger.

“The Calaboose Cal 495 / Return of the Chubby Man / Chumpy Chums” (11/30/91) – Tom and Jerry race for a million dollars. / The Chubby Man is after Miss Vavoom’s poodle again. / Spike tries to teach Tyke about brotherly love by reforming Tom into giving up his chasing Jerry.

“Jerry Hood and his Merry Meeces / Eradicator Droopy / Tyke on a Hike” (12/7/91) – The Sheriff sends Tom out to capture Jerry Hood. / Detectives Droopy and Dripple pursue mad scientist McWolf. / A jungle hike leads to a lion following Spike and Tyke home.

Season 3:

“The Planet Dogmania / McWolfula / Catawumpus Cat” (9/19/92) – Tom has a nightmare where he must catch Jerry or be sent to an all-dog planet. / McWolf tries to eat Droopy and Dripple in his castle. / Tom is sent after Wildmouse again.

“Pest in the West / Double ‘O’ Droopy / Tom, the Babysitter” (9/20/92) – Jerry’s cousin eats Tom’s food. / Spy Droopy has to foil McWolf’s plans. / Tom ends up doing the babysitter’s job for her.

“Gas Blaster Puss / Fear of Flying / Mess Hall Mouser” (9/26/92) – Tom uses a variety of weapons to wipe out Jerry and his new motorcycle. / Droopy and Dripple help McWolf get over his fear of flying. / In the army, a female cat prevents Tom from catching Jerry.

“Toliver’s Twist / Boomer Beaver / Pony Express Droopy” (9/27/92) – Tom and Jerry take in poor, starving mice. / Spike tears down a beaver’s home to build one for himself and Tyke. / Droopy and McWolf compete in a pony race.

“Krazy Klaws / Tyke on a Bike / Tarmutt of the Apes” (10/3/92) – Tom has to catch Jerry to be initiated into a motorcycle gang. / Tyke asks Spike to teach him how to ride his new bike, but Spike never learned. / Droopy saves a valuable gorilla from McWolf.

“Tom’s Mermouse Mess-Up / Here’s Sand In Your Face / Deep Space Droopy” (10/4/92) – Jerry helps a mermaid mouse escape from a museum. / Spike teaches Tyke how to deal with a bully through ballet. / In space, Droopy has to protect Miss Vavoom’s medallion from McWolf.

“Termi-Maid / The Fish That Shoulda Got Away / Droopy’s Rhino” (10/10/92) – A robot maid threatens Tom and Jerry. / Tyke finds a mermaid on a fishing trip. / Droopy ends up getting a reward for catching McWolf and saving a rhino.

“The Break ‘n’ Entry Boyz / Love Me, Love My Zebra / Dakota Droopy Returns” (10/11/92) – Tom and Jerry team-up to stop a pair of dog bandits. / Tyke hides an escaped zebra and ends up winning a race with him. / Droopy, Dripple and McWolf search the Amazon for a princess.

“Doom Manor / Barbecue Bust-Up / The Fabulous Droopy & Dripple” (10/17/92) – Tom and Jerry meet a witch at a creepy mansion. / Spike and Tyke’s barbecue is interrupted by a cat. / McWolf tries to prove to club owner Droopy and Dripple that he’s star quality.

“S.O.S. Ninja / The Pink Powder Puff Racer / Car Wash Droopy” (10/18/92) – Jerry teams-up with Ninjas against Tom. / Tyke enters a soapbox race. / McWolf tries to steal business from Droopy’s car wash.

“Go-Pher Help / Downhill Droopy / Down in the Dumps” (10/24/92) – A gopher helps protect Jerry from Tom. / Matterhorn McWolf gets jealous when movie star Vavoom gets ski lessons from Droopy and Dripple. / Tyke covers for his father in guarding the city dump.

“Catastrophe Cat / Droopy & the Dragon / Wildmouse II” (10/25/92) – Tom’s unlucky cousin visits and attempts to help catch Jerry. / Droop and Dripple get McWolf’s dragon. / The Gator Brothers are hired to get rid of Wildmouse.

“Tom’s Double Trouble / High Seas Hijinks / Just Rambling Along” (10/31/92) – Tom paints Jerry white to replace his owner’s mouse. / Droopy Columbus is in a race with McWolf to discover the new world. / Slowpoke Antonio takes a turn as a bullfighter.

“The Watchcat / Go With the Floe / Pooches in Peril” (11/1/92) – Jerry helps Tom put living museum exhibits back in their places before morning. / Droopy and Dripple race against Muck Luck McWolf to the North Pole. / Mounties Droopy and Dripple have to capture logger Salom McWolf.

“Catch as Cat Can / I Dream of Cheezy / Fraidy Cat” (11/7/92) – A game hunter sets his sights on Tom and Jerry. / Jerry finds a mouse genie named Cheezy. / Cat Tim comes to stay with Tom, but turns into a nuisance.

“Sing Along with Slowpoke / Dakota Droopy & the Great Train Robbery / Droopy Law” (11/8/92) – Slowpoke’s singing drives Tom nuts. / Dakota Droopy and Dripple guard a gold train from Gold McWolf. / Judge Droopy presides over a case of stolen cookies.

“Stunt Cat / See No Evil / This is No Picnic” (11/14/92) – Stunt Cat Tom stars in Dances with Dingbats with Kevin Castner. / Tom and Jerry discover invisible ink. / Ants ruin Spike and Tyke’s picnic.

“Scrapheap Symphony / Circus Cat / Cajun Gumbo” (11/15/92) – McWolf conducts the cast in a performance of “The William Tell Overture”. / A lion befriends Jerry and protects him from Tom. / Swampy the Fox escapes from the circus to go after a treasure the Gator Brothers and Sheriff Potgut want as well.

“Hunter Pierre / Battered Up / Conquest of the Planet Irwin” (11/21/92) – Hunter Pierre goes after Wildmouse. / It’s a ball game between Molasses Droopy and Thunderbolt McWolf. / Droopy, Dripple and McWolf crash land on planet Irwin and are given a quest by Queen Vavoom.

“Big Top Droopy / Jerry & the Beanstalk / High Speed Hounds” (11/22/92) – Bromo the Fearless Bear attempts to show up Droopy and Dripple. / Tom and Jerry steal a golden egg from a giant. / Droopy and McWolf race in the Big Apple Marathon for a date with High-Rise Vavoom.

“Penthouse Mouse / Twelve Angry Sheep / The Ant Attack” (11/28/92) – Calaboose Cal and Tom are hired to get Jerry out of a penthouse. / Judge Droopy presides over a case of stolen sheep. / Ants crash Tom’s birthday party and steal his cake.

“Mouse with a Message / It’s the Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. McWolf / Wild World of Bowling” (11/29/92) – In WWI, Jerry is sent with an important message that Tom wants to intercept. / Dr. McWolf tries to make himself handsome to outclass Dr. Droopy’s similar product. / Wildmouse enters the bowling alley where Tom works.

“Star Wrek / Droop & Deliver / Swallow the Swallow” (12/5/92) – Tom and Jerry travel through space. / Uncouth McWolf tries to steal the king’s treasure from Droopy and Dripple. / Kyle and Clyde attempt to catch and eat Bernie Bird.

“Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel Strikes Again / Surely You Joust / Rootin’ Tootin’ Slowpoke” (12/6/92) – Lightning Bolt interrupts Tom’s tennis game where he uses Jerry as the ball. / A king hires Droopy and Dripple to slay a dragon. / Slowpoke has a showdown with Flashipus.

“Firehouse Mouse / The Wrath of Dark Wolf / Pound Hound” (12/12/92) – Tom and Jerry help a dog become a firefighter. / Dark Wolf plots to take over Droopy and Dripple’s planet. / Kyle is forced to escape from the pound while handcuffed to a dog.

“The Ghost of Castle McLochjaw / A Thousand Clones / Roughing It” (12/13/92) – Tom and Jerry meet a ghost dog. / Dr. Dupo McWolf steals Dr. Vavoom’s duplication machine to make clones of himself. / Jerry and the mouse scouts rough it.

Season 4:

“As the Cheese Turns / McWerewolf in London / Grab That Bird” (9/11/93) – Tom and Jerry compete over whose soap they’ll watch. / Inspector Droopy and Sergeant Dripple have to stop McWerewolf in London. / Castaways Kyle and Clyde find Bernie Bird on an island.

“Cave Mouse / McWolvenstein Returns / Destructive Construction” (9/18/93) – Cave cat Tom chases cave mouse Jerry. / Droopy puts McWolfenstein’s monster in a movie. / Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazy Legs Snake chase each other at a construction site.

“Alien Mouse / Droopy Man / Abusement Park” (9/25/93) – Tom has to stop Wildmouse from eating the entire spaceship. / Droopy Man and Dripple Boy team-up with Cheetah Vavoom to stop a goodie thief. / Crazy Legs uses an amusement park to his advantage.

“Martian Mouse / Dark Wolf Strikes Back / Knockout Pig” (10/2/93) – Jerry goes for a joyride in an alien mouse’s spaceship, which Tom swallows. / Dark Wolf follows Droopy and Dripple after an energy ball. / A boxing pig escapes from his farm and hides out with Jerry, but every time he hears bells he hits Tom.

“Musketeer Jr. / Galaxy Droopy / Return of the Ants” (10/9/93) – Musketeer Jerry teaches Tuffy how to be a Musketeer. / Dark Wolf uses a Super Sucksaforsaurus to inhale the universe. / Spike and Tyke try to enjoy the beach, but ants keep going after their picnic basket.

“Droopyman Returns / Tom Thumped / Droopnet” (10/16/93) – Dr. Reginald Riff Rat threatens to turn the city into rats. / While the police pursue Wildmouse, Tom is spurned by a female cat over Jerry. / Detectives Droopnet and Dripple pursue car thief Dr. Scofflaw.

“Right-Brother Droopy / Cheap Skates / Hollywood Droopy” (10/23/93) – Flip Flop McWolf flies against the Right Brothers in an air race. / Jerry and Tom both buy skates. / Flops McWolf looks to cash in on an insurance policy on his new stars Droopy and Dripple.

“Fallen Archers / When Knights Were Cold / The Mouth is Quicker Than the Eye” (10/30/93) – Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf and Stinky in archery. / Tom is sent to deal with a fire-breathing Wildmouse. / Calaboose Cal performs magic at a brat’s birthday party.

“Mutton for Punishment / Cat Counselor Cat / Termite Terminator” (11/6/93) – Sheepherders Droopy and Dripple protect their flock from Sidewinder McWolf. / Calaboose Cal introduces Tom to modern methods of mouse catching. / Calaboose Cal is hired to remove a termite.

“Bride of McWolfenstein / Hillbilly Hootenanny / El Smoocho” (11/13/93) – McWolfenstein’s bride falls madly for Droopy. / Tom’s hillbilly cousins visit and attempt to help catch Jerry. / El Smoocho McWolf attempts to make off with a coach of gold and Miss Vavoom.

“Droopy Hockey / Hawkeye Tom / No Tom Like the Present” (11/20/93) – It’s a hockey game between Slap-shot Droopy and Ice-pick McWolf. / Jerry eludes both Tom and a hawkeye bird. / Tom is on his last life and must avoid any further injuries.

“Dirty Droopy / Two Stepping Tom / Disc Temper” (11/27/93) – After Mangler McWolf gets Detective Droopy fired, Droopy follows McWolf everywhere. / Tom has to stop Jerry from scaring performing elephant star Tundo. / Tom distracts a watchdog with Frisbees to chase Jerry on a beach.

“Order in Volleyball Court / King Wildmouse / Space Chase” (12/4/93) – Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf and Stinky in a volleyball game. / Tom and a hunter go after Wildmouse. / Tom and Jerry are sent to space to see if they can live in harmony in an experiment.