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| Jerry Mouse | |
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| Tom and Jerry character | |
 Jerry's design in theHanna-Barbera shorts. | |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | |
| Designed by |
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| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Gerald/Jerome Jinx Mouse[1] |
| Species | House mouse (Mus musculus) |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Nibbles (ward) |
| Relatives | |
| Nationality | American |
Gerald Jinx "Jerry"Mouse is an American character and one of the two titular characters inMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series ofTom and Jerry theatrical animated short films and other animated media, usually acting as the protagonist opposite his rivalTom Cat. Created byWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera, Jerry is ananthropomorphic (but usually silent) brownhouse mouse, who first appeared as a mouse named Jinx in the 1940 MGM animated shortPuss Gets the Boot.[2] Hanna gave the mouse's original name as "Jinx",[3] while Barbera claimed the mouse went unnamed in his first appearance.
The name "Jerry" was chosen by Geraint Rowlands, who submitted "Tom and Jerry" as potential names for the duo after an importantLoews Inc. distributor in Texas asked for follow-ups toPuss Gets the Boot.[2] While the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo was considered shopworn by the 1940s,[2] Hanna and Barbera decided to expand upon the standard expected cat and mouse relationship. Instead of being a "cowering victim" ofTom, he took delight in besting, and even torturing, his feline frenemy (even if Tom is just following orders or is even just minding his own business and is antagonized by Jerry). Hanna and Barbera considered Tom and Jerry "the best of enemies", whose rivalry hid an unspoken amount of mutual caring and respect for one another.[4]
In laterTom and Jerry cartoons, Jerry acquired a young ward: a small grey mouse called "Tuffy" or "Nibbles" depending upon the cartoon,[5][6] who was left on Jerry's doorstep as afoundling baby in the 1946 shortThe Milky Waif.[6] Jerry and Tuffy were also featured together in a sub-series ofTom and Jerry cartoons set in 17th century France which featured the characters asmusketeers.[5] The first of these shorts,The Two Mouseketeers, won the 1951Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.[5]
Hanna and Barbera served as writer/directors of theTom and Jerry cartoons until 1956, when they also became the producers.[7] FourteenTom and Jerry cartoons between 1940 and 1954 were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, with seven of the shorts winning that award.[8]: 32 MGM shut down its animation department in 1957, but newTom and Jerry cartoons were produced byGene Deitch and laterChuck Jones during the 1960s. Jerry would also appear in laterTom and Jerry productions made for television, a series of direct-to-video features, andTom and Jerry: The Movie, a 1992 theatrical film.[9] Later productions eschewed much of the violence the 1940s and 1950s shorts were known for, and in several of the television shows Jerry was given a red bowtie and a kinder disposition inTom & Jerry Kids.[10]
Tom and Jerry aren't always enemies; they have been known to team up on occasion. The first Tom and Jerry short/film that Jerry was in isPuss Gets the Boot, and the last isThe Karate Guard, the 163rd Tom and Jerry film. Jerry has been on the Tom and Jerry film series from 1940 to the present.
On his own, Jerry Mouse appears in a fantasy sequence in the 1945Gene Kelly MGMmusical filmAnchors Aweigh.[11] Jerry appears as the young ruler of a kingdom where music is banned because he feels he lacks talent, and Kelly persuades the mouse into performing a song-and-dance number with him.[12] Kelly and MGM had originally wantedWalt Disney'sMickey Mouse as Kelly's dance partner for the sequence, but Disney was unwilling to license the character.[13]
Hanna and Barbera achieved the effect of Kelly dancing with Jerry byrotoscoping: live-action plates of Kelly dancing alone were shot first, and the action traced frame by frame so that Jerry's movements would match.[13] The success of the animated segment ofAnchors Aweigh, which was mentioned as "stealing the show" in contemporary trade reviews,[12] led to two more live-action/animated projects for Hanna and Barbera and MGM: an underwater ballet sequence featuring both Tom and Jerry in the 1953 filmDangerous When Wet, withEsther Williams, and the "Sinbad the Sailor" sequence of Kelly's 1956 filmInvitation to the Dance.[13]
In 1990, this version of Jerry wears a red bowtie (just like what he used to have in the1975Tom and Jerry Show) and has a tuft of hair on his head. He often taunts Tom (as akitten) any chance he gets. Sometimes, in a few episodes, he is friends with/allies of Tom.
Like Tom, Jerry is usually a silent character, but this is not a strict rule, and several people have voiced him in various capacities over the years:
Jerry has had a number of voice actors over the years. Ever since his debut inPuss Gets the Boot his vocal effects were provided by co-creator William Hanna during the Hanna-Barbera era. Harry E. Lang did Jerry's vocal effects and speaking voice in the shortsThe Lonesome Mouse (1943) andMouse in Manhattan (1945). Sara Berner voiced Jerry in the shortThe Zoot Cat (1944), as well asAnchors Aweigh (1945) in a dance sequence with him andGene Kelly. A sequence in the shortThe Milky Waif (1946) features Jerry and Nibbles disguising themselves as a pair of black people, in which the former is voiced by Lillian Randolph (same voice asMammy Two Shoes). Paul Frees did Jerry's speaking voice in the shortsHis Mouse Friday (1951) andBlue Cat Blues (1956). Manuel Paris did Jerry's voice in the shortMucho Mouse (1957). When theMGM cartoon studio shut down in 1957 andGene Deitch and European animation studioRembrandt Studio took over, he and Allen Swift did Jerry's voice during the 1961–62 era. During theChuck Jones era in 1963–1967, his voice was provided by Mel Blanc, June Foray, Chuck Jones, and Abe Levitow. Terence Monk did his voice in the shortThe Cat Above and the Mouse Below (1964) and Dale McKennon did Jerry's singing voice inCat and Dupli-cat (1967). InThe Tom and Jerry Show (1975), Jerry was voiced by John Stephenson. Lou Scheimer voiced him inThe Tom and Jerry Comedy Show (1980–1982). Frank Welker voiced him inTom and Jerry Kids (1990–1993), andTom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (2002). Dana Hill voiced Jerry's voice inTom and Jerry: The Movie (1992).
Other voice actors include Jeff Bergman in a Cartoon Network Latin America bumper, Alan Marriott inTom and Jerry in Fists of Furry (2000) andTom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers (2002), Marc Silk inTom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers (2002; as Monster Jerry), Spike Brandt inThe Karate Guard (2005),Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007),Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010),Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (2011),Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012),Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure (2013),Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon (2014),Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest (2015),Tom and Jerry Back to Oz (2016), andTom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017), Sam Vincent inTom and Jerry Tales (2006-2008). InThe Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series), Jerry's vocal effects are provided by the show's sound designer Rich Danhakl and archival recordings of William Hanna from the original theatrical shorts. InTom & Jerry (2021 film), his voice was provided by André Sogliuzzo and archived recordings of William Hanna.
On November 18, 2021, it was confirmed that Eric Bauza would be voicing the character on the 2022fighting game,MultiVersus, which establishes Jerry's original given name "Jinx" to be his middle name.[1] InCartoon Network in Japan'sTom and Jerry shorts, Jerry was voiced by Aya Yonekura.
Tom and Jerry were planned to appear as a cameo in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral" from the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit.[24]
The Itchy & Scratchy Show fromThe Simpsons parodies Tom and Jerry, with its mouse character named Itchy.
Jerry has been variously credited asGerald "Jerry" Mouse in the video gameMultiversus,[1] andJerome A. Mouse in the credits to their 2020 feature film. Neither of these conflicting names is considered canon, according to leading animation historianJerry Beck.[25]
The stage name of Ukrainian singerJerry Heil was derived from her use of the name "Jerry Mouse" on Russian social media serviceVK.[26]
Thesupreme leader of Iran,Ayatollah Khamenei likened therivalry between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran to Tom and Jerry, with Iran in the role of Jerry.[27]
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