| Tom & Jerry Kids | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Tom & Jerry Kids Show(season 1) |
| Genre | Comedy Slapstick Surreal comedy |
| Based on | |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Tom Worrall |
| Composers | Tom Worrall Gary Lionelli (seasons 2–4) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (195 segments)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Paul Sabella (season 1) |
| Producers | Don Jurwich Joseph Barbera (seasons 2–4) |
| Editors | |
| Running time | 22 minutes (7 minutes per segment) |
| Production companies | H-B Production Co.[a] Turner Entertainment Co. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox (Fox Kids Network) |
| Release | September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08) – December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04) |
| Related | |
| The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show (1980) Tom and Jerry Tales (2006–08) Droopy, Master Detective (1993) | |
Tom & Jerry Kids (formerly known asTom & Jerry Kids Show in the first season) is an Americananimated television series co-produced byH-B Production Co. andTurner Entertainment Co., and starring the cat-and-mouse duoTom and Jerry as toddlers (toddler kitten and baby mouse).[1] It premiered onFox on September 8, 1990, airing as the first program of the children's programming block,Fox Kids,[2] and was the secondTom and Jerry TV series to be produced by Hanna-Barbera followingThe Tom & Jerry Show in 1975.
The series is somewhat similar to the "older" version of theoriginal theatricals, partly akin to being produced by creatorsWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera, founders ofHanna-Barbera and formerMGM cartoon studio staff.[3]
The Tom and Jerry Kids cartoons are based on the classic shorts,Tom and Jerry, but it stars the kitten and mouseling instead. They remain silent like their older selves and both of them are attempting to outwit each other, exactly like in the original shorts. Some of the plots and gags are recycled from old Tom and Jerry cartoons, but the violence is toned down for younger viewers.
The Spike and Tyke segments are based on the characters,Spike and Tyke from the original Tom and Jerry series. Strangely, Spike is still an adult and Tyke is slightly older in this series. Spike still loves his son, Tyke, more than anything and enjoys spending time with him. Additionally, Tyke now has the ability to talk, which mean that he has grown smarter and more intelligent. Spike's toughness is only used on occasions, as these segments mostly revolve around his love for his son and on teaching family values. Additionally, Spike and Tyke are grey like their debut appearances in the classicTom and Jerry shorts, with Tyke wearing a blue collar.
The Droopy and Dripple segments feature characters from the classicTex Avery shorts starringDroopy. Droopy has a different job every episode and his son Dripple (a tinier, identical version of him) always follows him as his assistant. The two will usually end up clashing with McWolf, the before-unnamed villainous wolf from Avery shorts that, envious of their success, will use any dirty trick against them to win, but inevitably fails. The beautiful Miss Vavoom (Red in Avery shorts) is another possible source of conflict between the two, as both of them have a crush on her and she, or a kiss from her, is often the prize of some sort of competition.
Their "detective" segments were later spun-off intoDroopy, Master Detective.
Slowpoke Antonio is the western cousin of Jerry. While he appeared in the "Tom and Jerry" segments, Slowpoke Antonio did star in two cartoons.
Calaboose Cal is a gold cat and mouse exterminator who often helps Tom try to catch Jerry. While he appeared in theTom and Jerry segments, Calaboose Cal did star in two cartoon shorts.
Wild Mouse is a ferocious mouse who often aids Jerry in thwarting Tom. While he appeared in the "Tom and Jerry" segments, Wild Mouse did star in two cartoon shorts.
Season 4 features a new adaption of theBlast-Off Buzzard segment from theCB Bears where the characters actually talk. In these segments, Blast-Off Buzzard leads hisbiker gang of buzzards as they try to catch Crazylegs. Only two episodes were made.
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | 39 | 13 | September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08) | December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01) | |
| 2 | 39 | 13 | September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14) | December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07) | |
| 3 | 78 | 26 | September 12, 1992 (1992-09-12) | December 13, 1992 (1992-12-13) | |
| 4 | 39 | 13 | September 11, 1993 (1993-09-11) | December 4, 1993 (1993-12-04) | |
The series was a co-production betweenHanna-Barbera andTurner Entertainment Co., serving as the former's secondTom and Jerry series afterThe Tom & Jerry Show in 1975. This is the first Tom and Jerry series to be produced by Turner Entertainment, after they had bought theTom and Jerry franchise fromMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1986. Parent companyTurner Broadcasting System would buy the Hanna-Barbera studios in late 1991 starting with the third season. Perhaps the most notable differences from the classic shorts are the pair's appearances (and ages). Concept art byJerry Eisenberg showed that Tom was planned to live with his parents, but this was changed to him living with human owners.[4][5][6]Tom & Jerry Kids was one of the lastSaturday-morning cartoons from Hanna-Barbera before shifting focus toward producing shows specifically for Cartoon Network.
In 1994,Fox canceled the series and ended its run onFox Kids on September 4, 1994, but it soon began airing in reruns onCartoon Network (which Turner launched to showcase its large animation library, including the originalTom and Jerry) in 1995, and ended in 2007[citation needed] when the show was removed from the Cartoon Network schedule and moved to its sister channelBoomerang. However, it made a brief return to the Cartoon Network airwaves on June 4, 2023, during a marathon consisting on other Tom and Jerry shows. In the MENA region, an Arabic-language version of the show was broadcast onSpacetoon from July 13, 2000, to December 31, 2004.
In 1991, 12 episodes were put on two VHS cassettes in the United States, although only a few million copies were made. Eleven VHS cassettes were released in the United Kingdom. The series was released on DVD in Germany by Kinowelt Home Entertainment on July 11, 2008, as the first official DVD release.[7] In 2010, the episodeFlippin' Fido was included in the Deluxe Anniversary Collection DVD set with the original opening and closing titles restored, different from TV airing versions.
On April 30, 2013,Warner Home Video released the first season of the show on DVD for the first time. The remaining 3 seasons have yet to see a DVD release. In the United Kingdom, Season One was released as 2 separate DVDs on August 12, 2013, under the titlesBaby Tom and Jerry, as part of WB's Big Faces range. Like the U.S. release of Season One,Baby Tom[8] includes the first seven half-hour episodes, whileBaby Jerry[9] includes the remaining 6 episodes.
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Season 1 | 13 | April 30, 2013 |
This show was given a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1992 for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition.[citation needed]
In Mexico, Editorial Vid made a comic book based onTom & Jerry Kids in 1990. Tom and Jerry (the original older versions) have their own comic book there, and theTom & Jerry Kids comic book is followed by Tom and Jerry.
