Why do we love Tom and Jerry?

Since its creation in the early 1940s, Tom and Jerry has become one of the most popular cartoons, enjoying a wide range of audience all around the world. This American animated series that centers around the simple plot of a never-ending rivalry between the cat Tom and the mouse Jerry contains a pretty typical example of animated American humor. Not only does it include racist stereotypes typical to the American culture like the black maid and characters shown in blackface following explosions, it is also includes a lot of hard core violence.

Take the episode of the golf course for example, as I was watching and laughing at it for the millionth time last night, out of pure interest and randomness, I decide to jot down every violent event that happened during the 8 minute video. Tom was smashed in the eye with a golf ball and the ball got stuck in his eye socket; Tom strangled himself with a golf club; Jerry got crunched by a flying golf ball; Tom’s teeth were completely shattered by a golf ball; Tom’s head was cut off; Tom used Jerry as a golf ball and smacked him with his golf club; Bees swarmed into Tom’s mouth etc. The above are just some of the gruesome events that happened in this short 6 minute clip. And anyone who has watched Tom and Jerry would be aware of the similar violent gags that happen in every episode: Jerry slicing Tom in half, shutting his head in a window or a door, stuffing Tom's tail in a waffle iron and a mangle, Tom using everything from axes, pistols, explosives, traps and poison to try to murder Jerry, the frequent use of explosives by the both of them and so on.

Let us now consider the following scenario: if we were to take the words “Tom” and “Jerry” away and use the above paragraph as a true and realistic description of a TV series, how many people who enjoy Tom and Jerry would go and watch it? How many parents who have no problem with their children watching Tom and Jerry would allow their kids to be exposed to a TV series with the above descriptions? The answer is probably not hard to guess. Then why is Tom and Jerry so widely renowned and accepted? With any observant viewer, it is not hard to realize that the core of the humor in Tom and Jerry lies in these exact scenes of violence. Yet people who watch it would still burst into hysteric laughter as they see Tom squashed into the shape of a bowling pin, or sliced into pieces. Why is it possible for such a huge population of people laugh at such vicious scenes without any slight uncomfortable feelings or guilt? Why is it that someone like me who can’t even stand the lightest “dead baby joke” would be a big fan of this long running cartoon?

What in Tom and Jerry makes it acceptable to a wide range of audience worldwide? And furthermore, why do people enjoy this kind of violent humor? I will go into a detailed discussion in the next blog post.