List of Tom and Jerry characters
This is a list of characters in the Tom and Jerry animated short series. Most of these characters did not appear in all of the movies.
Main characters
Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse
Tom is a blue and white domestic shorthair cat. "Tom" is a generic name for a male cat. He is usually but not always, portrayed as living a comfortable, or even pampered life, while Jerry is a small, brown, house mouse who always lives in close proximity to Tom. Despite being very energetic, determined and much larger, Tom is no match for Jerry's wits. Jerry also possesses surprising strength for his size, approximately the equivalent of Tom's, lifting items such as anvils with relative ease and withstanding considerable impacts. Although cats typically chase mice to consume them, it is quite rare for Tom to actually try to consume Jerry, but only to hurt or compete with him as usual in a more intimidating strategy to just taunt Jerry, and even to obtain a reward from a human /master) for catching Jerry, or for generally doing his job greatly as a house cat. By the final "fade-out" of each cartoon, Jerry usually gets the best of Tom.However, other results may be reached. On rare occasions, Tom triumphs, usually when Jerry becomes the aggressor or when he pushes Tom a little too far. In The Million Dollar Cat, Jerry learns that Tom will lose his newly acquired wealth if he harms any animal, "including a mouse;" he then torments Tom a little too much until he retaliates. In Timid Tabby Tom's look-alike cousin pushes Jerry over the edge. Occasionally and usually ironically, they both lose, usually when Jerry's final trap or attack on Tom backfires or Jerry overlooks something. In Chuck Jones' Filet Meow, Jerry orders a shark from the pet store to scare Tom away from eating a goldfish, but finds himself entirely intimidated as well. Finally, they occasionally end up being friends, although within this set of stories, there is often a last minute event that ruins the truce. One story that has friendly ending is Snowbody Loves Me.
Both characters display sadistic tendencies, in that they are equally likely to take pleasure in tormenting each other, although it is often in response to a triggering event. However, when one character appears to truly be in mortal danger from an unplanned situation or due to actions by a third party, the other will develop a conscience and save him. Occasionally, they bond over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience and their attacking each other is more play than serious attacks. Multiple shorts show the two getting along with minimal difficulty, and they are more than capable of working together when the situation calls for it, usually against a third party who manages to torture and humiliate them both. Sometimes this partnership is forgotten quickly when an unexpected event happens, or when one character feels that the other is no longer necessary. This is the case in Posse Cat, when they agree that Jerry will allow himself to be caught if Tom agrees to share his reward dinner, but Tom then reneges. Other times however, Tom does keep his promise to Jerry and the partnerships are not quickly dissolved after the problem is solved.
Hanna/Barbera era
The following characters were introduced in the theatrical shorts that were directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.Spike and Tyke
Spike, occasionally referred to as Butch or Killer, is a stern but occasionally dumb grey American bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but is gentle towards mice, and later, his son Tyke. In the shorts Jerry would often try to get Tom in trouble with Spike so that the bulldog would beat him. Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness. His first speaking role was in The Bodyguard, where he was voiced by Billy Bletcher up until 1949, from which point he was voiced by Daws Butler. Spike is very protective towards his son and gets very angry at Tom if Tyke is bothered or harmed. After Daws Butler, Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, John DiMaggio, Michael Donovan, Phil LaMarr and currently Rick Zieff would all perform Spike's voice. Unlike his father Spike, Tyke does not speak in Tom and Jerry ; he does speak in Tom and Jerry Kids, voiced by Frank Welker and speaking roles by Patric Zimmerman.Butch
Butch is a black alley cat who made his first appearance in the Tom and Jerry series in the short Baby Puss, alongside Topsy and the already-established Meathead. His character, however, first appeared in the MGM short The Alley Cat, directed by Hugh Harman, Butch's only solo cartoon. Butch is the leader of the alley cat bullies who are usually friends with Tom and help him catch Jerry. In his first appearance, Baby Puss, Butch was an antagonist, tormenting Tom after Tom's young girl owner treated him like a baby—to the point of dressing Tom up in a diaper, a bonnet, and pink paw mittens. Thus costumed, Tom couldn't help but be a figure of fun—both for Butch and his gang, and for Jerry. Butch also battles with Tom over Toodles Galore and her affections in a couple of shorts including the shorts, Springtime for Thomas and Casanova Cat. In some cartoons, such as A Mouse in the House, Butch battles with Tom to catch Jerry. Butch is usually portrayed as a homeless alley/street cat although in the short, Blue Cat Blues, Butch is apparently a millionaire who wins the attention of Tom's love interest due to his immense wealth much to Tom's dismay. Butch also appears in a cartoon in the short-lived Spike and Tyke cartoon series Scat Cats as a house cat owned by George and Joan who in later installments of the original series own Tom.In much later cartoons, he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche in , Tony Cervone in The Karate Guard, Colin Murdock in Tom and Jerry Tales, Alan Marriott in Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry, Marc Silk in Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers, and Joey D'Auria in The Tom and Jerry Show.
Toodles Galore
Toodles Galore is an attractive white female cat, who usually wears a large blue bow around her neck, and is supposedly Tom's girlfriend, although Tom is a reputed playboy, and had other love interests before and after Toodles. Toodles is the only love interest who appeared more than twice, and is probably the most favored. During the classic era, Tom had to compete twice against Butch and even once against Spike for Toodles's affection, and he lost them all. In Casanova Cat, Toodles even fell in love once with Jerry.Toodles is one of the more anthropomorphic animals in the early series, but her depiction varies by period. She never speaks and she rarely moves around. She has a feline main body, not human, however, details like whiskers come and go. She also has cat ears and nose. However, she has many human attributes. She sits in very human poses and walks on two feet,. She has human-shaped hands with painted nails, and rather human eyes and lips made up as a human woman of the era might. In most appearances, like the other cats, she wears nothing but her fur, but in she wears a bathing suit in one early episode with a human feminine figure.
In later series, Tom and Jerry Show, for example, her appearance and attitude is shown even more anthropomorphically, she wears human clothes and accessories, and she is heard speaking for the first time, as voiced by Alicyn Packard.
Mammy Two Shoes
Mammy Two Shoes is an African-American woman based on the Mammy archetype. Whether or not she is a maid taking care of the home in which Tom and Jerry reside or the homeowner is never made clear. Her face is never seen, and she usually attacks the cat whenever she believes he is misbehaving. Mammy would appear in 19 cartoons, starting with Puss Gets the Boot and ending with Push-Button Kitty. Gene Deitch opted not to use Mammy's character in his shorts, as he felt a "stereotypical black housekeep" character "didn't work in a modern context."Nibbles
Nibbles is a little, blue/gray, diaper-wearing orphan mouse who is close to Jerry and appears frequently with him, especially in the comics. His cartoon debut came in the short The Milky Waif. Nibbles was later featured in the Academy Award-winning short The Little Orphan.He is sometimes seen as Jerry's nephew, but occasionally referred to as an orphan. Nibbles is often shown eating excessively. In his first animated appearance, he was left on Jerry's doorstep, abandoned by his parents. Tom enjoys chasing Nibbles as much as he does Jerry.
Though the character was created under the name Tuffy for the comics in 1942, his early animated appearances gave him the name Nibbles. During the 1950s and subsequently, the mouse was called Tuffy on-screen as well. In ', the name Nibbles was used again—and the character was depicted as a pet-store mouse whom Jerry doesn't know.
In the Mouseketeer shorts, Nibbles speaks in French and English. He also is not Jerry's nephew; rather, he is the son of François Mouse—who does not make an appearance, but his name was given in two letters in the short Touché, Pussy Cat!.
Like his uncle Jerry, Nibbles is often mistaken for a girl due to his extraordinarily high pitched voice. He was voiced by Francoise Brun-Cottan in the Mouseketeer shorts, Tara Strong in ', Kath Soucie from 2010 onwards, and Alan Marriott in the video games Fists of Furry and War of the Whiskers.
Quacker
Another recurring character in the series was Little Quacker the duckling, who was later adapted into the Hanna-Barbera character Yakky Doodle. He appears in Little Quacker, Just Ducky, Downhearted Duckling, Southbound Duckling, That's My Mommy, Happy Go Ducky, and The Vanishing Duck. Quacker talks a lot compared to Tom and Jerry. His voice is a 'duck voice' similar to Disney's Donald Duck. In many shorts, he is the only character who speaks. He is very trusting, even trusting Tom in many situations in which Tom wishes to eat him. He is a friend of Jerry, but unlike Jerry harbors no hard feelings towards Tom. He appeared in The Tom and Jerry Show episode "The Lost Duckling". He also got his own series of shorts on The Yogi Bear Show after guesting in several Hanna-Barbera TV shows. Quacker was then used as a template for the 'Hard Luck Duck' character starring in the titular character's short from the What a Cartoon! series. His What a Cartoon! counterpart Hard Luck Duck was voiced by Russi Taylor.Quacker was voiced by Red Coffey in the classic shorts, and Alan Marriott in Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry and Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. He was named "Duckling" in those games.
In Tom and Jerry Show, Quacker's "duck voice" is provided by Sam Kwasman.
In three cartoons, Quacker becomes separated from his mother at birth, only to reunite with her later in two of them. In That's My Mommy however, he is adopted by Tom. In Little Quacker, Quacker's father, Henry makes an appearance. Because his birth is shown differently in different cartoons, he may have siblings as seen in Just Ducky and Happy Go Ducky.
Quacker gets a girlfriend in Downhearted Duckling.
Cuckoo
Cuckoo is a canary that first appeared in Kitty Foiled. He also appeared in The Flying Cat, Life with Tom, Hic-cup Pup, Two Little Indians and Matinee Mouse. He is Jerry's best friend. Despite being a little bird, he can actually carry heavy objects like a bowling ball in Kitty Foiled and a 2000 lb. weight in The Flying Cat.Lightning
Lightning is a ginger orange cat who first appeared in the short Old Rockin' Chair Tom as Tom's rival. Lightning is named as such because in his first short, he practically moved at the speed of lightning. In later cartoons, Lightning often appeared as one of Tom's alley cat buddies/rivals. Lightning has the same character design as Butch Cat, but with an orange color. In Mucho Mouse, he speaks Spanish and is a house cat. He also appears in the Gene Deitch short Switchin' Kitten. In the Chuck Jones short Catty-Cornered, Lightning is portrayed with more of an orange-yellow color than before, with the additional changes of a black tail and ears. In appearances where Meathead is absent, Lightning is usually portrayed as the most dim-witted of the recurring alley cats.Topsy
Topsy is a grey/brown Scottish Fold kitten. He is one of Tom's alley cat friends/foes, although in Professor Tom he befriends Jerry. He first appeared in Baby Puss; his final appearance in the original theatrical shorts was in Scat Cats. He also appears in Tom and Jerry Tales with a more yellowish color. In Professor Tom, Topsy is explicitly a house cat; more often, he is depicted as an alley cat or a cat of unknown origin.Meathead
Meathead is a brown, mangy alley cat who wears a red toupee. He is generally portrayed as dull-witted and first appeared in the short, Sufferin' Cats!, as Tom's rival. He also appears in Baby Puss and additional shorts as one of Tom's alley cat buddies/foes. He is known as Frankie in Heavenly Puss. In Scat Cats, his final appearance in the original theatrical shorts, he is portrayed with an all-gray color.Meathead appeared in several episodes of Tom and Jerry Tales with an orange color similar to Lightning and also had a red nose and, in two episodes, a bushy tail.
Meathead re-appeared in The Tom and Jerry Show episode Cruisin' for a Bruisin as a lead antagonist, while a drag version of the character named Meathelda appeared in the episode Hop to It! Meathead also makes multiple appearances in later seasons, usually alongside Butch and other alley cats.
George and Joan
George and Joan are an average middle-class white couple, who debuted in the short Pet Peeve. They are the owners of Tom and Spike, but Tom likes to keep Joan company and Spike likes to keep George company. Joan is often seen either cooking or sitting on her armchair knitting or sewing a dress with Tom keeping her company. George, on the other hand, hates the monthly bills and complains that they're too expensive. But when he's not complaining about the bills, he is sitting in his armchair or on the sofa reading the newspaper wearing his smart purple or grey suit and Spike is keeping him company. Both George and Joan are very kind and polite towards each other and Tom and Spike. In Pet Peeve, George and Joan decided to keep Jerry as a pet because he is easy to look after and doesn't eat too much and tell Tom and Spike to leave. However, in later shorts with George and Joan, Tom and Spike still happily live with them and Jerry is not known by the couple and he is not a pet.In some shorts, Joan appears without George, such as Mouse for Sale, The Flying Sorceress, Mucho Mouse and Tot Watchers. It could be presumed that George would be working at his office during the settings of these cartoons.
George and Joan also appeared in three other Tom & Jerry shorts, Tom's Photo Finish, Busy Buddies and The Vanishing Duck and one Spike and Tyke short, Scat Cats.
Jeannie and the Baby
Jeannie, the babysitter of George and Joan's baby, is an average teenager who spends much of her time talking on the phone. She is often called on to look after the baby if they're going out. Jeannie proceeds to leap straight onto the phone just as George and Joan shut the front door, which implies that she is very negligent about her job. Despite this, Jeannie is very kind, friendly, cheerful and rarely loses a smile—except to scold Tom for "bothering the baby", which she thinks he is doing on purpose to annoy her. Jeannie was seen in only two cartoons: Busy Buddies and Tot Watchers. Jeannie is voiced by Janet Waldo in the original shorts. The baby also appears in Tom & Jerry Kids where the babysitter is slightly younger and a redhead instead of a blonde.The Ants
The Ants are an army of red ants who steal food as they see them. They appeared in four cartoons Cat Napping, Pup on a Picnic, Barbecue Brawl and Carmen Get It!. They also appeared in Tom & Jerry Kids. They're unusually heavy for their size, and their combined weight often causes many items, such as Tom's hammock, to break. It is unclear how or why the ants are so heavy, as they are even capable of making tables and diving boards shake as they march onto them.Guardian devils
Each guardian devil for Tom and Jerry appeared in three cartoons Sufferin' Cats!, Springtime for Thomas and Smitten Kitten. In the first of these cartoons, one served as evil conscience for Tom and in the other one for Jerry.Goldfish
A tiny goldfish who is friends with Jerry and lives in the same house as Tom and Jerry. She appeared in major roles in Jerry and the Goldfish and Filet Meow. Tom's attempts to eat her lead to Jerry earning her affections. She also appeared in cameo roles in other cartoons Puss Gets the Boot, Puss n' Toots, Baby Puss, The Million Dollar Cat, Casanova Cat, The Missing Mouse, Haunted Mouse and The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off.Muscles
Muscles is Jerry's cousin and a mouse with incredible strength. In Jerry's Cousin, Muscles appears to hate cats, including Tom. In Haunted Mouse, another mouse named Merlin, who is also a cousin of Jerry's, appears as a wizard with magical abilities. Muscles' other appearance was in ', however his name was changed to Freddie and he was hostile towards Jerry. He was voiced by Paul Frees in Jerry's Cousin and by Billy West in '. He also appeared in The Tom and Jerry Show.George (cat)
George is the cat counterpart of Muscles but with a personality that is in stark contrast to him. Like Muscles, George is identical to Tom and is his cousin. Unlike Muscles, however, George is a coward and is scared of mice. He first appeared at the beginning of Jerry's Cousin where he gets thrashed by Muscles. His bigger role was in Timid Tabby where he finally overcomes his fear. He also appeared in Tom & Jerry Kids, the early 1990s television series, where his fear seems to have re-instated even though he pretended it has not.Fluff, Muff and Puff
Fluff, Muff and Puff are a trio of brown, black and orange kittens that first appeared in Heavenly Puss as adorable kittens -who were killed by drowning- in a cameo role. They also appeared in Triplet Trouble as cute but extremely mischievous kittens. They also appeared in The Tom and Jerry Show.Chérie
Chérie is a brown/grey female mouse who serves as Jerry's love interest. She first appeared at the end of Springtime for Thomas, and then later in Smitten Kitten, Touché, Pussy Cat!, Tom and Chérie and The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R..Toots
Toots is the name given to three different characters that have appeared infrequently. The first of these is a fluffy beige cat who appears in Puss n' Toots and The Mouse Comes to Dinner, the latter being her only speaking role. She also has a cameo in Smitten Kitten. This version of Toots also appeared in some 1940s Tom and Jerry comics. Toots is also a different cat by the same name who appears in The Zoot Cat and in the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "Kitty Cat Blues".She has occasionally and erroneously been referred to as "Sheikie", but this is actually Tom's nickname, as seen on a gift card in the cartoon. Finally, Toots is the name of a mouse who serves as Jerry's love interest in Blue Cat Blues. Toots also appeared in Love Me, Love My Mouse.King of France
In some of the mouseketeer series of cartoons, Tom serves the king of France. This is an obvious reference to Louis XVI of France, who is shown as an extremely short-tempered and cruel monarch. In The Two Mouseketeers, the king executes Tom while in Royal Cat Nap, he orders for Tom's execution.Mechano cat and Robot-Mouse
Mechano cat first appeared in Push Button Kitty as Tom's rival. Later, Mechano and Robot-Mouse are seen as a cat-like-robot and mouse-like-robot who serve Tom and Jerry in the three Chuck Jones outer space cartoons O-Solar Meow, Guided Mouse-ille and Advance and Be Mechanized. Mechano's efforts to catch or trap Jerry or Robot-Mouse always backfire for Tom, except in Advance and Be Mechanized, when he succeeds to catch Robot-Mouse in the beginning. In Guided Mouse-ille, he can stand upright and have hands to use a gun with to try and blast Jerry in his mobile tank. This backfired and left Mechano with a black face, while crying in frustration. He sneaks back and promptly shoots Tom, who attempts to shoot Mechano back for his insubordination. However, the shot came out on the wrong end and Tom faints leaving Mechano laughing himself silly. He also appeared in the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "Tin Cat of Tomorrow" where he is named Verminator 7000. Mechano also appeared as a fighter in the video game, War of the Whiskers, and was voiced by Marc Silk.The St. Bernard
The St. Bernard is a dog who first appeared in Puttin' on the Dog and then again in The A-Tom-Inable Snowman. Unlike the other dogs in the franchise, he is not hostile to cats and on one occasion becomes Tom's medical assist. He also appeared in War Dogs.Eagle
Eagle is an Eagle that tries to steal Jerry for food from Tom. He first appeared in Flirty Birdy, then in The Tom and Jerry Show episode "The Egg and Tom and Jerry" and then again in Tom and Jerry Tales episode "Bend it like Thomas". Eagle also appeared as a playable character in the video game War of the Whiskers, voiced by Alan Marriott.Lion
Lion is a lion that has switched from a tame one in Jerry and the Lion, to a nervous one in The Tom and Jerry Show episode "The Hypochondriac Lion" to a monster in the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "You're Lion". He is also a playable character in Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers where he is voiced by Alan Marriott.Baby Woodpecker
A baby woodpecker that first appeared in Hatch Up Your Troubles and its remake The Egg and Jerry where it could peck into virtually anything including Tom's stomach, Tom's golf club in Tee for Two or a water pipe as in Landing Stripling. Baby Woodpecker and his Mama would re-appear by making cameo appearances in The Tom and Jerry Show which ran from 2014.Uncle Pecos
Uncle Pecos is Jerry's Cowboyish uncle who appears in Pecos Pest. He was voiced by Shug Fisher. He is known to always play with a guitar and wears a black cowboy hat that covers his eyes. He plucks each of Tom's whiskers off to replace broken strings on the guitar. Being from Texas, he is shown to be super strong and is also shown to have a stammering problem especially while singing.Uncle Pecos returned in the Tom and Jerry Tales episode "Cry Uncle", voiced by Scott McNeil. In the episode, he arrives at Tom and Jerry's house and annoys Tom and Jerry with his music. He later leaves with Auntie Spinner in the end of the episode. Uncle Pecos made his second return in The Tom and Jerry Show, voiced by Stephen Stanton. He appears in the episodes, "I Quit", "Uncle Pecos Rides Again" and "Cat-A-Tonic Mouse".
Radio
A radio with a male human voice that broadcasts music, cookery show and warnings on escaped animals, bomb threats etc. In Jerry's Diary, the radio is shown to be anthropomorphic but this is not the case with other cartoons. The radio's announcements often cause troubles for Tom, as in The Missing Mouse, Jerry and the Lion, Little Runaway and Down Beat Bear, fear in Fraidy Cat, embarrassment in Jerry's Diary and Life with Tom or as in Jerry and the Goldfish may be the cause of evil intentions.Radio has been voiced by Martha Wentworth in Fraidy Cat, by Paul Frees in The Missing Mouse and Jerry and the Lion, Joseph Forte in Jerry's Diary and Daws Butler in Jerry and the Goldfish, while others are not known.
Jackass
Unlike other Tom and Jerry characters, this one is not a character per se, but rather a substitution for a character, such as Spike the bulldog, for a brief visual gag. Usually, a character turns into a jackass when it is fooled such as Spike in Solid Serenade, The Framed Cat and Pet Peeve or Tom in Polka Dot Puss. In Pup on a Picnic, the word 'Sucker' is used instead of 'Jackass'.Gene Deitch era
The following characters were introduced in the theatrical shorts that were directed by Gene Deitch in the 1960s.Clint Clobber
An overweight, average height, middle-aged, bald white man became Tom's owner in three of the thirteen cartoons in Down and Outing, High Steaks and Sorry Safari. Unlike Spike the Bulldog, he has very severe anger issues and is repeatedly violent towards Tom for his actions. Clint Clobber is voiced by Allen Swift.Clint Clobber had previously been created by Deitch for Terrytoons in the 1950s. In his earlier incarnation, he was more of a put-upon grouch than he was an abusive pet owner.
Mad Scientist
He is a mad scientist reminiscent of Frankenstein. He first appeared in Switchin' Kitten and subsequently was the subject of a number of television episodes and movies thereafter. In his first appearance, the mad scientist is the owner of Jerry and has numerous cats trapped in a prison. When Jerry picks an orange cat named Lightning, the other cats flee in terror as the scientist pulls him out for his latest experiment. He switches the mind of the orange cat with that of a bulldog and presents him as his present to Jerry.Thin Lady
An unnamed thin white lady was Tom's owner in Buddies Thicker Than Water. Chuck Jones would also use her in The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse and in the revised version of Saturday Evening Puss. She also appeared in the movie . Like many other early human characters, her face was never shown.Chuck Jones era
The following characters were introduced in the theatrical shorts that were produced by Chuck Jones in the mid to late-1960s.Tiny Bulldog
This nameless mouse-sized bulldog, designed similarly to Spike the Bulldog, is Jerry's pet dog companion in only two shorts: The Cat's Me-Ouch and Purr-Chance to Dream. His role is similar to Spike in cartoons such as The Bodyguard, Fit To Be Tied, and Much Ado About Mousing, which is to defend Jerry against Tom. He is presumably the oldest son of Spike before Tyke, and this could be identified by his looks and personality that is similar to his father Spike. Unlike Spike and Tyke he has a big bite.Porpoise
A shark who tries to eat Tom and Jerry. He appears in Puss 'n' Boats and Filet Meow and Surf-Bored Cat and Cannery Rodent. The creature's color and species varies, in Cannery Rodent and Surf-Bored Cat it is a blue shark, while in Filet Meow and Puss 'n' Boats it is a great white shark.Porpoise also appeared in The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show episode "A Connecticut mouse in King Arthur's court".