Tom & Jerry Still a beloved classic

It begins, as it always has, with a chase. A cat, a mouse, and, inevitably, chaos. Suddenly, you are seven again, smiling at the screen, watching the battle unfold with reckless abandon. Laughter comes naturally.

And as the protagonists — the eternally beloved Tom and Jerry — turn 85, isn’t it a fine excuse to be a bit nostalgic?

That’s eight and a half decades of frying pans, booby traps, exaggerated screams, and the timeless pursuit that has always been unfailingly funny since the first episode aired in 1940.

Originally created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) in the US, the series debuted with the short titled Puss Gets the Boot. It was the beginning of one of the most enduring rivalries in entertainment history.

The characters were never life-like, nor did they try to be. Yet, the big blue cat and the little brown mouse have always managed to captivate viewers — children and adults alike. Even now, the Oscar-winning cartoon hasn’t lost its initial charm.

The animation styles have shifted over time, evolving from the rich hand-drawn illustrations of the 1940s to digital renderings in the 2000s. However, Tom’s schemes and Jerry’s cunningness remain firmly intact.