TOM AND JERRY KIDS

TOM AND JERRY KIDS

(FOX, September 7, 1990-December 10, 1993)

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Tuner Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Frank Welker – Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, McWolf, Wildmouse

Don Messick – Droopy

Charlie Adler – Dripple, Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel, Screwball Squirrel

Teresa Ganzel – Miss Vavoom

Dick Gautier – Spike

Patric Zimmerman - Tyke

For the history of Tom and Jerry, check out the post here.

Production art of Tom and Jerry's younger selves.

            In 1986, Ted Turner bought and sold Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists, but kept its pre-1986 library which included RKO Radio Pictures and pre-1950 Warner Bros. films to form Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. Now holding the rights to Tom and Jerry, Turner sought to bring the pair back to the small screen and turned to their creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. 

Tom and Jerry taking a break from fighting to ride a dolphin.

            Not giving up on the babyfication movement yet, Hanna-Barbera decided to take Tom and Jerry and de-age them to kids. While Jerry looked basically the same, Tom had noticeably shrunk to being just taller than Jerry and was given a baseball cap. Hanna-Barbera brought the shorts back to their origins with the violence and antics in their constant game of cat and mouse, although they were toned down with respect to FCC regulations for network children’s programming. A few episodes even recycled plots of some of the original Hanna and Barbera MGM shorts. Tom and Jerry continued to remain silent, but both of their vocal effects were provided by Frank Welker.

Miss Vavoom, McWolf, Droopy and Dripple in a court scene.

            Like other Hanna-Barbera productions, the show was broken up into short segments rather than a full half-hour episode. Joining the main segment of Tom and Jerry were their old friends from their shorts, bulldog Spike (still in his adult form, voiced by Dick Gautier) and his son, Tyke (rendered more intelligent and spoke for the first time, voiced by Patric Zimmerman). Spike was much gentler than he was depicted during the run of the theatrical shorts, and the segment particularly focused on family values as stories centered around his love for Tyke. The other segment focused on the Tex Avery-created character of Droopy Dog (Don Messick), a lethargic and depressed-sounding basset hound. Droopy spent his time with his son, Dripple (Charlie Adler), who was an older version of a character that debuted in the short Homesteader Droopy, in various professions and settings. Droopy’s primary nemesis was McWolf (Welker) as he was in the 1940s shorts. The object of Droopy’s affections, and frequent cause of his rivalry with McWolf, was Miss Vavoom (Teresa Ganzel), based on Avery’s Red Hot Riding Hood.

Tom, Kyle, Clyde, Slowpoke Antonio, Spike, Tyke, Wildmouse, Droopy, Dripple, McWolf, gopher, Calaboose Cal and Jerry.

            New characters included Calaboose Cal (Phil Hartman), an arrogant gold cat who ran a show of demonstration and participation and frequently proved a rival for Tom; Urfo, a six-legged alien dog; Clyde (Brian Cummings), a fat cat that often required Tom and Jerry to rescue him, resulting in his becoming their very best (and disastrous friend); Kyle (Pat Fraley), a mangy orange cat that served as an antagonist for Spike and Tyke; Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel (Adler), a campy and flamboyant superhero who could fling lightning bolts; Slowpoke Antonio (William Callaway), Jerry’s cowboy cousin; and Wildmouse (Welker), a savage mouse raised in the wild by Wolves akin to Warner Bros.’ Tasmanian Devil.

            Tom and Jerry Kids debuted on September 7, 1990, becoming the first program in fledgling FOX network’s Fox Kids programming block. It was written by Jim Ryan, Marty Murphy, Patrick A. Ventura, Jack Hanrahan, Sandy Fries, Dennis Marks, Eric Alter, Barry Blitzer, Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, Fred Kron, Arthur Alsberg, Don Nelson, Bruce Morris, Stewart St. John, Carl Swenson and Janis Diamond. Jurwich and Neal Barbera served as story editors.  The series ran for four seasons, with the opening intro changing from season two until the end. The theme and first season score was composed by Tom Worrall, with Gary Lionelli joining him for the show’s remainder. The third season was also the longest, running 26-episodes that were broadcast both on Saturday and Sunday. FOX finally cancelled it in 1994 and the show was replaced by short-run spinoff Droopy, Master Detective starring Droopy and Dripple. Reruns of the show began the following year on Cartoon Network, which was created by Turner to showcase their large animation library. During the show’s third season, Turner bought Hanna-Barbera and the series received a Daytime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music Direction and Composition”. 

Size comparison production art.

            In 1991, 12 episodes were put on two VHS tapes in the United States by Warner Home Video, but only a few million units were made of each. In the United Kingdom, 11 VHS tapes were released. The series first hit DVD in 2008 in Germany, released by Kinowelt Home Entertainment. In 2010, the episode “Flippin’ Fido” was featured on the Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection DVD set. In 2013, Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD, however in the UK the season was broken up into two DVDs as part of the WB’s Big Faces series as Baby Tom and Jerry.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Flippin’ Fido / Dakota Droopy & the Lost Dutch Boy Mine / Dog Daze Afternoon” (9/8/90) – Tom tries to get a watchdog off his tail using Frisbees. / McWolf wants to steal Droopy and Dripple’s gold claim. / Jerry rescues all the neighborhood dogs from the dog catcher.

“Toys Will be Toys / Droopy Delivers / My Pal” (9/15/90) – Tom chases Jerry in a toy store. / McWolf tries to ruin Droopy’s pizza business in order to take it over. / Tom regrets saving Clyde when he tries to help capture Jerry.

“Prehistoric Pals / Super Droop & Dripple Boy Meets the Yolker / Marvelous Marvin” (9/22/90) – Jerry befriends a dinosaur in the Stone Age. / Droopy and Dripple pursue the Yolker as superheroes. / Tom wants to catch Jerry in order to become a spokesperson for cat food.

“Bat Mouse / Puss n’ Pups / Outer Space Rover” (9/29/90) – Jerry uses Bat-Mouse to teach Tom a lesson. / Spike uses Kyle to teach Tyke how to chase cats. / Jerry befriends space dog Urfo.

“The Vermin / Aerobic Droopy / Mouse Scouts” (10/6/90) – Jerry keeps Tom up with his guitar playing. / McWolf tries to lure Miss Vavoom over to his aerobic studio from Droopy’s. / A bear interrupts Jerry’s mouse scout outing.

“Sugar Belle Loves Tom, Sometimes / Mall Mouse / Super Duper Spike” (10/13/90) – Sugar Belle makes it hard for Tom to focus on protecting a banquet from Jerry. / Tom has to guard a cheese shop from Jerry, who is secretly superhero Mall Mouse. / Spike masquerades as Tyke’s favorite superhero.

“Cosmic Chaos / Droopy of the Opera / Beach Bummers” (10/20/90) – Tom pursues Jerry in the future. / Pepperoni McWolf tries to ruin Droopy’s opera career. / Jerry rescues a dolphin at the beach while evading Tom.

“Gator Baiter / Hoodwinked Cat / Medieval Mouse” (10/27/90) – A wrestling gator leaves his career and encounters Tom and Jerry. / Kyle tries to get the bird Tyke is bringing to his grandmother. / In medieval times, Squire Tom is ordered to remove Jerry from the castle.

“Clyde to the Rescue / Droopio & Juliet / Maze Monster Zap Men” (11/3/90) – Clyde helps golfer Tom chase Jerry. / Droopy writes a story about competing with McWolf over Juliet. / Tom and Jerry are chased by monsters in a video arcade.

“Crash Condor / Yo Ho Ho…Bub / Scrub-A-Dub Tom” (11/10/90) – Jerry tries to rescue a baby condor from Tom. / Pirates Droopy, Dripple and McWolf compete over the same treasure and female pirate Vavoom. / A little girl dresses Tom up for a pet show, despite his objections.

“No Biz Like Snow Biz / The Maltese Poodle / Cast Away Tom” (11/17/90) – Tom goes skiing while Jerry’s mouse scouts tour the resort. / Detectives Droopy and Dripple search for the Maltese Poodle. / Tom ends up on an island and searches for food.

“The Little Urfulls / Droopo: First Bloodhound / Indy Mouse 500” (11/24/90) – Urfo puts 6 space pups in Jerry’s care. / Convict McWolf disguises himself as a sheriff to seek revenge on movie star hero Droopy. / Tom and Jerry enter a cross-country road race.

“Exterminator Cometh / Foreign Legion Frenzy / Urfo Returns” (12/1/90) – Calaboose Cal threatens to replace Tom if he captures Jerry first. / McWolf attacks Droopy and Dripple’s desert castle. / Urfo escapes a robotic Urfo catcher.

Season 2:

“Circus Antics / Tres Shiek / Head Banger Buddy” (9/14/91) – Tom interrupts Jerry’s day at the circus. / Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf for a princess. / Tom hits a dog on the head, making him think he’s a cat.

“Pump ‘Em up Pals / Droopyland / The Exterminator Cometh…Again” (9/21/91) – Tom and Jerry workout to outdo each other. / McWolf tries to destroy Droopy’s new amusement park. / Calaboose Cal takes Tom and Jerry to his TV studio.

“Jerry’s Mother / Stage Fright / Tom’s Terror” (9/28/91) – Jerry’s mother helps Jerry with Tom. / Miss Lolly Vavoom organizes a race between Droopy and McWolf. / Tom moves to a witch’s house.

“Who Are You, Kitten? / Broadway Droopy / Pussycat Pirate” (10/5/91) – An orphaned kitten moves in with Tom and becomes a nuisance to him and Jerry. / McWolf attempts to ruin Droopy’s Broadway performance. / A pirate hires Tom to catch Jerry on his ship.

“Father’s Day / Scourge of the Sky / Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel” (10/12/91) – Tom’s grandfather takes him to the desert to learn survival skills. / Droopy and Dripple are pilots in a war against McWolf. / Lightning Bolt gives Tom, Jerry and a dog the power of lightning.

“Amademouse / Muscle Beach Droopy / Perky the Fish Pinching Penguin” (10/19/91) – Tom and Jerry play music for a king. / Hank Hardbody gets angry when Droopy steals the attention of all the women. / A penguin escapes show business to find more fish to eat.

“Slowpoke Antonio / Haunted Droopy / Wildmouse” (10/26/91) – Jerry’s cousin Slowpoke comes to town to practice for a rodeo. / McWolf tries to scare Droopy out of his late-brother’s home. / Tom has to catch Wildmouse, a mouse raised in the wild by wolves.

“Catch That Mouse / Good Knight Droopy / Birthday Surprise” (11/2/91) – Tom appears on Calaboose Cal’s show to catch Jerry. / Droopy battles another knight for Princess Vavoom. / Tom tries to woo Cindy Lou with presents, including Jerry in a music box.

“Cleocatra / McWolfenstein / Chase School” (11/9/91) – Cleocatra orders Tothentamon to catch The Desert Shadow. / McWolf sends his new complaining monster after his rival Dr. Droopy. / Tom and Jerry become reference subjects at Cat and Mouse Chase School.

“Zorrito / Deep Sleep Droopy / Hard to Swallow” (11/16/91) – Zorrito steals back money from the fat cat that robbed the village’s mice. / Droopy and Dripple are Miss Vavoom’s bodyguards. / Jerry saves an injured bird from Tom.

“The Little Thinker / Rap Rat Is Where It’s At / My Pet” (11/23/91) – A little boy finds Urfo hiding from another adventure. / Droopy and Dripple pursue a rapping rat thief. / Tyke wants a pet cat and ends up adopting an escaped Bengalese tiger.

“The Calaboose Cal 495 / Return of the Chubby Man / Chumpy Chums” (11/30/91) – Tom and Jerry race for a million dollars. / The Chubby Man is after Miss Vavoom’s poodle again. / Spike tries to teach Tyke about brotherly love by reforming Tom into giving up his chasing Jerry.

“Jerry Hood and his Merry Meeces / Eradicator Droopy / Tyke on a Hike” (12/7/91) – The Sheriff sends Tom out to capture Jerry Hood. / Detectives Droopy and Dripple pursue mad scientist McWolf. / A jungle hike leads to a lion following Spike and Tyke home.

Season 3:

“The Planet Dogmania / McWolfula / Catawumpus Cat” (9/19/92) – Tom has a nightmare where he must catch Jerry or be sent to an all-dog planet. / McWolf tries to eat Droopy and Dripple in his castle. / Tom is sent after Wildmouse again.

“Pest in the West / Double ‘O’ Droopy / Tom, the Babysitter” (9/20/92) – Jerry’s cousin eats Tom’s food. / Spy Droopy has to foil McWolf’s plans. / Tom ends up doing the babysitter’s job for her.

“Gas Blaster Puss / Fear of Flying / Mess Hall Mouser” (9/26/92) – Tom uses a variety of weapons to wipe out Jerry and his new motorcycle. / Droopy and Dripple help McWolf get over his fear of flying. / In the army, a female cat prevents Tom from catching Jerry.

“Toliver’s Twist / Boomer Beaver / Pony Express Droopy” (9/27/92) – Tom and Jerry take in poor, starving mice. / Spike tears down a beaver’s home to build one for himself and Tyke. / Droopy and McWolf compete in a pony race.

“Krazy Klaws / Tyke on a Bike / Tarmutt of the Apes” (10/3/92) – Tom has to catch Jerry to be initiated into a motorcycle gang. / Tyke asks Spike to teach him how to ride his new bike, but Spike never learned. / Droopy saves a valuable gorilla from McWolf.

“Tom’s Mermouse Mess-Up / Here’s Sand In Your Face / Deep Space Droopy” (10/4/92) – Jerry helps a mermaid mouse escape from a museum. / Spike teaches Tyke how to deal with a bully through ballet. / In space, Droopy has to protect Miss Vavoom’s medallion from McWolf.

“Termi-Maid / The Fish That Shoulda Got Away / Droopy’s Rhino” (10/10/92) – A robot maid threatens Tom and Jerry. / Tyke finds a mermaid on a fishing trip. / Droopy ends up getting a reward for catching McWolf and saving a rhino.

“The Break ‘n’ Entry Boyz / Love Me, Love My Zebra / Dakota Droopy Returns” (10/11/92) – Tom and Jerry team-up to stop a pair of dog bandits. / Tyke hides an escaped zebra and ends up winning a race with him. / Droopy, Dripple and McWolf search the Amazon for a princess.

“Doom Manor / Barbecue Bust-Up / The Fabulous Droopy & Dripple” (10/17/92) – Tom and Jerry meet a witch at a creepy mansion. / Spike and Tyke’s barbecue is interrupted by a cat. / McWolf tries to prove to club owner Droopy and Dripple that he’s star quality.

“S.O.S. Ninja / The Pink Powder Puff Racer / Car Wash Droopy” (10/18/92) – Jerry teams-up with Ninjas against Tom. / Tyke enters a soapbox race. / McWolf tries to steal business from Droopy’s car wash.

“Go-Pher Help / Downhill Droopy / Down in the Dumps” (10/24/92) – A gopher helps protect Jerry from Tom. / Matterhorn McWolf gets jealous when movie star Vavoom gets ski lessons from Droopy and Dripple. / Tyke covers for his father in guarding the city dump.

“Catastrophe Cat / Droopy & the Dragon / Wildmouse II” (10/25/92) – Tom’s unlucky cousin visits and attempts to help catch Jerry. / Droop and Dripple get McWolf’s dragon. / The Gator Brothers are hired to get rid of Wildmouse.

“Tom’s Double Trouble / High Seas Hijinks / Just Rambling Along” (10/31/92) – Tom paints Jerry white to replace his owner’s mouse. / Droopy Columbus is in a race with McWolf to discover the new world. / Slowpoke Antonio takes a turn as a bullfighter.

“The Watchcat / Go With the Floe / Pooches in Peril” (11/1/92) – Jerry helps Tom put living museum exhibits back in their places before morning. / Droopy and Dripple race against Muck Luck McWolf to the North Pole. / Mounties Droopy and Dripple have to capture logger Salom McWolf.

“Catch as Cat Can / I Dream of Cheezy / Fraidy Cat” (11/7/92) – A game hunter sets his sights on Tom and Jerry. / Jerry finds a mouse genie named Cheezy. / Cat Tim comes to stay with Tom, but turns into a nuisance.

“Sing Along with Slowpoke / Dakota Droopy & the Great Train Robbery / Droopy Law” (11/8/92) – Slowpoke’s singing drives Tom nuts. / Dakota Droopy and Dripple guard a gold train from Gold McWolf. / Judge Droopy presides over a case of stolen cookies.

“Stunt Cat / See No Evil / This is No Picnic” (11/14/92) – Stunt Cat Tom stars in Dances with Dingbats with Kevin Castner. / Tom and Jerry discover invisible ink. / Ants ruin Spike and Tyke’s picnic.

“Scrapheap Symphony / Circus Cat / Cajun Gumbo” (11/15/92) – McWolf conducts the cast in a performance of “The William Tell Overture”. / A lion befriends Jerry and protects him from Tom. / Swampy the Fox escapes from the circus to go after a treasure the Gator Brothers and Sheriff Potgut want as well.

“Hunter Pierre / Battered Up / Conquest of the Planet Irwin” (11/21/92) – Hunter Pierre goes after Wildmouse. / It’s a ball game between Molasses Droopy and Thunderbolt McWolf. / Droopy, Dripple and McWolf crash land on planet Irwin and are given a quest by Queen Vavoom.

“Big Top Droopy / Jerry & the Beanstalk / High Speed Hounds” (11/22/92) – Bromo the Fearless Bear attempts to show up Droopy and Dripple. / Tom and Jerry steal a golden egg from a giant. / Droopy and McWolf race in the Big Apple Marathon for a date with High-Rise Vavoom.

“Penthouse Mouse / Twelve Angry Sheep / The Ant Attack” (11/28/92) – Calaboose Cal and Tom are hired to get Jerry out of a penthouse. / Judge Droopy presides over a case of stolen sheep. / Ants crash Tom’s birthday party and steal his cake.

“Mouse with a Message / It’s the Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. McWolf / Wild World of Bowling” (11/29/92) – In WWI, Jerry is sent with an important message that Tom wants to intercept. / Dr. McWolf tries to make himself handsome to outclass Dr. Droopy’s similar product. / Wildmouse enters the bowling alley where Tom works.

“Star Wrek / Droop & Deliver / Swallow the Swallow” (12/5/92) – Tom and Jerry travel through space. / Uncouth McWolf tries to steal the king’s treasure from Droopy and Dripple. / Kyle and Clyde attempt to catch and eat Bernie Bird.

“Lightning Bolt the Super Squirrel Strikes Again / Surely You Joust / Rootin’ Tootin’ Slowpoke” (12/6/92) – Lightning Bolt interrupts Tom’s tennis game where he uses Jerry as the ball. / A king hires Droopy and Dripple to slay a dragon. / Slowpoke has a showdown with Flashipus.

“Firehouse Mouse / The Wrath of Dark Wolf / Pound Hound” (12/12/92) – Tom and Jerry help a dog become a firefighter. / Dark Wolf plots to take over Droopy and Dripple’s planet. / Kyle is forced to escape from the pound while handcuffed to a dog.

“The Ghost of Castle McLochjaw / A Thousand Clones / Roughing It” (12/13/92) – Tom and Jerry meet a ghost dog. / Dr. Dupo McWolf steals Dr. Vavoom’s duplication machine to make clones of himself. / Jerry and the mouse scouts rough it.

Season 4:

“As the Cheese Turns / McWerewolf in London / Grab That Bird” (9/11/93) – Tom and Jerry compete over whose soap they’ll watch. / Inspector Droopy and Sergeant Dripple have to stop McWerewolf in London. / Castaways Kyle and Clyde find Bernie Bird on an island.

“Cave Mouse / McWolvenstein Returns / Destructive Construction” (9/18/93) – Cave cat Tom chases cave mouse Jerry. / Droopy puts McWolfenstein’s monster in a movie. / Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazy Legs Snake chase each other at a construction site.

“Alien Mouse / Droopy Man / Abusement Park” (9/25/93) – Tom has to stop Wildmouse from eating the entire spaceship. / Droopy Man and Dripple Boy team-up with Cheetah Vavoom to stop a goodie thief. / Crazy Legs uses an amusement park to his advantage.

“Martian Mouse / Dark Wolf Strikes Back / Knockout Pig” (10/2/93) – Jerry goes for a joyride in an alien mouse’s spaceship, which Tom swallows. / Dark Wolf follows Droopy and Dripple after an energy ball. / A boxing pig escapes from his farm and hides out with Jerry, but every time he hears bells he hits Tom.

“Musketeer Jr. / Galaxy Droopy / Return of the Ants” (10/9/93) – Musketeer Jerry teaches Tuffy how to be a Musketeer. / Dark Wolf uses a Super Sucksaforsaurus to inhale the universe. / Spike and Tyke try to enjoy the beach, but ants keep going after their picnic basket.

“Droopyman Returns / Tom Thumped / Droopnet” (10/16/93) – Dr. Reginald Riff Rat threatens to turn the city into rats. / While the police pursue Wildmouse, Tom is spurned by a female cat over Jerry. / Detectives Droopnet and Dripple pursue car thief Dr. Scofflaw.

“Right-Brother Droopy / Cheap Skates / Hollywood Droopy” (10/23/93) – Flip Flop McWolf flies against the Right Brothers in an air race. / Jerry and Tom both buy skates. / Flops McWolf looks to cash in on an insurance policy on his new stars Droopy and Dripple.

“Fallen Archers / When Knights Were Cold / The Mouth is Quicker Than the Eye” (10/30/93) – Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf and Stinky in archery. / Tom is sent to deal with a fire-breathing Wildmouse. / Calaboose Cal performs magic at a brat’s birthday party.

“Mutton for Punishment / Cat Counselor Cat / Termite Terminator” (11/6/93) – Sheepherders Droopy and Dripple protect their flock from Sidewinder McWolf. / Calaboose Cal introduces Tom to modern methods of mouse catching. / Calaboose Cal is hired to remove a termite.

“Bride of McWolfenstein / Hillbilly Hootenanny / El Smoocho” (11/13/93) – McWolfenstein’s bride falls madly for Droopy. / Tom’s hillbilly cousins visit and attempt to help catch Jerry. / El Smoocho McWolf attempts to make off with a coach of gold and Miss Vavoom.

“Droopy Hockey / Hawkeye Tom / No Tom Like the Present” (11/20/93) – It’s a hockey game between Slap-shot Droopy and Ice-pick McWolf. / Jerry eludes both Tom and a hawkeye bird. / Tom is on his last life and must avoid any further injuries.

“Dirty Droopy / Two Stepping Tom / Disc Temper” (11/27/93) – After Mangler McWolf gets Detective Droopy fired, Droopy follows McWolf everywhere. / Tom has to stop Jerry from scaring performing elephant star Tundo. / Tom distracts a watchdog with Frisbees to chase Jerry on a beach.

“Order in Volleyball Court / King Wildmouse / Space Chase” (12/4/93) – Droopy and Dripple compete against McWolf and Stinky in a volleyball game. / Tom and a hunter go after Wildmouse. / Tom and Jerry are sent to space to see if they can live in harmony in an experiment.