Tom & Jerry Kids

Tom and Jerry Kids is an animated television series, co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Turner Entertainment, starring the Academy Award-winning cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry as children (kitten and mouse). The show premiered in 1990 and continued airing until 1994. It began airing as the first program of the Fox's children's block, Fox Kids on September 8, 1990.

The series is somewhat similar to the "older" version of the original theatricals, partly akin to being produced by creators Joseph Barbera and William Hanna. In terms of violence level, they are far closer to the classic cartoons than previous television adaptions such as Filmation's The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show although somewhat milder than Hanna and Barbera's version.

Part of it is similar to Pink Panther and Pals and Garfield and Friends. Droopy and Dripple went on to star in their own short-lived spin-off Droopy.

History
The series was a co-production of Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment (which had bought the Tom and Jerry franchise from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1986). Parent company Turner 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). Tom & Jerry Kids was one of the last Saturday morning cartoons from Hanna-Barbera before shifting focus toward producing shows specifically for Cartoon Network.

Cartoon Network airings
In 1994, FOX canceled the series, but it soon began airing in reruns on Cartoon Network (which Turner launched to showcase its large animation library, including the original Tom and Jerry) in 1995, and ended in 2006 when the show was removed from the Cartoon Network schedule and instead moved over to its sibling network Boomerang, where it was re-aired until 2014. Cartoon Network TOO removed the show from their lineup in 2009. In certain countries, the Tom & Jerry Kids shorts have aired separately on Boomerang. Separate shorts for Droopy & Dripple and Spike & Tyke have also aired in their own half-hour shows.

Tom and Jerry Kids
The Tom and Jerry Kids cartoons are based on the classic shorts, Tom and Jerry. It stars the cat and mouse as children. They remain silent, and both of them are attempting to outwit each other, exactly like in the original shorts. Some of the cartoons are recycled from old Tom and Jerry episodes, but the violence is toned down for younger viewers.

Spike and Tyke
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 alive in this series. Spike still loves his son, Tyke, more than anything and enjoys spending time with him. Tyke also now has the ability to talk and has grown smarter and more intelligent. Spike's toughness is only used on occasions, as this revolves mostly around his love for his son. This segment also teaches family values.

Droopy and Dripple
The Droopy and Dripple segments are based on the classic Tex Avery shorts starring Droopy. Droopy now has a son named Dripple (an older version of the infant pup from Homesteader Droopy), who is equally as sad and miserable as his dad. Droopy spends his days showing his young boy the ways of life and what to look out for. However, he still has his arch-enemy, the evil and cruel McWolf (from the 1940s Droopy shorts) trying to ruin Droopy's life. Droopy's girlfriend, Red, now the beautiful Ms. Vavoom loves her boyfriend, Droopy, even more now that he has a child of his own.

Cast

 * Frank Welker - Tom, Jerry, McWolf, Wildmouse
 * Don Messick - Droopy
 * Charlie Adler - Dripple
 * Teresa Ganzel - Miss Vavoom
 * Dick Gautier - Spike
 * Patric Zimmerman - Tyke

Home media releases
In 1991, 12 episodes were put on two VHS cassettes in the United States, although only a few million copies were made, and these two cassettes are hard to find. Eleven VHS cassettes were released in the United Kingdom. The series was released on DVD in Germany by Kinowelt Home Entertainment on 11 July 2008, as the first official DVD release. In 2010, the episode Flippin' Fido was included in the Deluxe Anniversary Collection DVD set.

On April 30, 2013, Warner Home Video released the first season of the show on DVD for the first time. In the United Kingdom, Season One was released into 2 separate DVDs on 12 August 2013, under the titles Baby Tom and Jerry, as part of WB's Big Faces range. like the US release of Season, Baby Tom includes the first seven half-hour episodes, while Baby Jerry includes the remaining 6 episodes.

Awards
This show was given a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1992 for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition.

Comic book
In Mexico, Editorial Vid made a comic book based on Tom & Jerry Kids in 1990. It is worth noting that Tom and Jerry (the original adult versions) have their own comic book here, and the Tom & Jerry Kids comic book is followed by Tom and Jerry.