His cartoon debut came in the short The Milky Waif (1946). Nibbles (also known as Tuffy) is a little, blue/gray, diaper-wearing orphan mouse who is close to Jerry and appears frequently with him, especially in the comics.
Unlike his father Spike, Tyke does not speak in Tom and Jerry or The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series) (aside from laughing in one short) he does speak in Tom and Jerry Kids, voiced by Frank Welker and speaking roles by Patric Zimmerman. After Daws Butler, Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, John DiMaggio, Michael Donovan, Phil LaMarr, Rick Zieff and currently Bobby Cannavale would all perform Spike's voice. Spike is very protective towards his son and gets very angry at Tom if Tyke is bothered or harmed. His first speaking role was in The Bodyguard (1944), where he was voiced by Billy Bletcher up until 1949, from which point he was voiced by Daws Butler. Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness. In the shorts Jerry would often try to get Tom in trouble with Spike so that the bulldog would beat him. Spike, occasionally referred to as Butch or Killer, is a stern but occasionally amazing grey Bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but is gentle towards mice (though in his debut appearance, Dog Trouble (1942), Spike goes after both Tom and Jerry), and later, his son Tyke. Main article: Spike and Tyke (characters) The following characters were introduced in the theatrical shorts that were directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Other times, however, Tom does keep his promise to Jerry and the partnerships are not quickly dissolved after the problem is solved. 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. Sometimes this partnership is forgotten quickly when an unexpected event happens, or when one character feels that the other is no longer necessary.
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. Occasionally, they bond over a mutual sentiment towards an unpleasant experience and their attacking each other is more play than serious attacks. 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. One story that has a friendly ending is Snowbody Loves Me.īoth 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. Finally, they occasionally end up being friends, although within this set of stories, there is often a last minute event that ruins the truce. 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.
Occasionally and usually ironically, they both lose, usually when Jerry's final trap or attack on Tom backfires or Jerry overlooks something. In Timid Tabby Tom's look-alike cousin pushes Jerry over the edge. 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. On rare occasions, Tom triumphs, usually when Jerry becomes the aggressor or when he pushes Tom a little too far. By the final "fade-out" of each cartoon, Jerry usually gets the best of Tom. 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 (even as revenge), and even to obtain a reward from a human (including his owner(s)/master(s)) for catching Jerry, or for generally doing his job as a house cat well. 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. Despite being very energetic, determined and much larger, Tom is no match for Jerry's wits. He is usually but not always, portrayed as living a comfortable, or even pampered life, while Jerry ("Jinx") is a small, brown, house mouse who always lives in close proximity to Tom. It is also strongly believed that Tom could possibly be a Russian Blue as well. Tom ("Jasper") is a big,blue/grey domestic shorthair cat.