Tom and Jerry was created by the animation, power-house duo Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, who both worked for MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer). The premise of the show revolved around the relationship between Tom, the cat and Jerry, the mouse. Tom would chase Jerry and the two would engage in comical battles. The cartoon was often ridiculed for being violent, though what passed as violence in those days, pales in comparison to what’s featured in cartoons today.

Between the years of 1940 and 1957, Barbera and Hanna scripted and directed more than 100 shorts Tom and Jerry while at MGM. The duo was quite successful. Tom and Jerry won an Academy Award for Animated Short film, a rather impressive 7 times. Much later, in 2000, Time magazine would name Tom and Jerry as one of the best television programs ever.

Not only was Tom and Jerry well received in the television industry, it was also popular amongst fans. The audience was a mixed bag, consisting of young children, teens and even adults.