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In the first episode of the series Tom was actually named "Jasper."
It wasn't until the second picture, and after a studio naming competition,
that Tom and Jerry were born. Notice here in 1941's "The Midnight Snack"
how much more detail there is in Tom. He is hairier, has 3 whiskers and
usually is more catlike, running on all fours. |
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This shot from 1950's "Cueball Cat" shows us "Classic Tom." Down to
two whiskers, little hairy projections, two white brest bumps instead of
the older three, and the fine sharp line drawing. This is what most of
us remember when they think of Tom. |
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Here in 1955's "That's My Mommy" Tom has gotten darker and the line
drawing is 3 times thicker. Easier to paint and animate but poorer quality.
TV was really taking it to the theater cartoon business and they had to
cut costs somehow. This cost cutting and frame reducing has lead us to
what we see today on the tube. |