The series was a co-production between Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment Co., serving as the former's second Tom and Jerry series after The Tom and Jerry Show in 1975. 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. Tom & Jerry Kids was one of the last Saturday-morning cartoons from Hanna-Barbera before shifting focus toward producing shows specifically for Cartoon Network. In 1994, FOX canceled the series, but it soon began airing in reruns on Cartoon Network in 1995, and ended in 2007 when the show was removed from the Cartoon Network schedule and instead moved over to its sibling network Boomerang.
The Tom and Jerry Kids cartoons are based on the classic shorts, Tom and Jerry, but it stars the kitten and mouseling instead. They remain silent like their adult selves and both of them are attempting to outwit each other, exactly like in the original shorts. Some of the plots and gags are recycled from old Tom and Jerry cartoons, but the violence is toned down for younger viewers.
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 slightly older 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 these segments mostly revolve around his love for his son and on teaching family values.
The Droopy and Dripple segments feature characters from the classic Tex Avery shorts starring Droopy. Droopy has a different job every episode and his son Dripple always follows him as his assistant. The two will usually end up clashing with McWolf, the before-unnamed villainous wolf from Avery shorts that, envious of their success, will use any dirty trick against them to win, but inevitably fails. The beautiful Miss Vavoom is another possible source of conflict between the two, as both of them have a crush on her and she, or a kiss from her, is often the prize of some sort of competition. Their "detective" segments were later spun-off into Droopy, Master Detective.
Blast-Off Buzzard
Season 4 features a new adaption of the Blast-Off Buzzard segment from the CB Bears where the characters actually talk. In these segments, Blast-Off Buzzard leads his gang of Buzzards as they try to catch Crazylegs. Only two episodes were made.
Frank Welker – Tom, Jerry, McWolf, Wild Mouse, Urfo, Moncy, Bat Cat, Ants, Caveman, Chino the Kitten, Commander, Jester, Male Mouse Students, Martian Mouse, Museum Manager, Narrator, Salesmouse, Stinky Jr., Urfo Catcher, Zap Men
In 1991, 12 episodes were put on two VHS cassettes in the United States, although only a few million copies were made. 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 as 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 One, Baby Tom includes the first seven half-hour episodes, while Baby Jerry includes the remaining 6 episodes.
DVD Name
Ep #
Release Date
The Complete Season 1
13
April 30, 2013
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 have their own comic book here, and the Tom & Jerry Kids comic book is followed by Tom and Jerry.
