<P> William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were both part of the Rudolf Ising unit at the MGM cartoon studio in the late 1930s . After the financial disaster of a series of MGM cartoons based upon the Captain and the Kids comic strip characters , Barbera , a storyman and character designer , was paired ( out of desperation ) with Hanna , an experienced director , to start directing films for the Ising unit . In their first discussion for a cartoon , Barbera suggested a cat - and - mouse cartoon titled Puss Gets the Boot . `` We knew we needed two characters . We thought we needed conflict , and chase and action . And a cat after a mouse seemed like a good , basic thought , '' as he recalled in an interview . Hanna and other employees complained that the idea was n't very original ; nevertheless , the short was completed in late 1939 , and released to theaters on February 10 , 1940 . Puss Gets The Boot centers on Jasper , a gray tabby cat trying to catch a mouse named Jinx ( whose name is not mentioned within the cartoon itself ) , but after accidentally breaking a houseplant and its stand , the African American housemaid Mammy has threatened to throw Jasper out if he breaks one more thing in the house . Naturally , Jinx uses this to his advantage , and begins tossing any and everything fragile , so that Jasper will be thrown outside . Puss Gets The Boot was previewed and released without fanfare , and Hanna and Barbera went on to direct other non-cat - and - mouse related shorts such as Gallopin ' Gals ( 1940 ) and Officer Pooch ( 1941 ) . `` After all , '' remarked many of the MGM staffers , `` have n't there been enough cat - and - mouse cartoons already ? '' </P>
<P> William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were both part of the Rudolf Ising unit at the MGM cartoon studio in the late 1930s . After the financial disaster of a series of MGM cartoons based upon the Captain and the Kids comic strip characters , Barbera , a storyman and character designer , was paired ( out of desperation ) with Hanna , an experienced director , to start directing films for the Ising unit . In their first discussion for a cartoon , Barbera suggested a cat - and - mouse cartoon titled Puss Gets the Boot . `` We knew we needed two characters . We thought we needed conflict , and chase and action . And a cat after a mouse seemed like a good , basic thought , '' as he recalled in an interview . Hanna and other employees complained that the idea was n't very original ; nevertheless , the short was completed in late 1939 , and released to theaters on February 10 , 1940 . Puss Gets The Boot centers on Jasper , a gray tabby cat trying to catch a mouse named Jinx ( whose name is not mentioned within the cartoon itself ) , but after accidentally breaking a houseplant and its stand , the African American housemaid Mammy has threatened to throw Jasper out if he breaks one more thing in the house . Naturally , Jinx uses this to his advantage , and begins tossing any and everything fragile , so that Jasper will be thrown outside . Puss Gets The Boot was previewed and released without fanfare , and Hanna and Barbera went on to direct other non-cat - and - mouse related shorts such as Gallopin ' Gals ( 1940 ) and Officer Pooch ( 1941 ) . `` After all , '' remarked many of the MGM staffers , `` have n't there been enough cat - and - mouse cartoons already ? '' </P>
when did the first tom and jerry cartoon air
when did the first tom and jerry cartoon air
February 10 , 1940
February 10 , 1940