Fun fact: Tom and Jerry had a different name originally  

What’s your favourite cartoon? Nine out of 10 kids will refer to Tom and Jerry for sure. This immensely popular media franchise is loved by adults and children alike. But do you know the original names of Tom and Jerry? No, they weren’t always known by these names. Tom was Jasper and Jerry was Jinx when the cartoon cat and mouse made their debut over 80 years ago. Let’s find out about their interesting journey.  

Jasper and Jinx begin their journey 
First things first. Do you know the brains behind these animal adversaries? Well, the credit goes to the young American animators, Joseph Barbera and William Hanna.  Barbera originally thought of launching two "equivalent characters who were consistently in a struggle with one another". A fox and a dog came to her mind initially before she settled for a feline and mouse. She went ahead and made the first animated cat and mouse cartoon Puss Gets the Boot in 1940. The feline was named Jasper while the mouse was Jinx. It was a silent series, driven entirely by action and visual humour as the characters rarely spoke. The hapless cat's never-ending pursuit of a clever mouse was loved by the crowds and it won a nomination for an Academy Award. 

Tom and Jerry vs. Jasper and Jinx 
But were they exactly the same as the current Tom and Jerry? One can debate on that! But yes, Jasper was definitely more realistic quadruped than Tom. He came out as a filthy, fight-solidified road feline, more vindictive than Tom. Jinx was very similar to Jerry, only a tad skinnier. However, the name Jinx never actually came onscreen in the cartoon, though he was named "Jinx" in pre-production.  

Transition to Tom and Jerry  
You must be wondering if the first production was successful what was the need to change the names of the characters, who had set their ground. There’s no good reason though! It is just that Hanna and Barbera wanted to change the names of their two protagonists. So how were the new names selected? Through a contest, of course. An intra-studio competition was organised whereby employees suggested new names for the dynamic duo. The winner was John Carr, an animator, who suggested the names Tom and Jerry and won $50 for it.  

But why Tom and Jerry? At that time, Tom and Jerry was the name of a popular Christmas-time American mixed drink. So, the names sounded suitable to make use of the current trend.  

The results were astonishing, to say the least. Out of 114 short Tom and Jerry films between 1940 and 1958, seven won Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film while 6 more earned a nomination. Incredible, isn’t it?  

Bonus fact: Tom is actually short for Thomas Jasper Cat, Sr. and Jerry is short for Gerald Jinx Mouse. We bet you didn’t know this!