Jerry Mouse

Jerry Mouse is the main character of the Tom and Jerry animated franchise, playing the hero protagonist, although he hasn't been entirely innocent throughout. Jerry was introduced as a character in a theatrical short series, with his first appearance in Puss Gets the Boot, and subsequently appeared in other media, such as TV series and direct-to-video films. Jerry is a mostly silent character, who was originally performed by William Hanna, whose vocalization is still in use today long after his passing. His most memorable speaking role occurred in Tom and Jerry: The Movie, in which his voice came out from actress Dana Hill's.

He has to constantly watch out for Tom, who as one might expect, wants to get rid of Jerry (or sometimes eat him), although sometimes it appears to be more about the thrill of the chase. Despite this, Jerry appears to live life fairly easily.

Character description
Whereas Tom is both a cunning and aggressive instigator, Jerry is different in that he is more of a carefree and intelligent trickster. The mouse is generally excited, free-spirited, and almost child-like. He also seeks to have fun no matter who he harms, much to the annoyance of Tom, who mainly sees him as a threat. Both he and Tom often go by a set of tricks in their many of their chases, although their chance of victory seems to vary depending on which situation they're in. In Jerry's case, he usually takes the opportunity to attack when he has the advantage of the situation.

Despite the fact that the two are enemies, Tom and Jerry both have a friendship that rivals their violent nature, and they even have their own sympathy towards one another. In some cases, Jerry does not start the conflict, and in others, he also joins sides with Tom to resolve a problem. In The Lonesome Mouse, for example, he goes too far with his antics and regrets having set up Tom to be kicked out of the house. Jerry also gets Tom in trouble by the humans and Spike the Bulldog, whom he doesn't usually see Jerry due to his small size.

Jerry is a brown mouse, whose color tone varies slightly depending on his appearances. He also has large ears on his head, a proportionally sized tail, and a small tuft on his head facing forward. In several of television shows such as Tom & Jerry Kids, Jerry was given a red bow tie.

He rarely speaks, relying on a range of vocal effects to express his emotions, though not a fuller extent like with Tom's screams of pain.

TV series

 * The Tom & Jerry Show (1975)
 * The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show
 * Tom & Jerry Kids
 * The Powerpuff Girls
 * 1.8B "Ice Sore" (mentioned)
 * Tom and Jerry Tales
 * The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)
 * Tom and Jerry in New York
 * Tomut Jelly
 * 1.1 "Party Time"
 * 1.2 "Rainbow Candy Shop"
 * Tom and Jerry (2023)

Movies

 * Anchors Aweigh
 * Dangerous When Wet
 * Tom and Jerry: The Movie
 * Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
 * Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars
 * Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry
 * Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
 * Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
 * Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes
 * Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz
 * Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse
 * Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure
 * Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon
 * Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest
 * Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz
 * Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
 * Tom & Jerry
 * Tom and Jerry Cowboy Up
 * Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land

Specials

 * Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration (no lines)
 * Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers

Shorts

 * Tom and Jerry
 * The Mansion Cat

Comics

 * The Flash/Speed Buggy Special (alternate cover)

Video games

 * Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers
 * MultiVersus

Stage performances

 * Tom and Jerry ~Yume yo Mou Ichido~

In popular culture

 * In "Many Happy Returns," an episode of the British sitcom Mind Your Language, Ali says that TV shows a lot of violence, as he is seeing someone drowned, shot, and having their head chopped off, which all came out of watching Tom and Jerry.
 * In the Married... with Children' episode "Requiem for a Dead Barber," Al complained about the current state of cartoons indirectly referring to Tom and Jerry, by telling Peg how a cat will now go to a therapist after a mouse knocks flattens its head with a frying pan.
 * In The Simpsons, Bart and Lisa regularly watch The Itchy & Scratchy Show.
 * In the Full House episode, Danny tries to impress Lisa by making her guess who he is doing an impression, which is supposed to be Jerry saying, "Stop chasing me, ya mean cat!" But not only does Jerry not talk (usually), but Danny also mistakingly calls him Tom, which he is corrected on both accounts by Joey.
 * In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Rondo in New York," Bebop and Rocksteady watch a cartoon similar to Tom and Jerry named "Cheezy and Sleazy," to which the latter says that it's his favorite cartoon.
 * In the Cowboy Bebop episode "Waltz For Venus," while Spike and Maya board a shuttle flight to Venus to catch a trio of hijackers, a Tom and Jerry-esque cartoon plays as an in-flight movie.
 * Tom and Jerry are a question in The Yes! No! Game by Paul Lamond Games.
 * In the Outnumbered episode "The Long Night," a police officer told the Brockmans that their neighbor had hit her husband over the head with a frying pan which he knows "sounds a bit Tom and Jerry."
 * In the American Dad! episode "Merlot Down Dirty Shame," Roger mentions "Tom and Jerry" as a spa package.
 * In series 21, episode 12 of Antiques Road Trip, Phil asks Tim what famous double act they would be together, with Tim answering Tom and Jerry.

The Fairly OddParents

 * Channel Chasers (part 2): Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda, and Future Timmy travel into a parody of Tom and Jerry called Ted & Jimmy, with Timmy and the fairies in the role of Jerry and Vicky in the role of Tom. There's even a dog like Spike. Cosmo and Wanda jump in front of the screen every time there is violence and comment they can't believe how this wasn't censored in the 1940s.
 * "Mice Capades:" Timmy, Cosmo, and Poof tuned in to see Sleazy and Cheezy!, When it's over, the impressionable baby Poof sees the animosity between Vicky and Timmy as a means of continuing watching Sleazy and Cheezy!, so he transforms them into his very own Sleazy and Cheezy/Tom and Jerry.

Family Guy

 * "Road to Rupert:" Stewie is superimposed on Jerry who danced with Joe Brady during "The Worry Song" in the film Anchors Aweigh.
 * "Valentine's Day in Quahog:" Peter and Lois spend the day in bed during Valentine's Day, which includes watching the final episode of Tom and Jerry, in which Tom hires an exterminator to get rid of Jerry. The exterminator asks Tom what he wants to be done with the body of Jerry, but Tom doesn't care about that part, Jerry can be thrown in the garbage for all he cares, but Tom does show some interest in keeping one of Jerry's oversized mallets.