Tom And Jerry Were Originally Called Jasper And Jinx

In 1941 cartoon “Puss Gets the Boot,” Tom is called “Jasper” by his owner, Mammy Two Shoes. Although Jerry is unnamed in the short movie, creator Willian Hannah stated that the original name of the mouse was Jinx. The name “Tom and Jerry” was a suggestion by another MGM animator, although some say that the

names were inspired by WW II, when the British soldiers were called “Tommies” and the Germans, “Jerries.” While “Tom and Jerry” was certainly an improvement over “Jasper and Jinx”, no one seemed to have thought of changing the name “Mammy Two Shoes” to something more resembling a real name and less a racist horror.Tom’s name is, in fact, Thomas. In the second episode, “The Midnight Snack,” Tom is only called “Thomas” by Mammy, although in the title card he is identified as Tom. It is not known if Jerry is similarly a diminutive of Gerald or Jerome, as no one calls him by his name.