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The famous cat and mouse team of Tom and Jerry remains a definitive icon of slapstick and sight gags. The premise of the show was simple; an anthropomorphic cat and mouse battling it out. It was precisely this simplicity that enabled the show to be interpreted by many different producers (Fred Quimby, Chuck Jones, and Lou Scheimer of Filmation, among others) each with their own unique style. Though there is always going to be a difference of opinion on which version of the show is the best, the Tom and Jerry franchise as a whole is one of the most enduring in the animation world.

In addition to the show’s universal appeal across cultures and generations, the characters were easily adaptable to a variety of story lines. Although the show tends to be remembered most for the slapstick resulting from Tom and Jerry’s eternal battle for supremacy, there were many instances where the show succeeded in breaking out of this format.

In one of the early episodes, “That’s My Mommy,” a duckling in the process of hatching out of its egg falls away from its nest and assumes Tom is its mother. Tom is quick to take advantage of the situation and make a meal out of the duckling. Oblivious to Tom’s intentions, the duckling offers no resistance as Tom attempts to cook it. Fortunately, Jerry sees what is happening and rescues the duckling from certain doom.

From the duckling’s perspective, Jerry is kidnapping him from his mother. So he instinctively fights to escape from Jerry and return to Tom. Of course, this gives Tom another easy opportunity to enjoy a free meal. After this scenario is repeated a number of times, Jerry finally attempts to show the duckling that Tom is a cat, and not his mother. The duckling refuses to accept this, but after returning to Tom one last time, he sadly realizes that his “mother” wants to eat him.

As he is about to voluntarily jump into a pot of boiling water, he tells Tom that he still loves his “mommy”. Tom is overwhelmed with emotion and saves the duckling from boiling himself. In the final scene, Tom has assumed the role of the duckling’s mother and the duckling, speaking to the audience, points to Tom and says, “That’s my mommy!”

This episode, while being hilarious, cute, and touching all at once, is a unique departure from the standard cat-and-mouse game for a number of reasons. First, Tom is not portrayed as a villain per se; he is simply taking advantage of an easy situation. Second, he has no interest in dealing with Jerry, and Jerry likewise has no particular conflict with Tom; he is just compassionately concerned with saving a baby duck from being eaten. Finally, the episode gives both Tom and Jerry a bit of character development; Jerry becomes a comedic martyr and Tom overcomes his typical self-interest to a hilarious extent as he is won over by the duckling.

In the end, this episode is an example of how the series actually thrived through occasional departures from its own conventions.

This classic episode is available on the DVD “Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume One. The same DVD has more episodes featuring the duckling: “Little Quacker,” “Vanishing Duck” and “Happy Go Ducky.” You can own all of these for just $9.99 from Warner Brothers online shop! The link below will take you there so you can get it right away!

Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures
WB Price: $9.99