No doubt you're familiar with the expression of a “cat-and-mouse game,” but just how familiar are you with the original cat and mouse duo of Tom and Jerry? This game has been going on since the 1940s and still continues to this day in various formats.

Interestingly, Tom and Jerry were originally created by the other infamous duo of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1940. Their show ran as an animated short for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) from 1940 to 1958, producing an impressive total of 114 shorts. Thanks to the show’s popularity it was revived even after MGM closed in 1958.

MGM and Gene Deitch picked up the series to produce an additional 13 shorts for Rembrandt Films in 1961-1962. Tom and Jerry quickly became the highest grossing animated short film series of that time, even overtaking the Looney Tunes.

The series consisted of slapstick comedy showcasing the rivalry between Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse. Including numerous fight scenes and Tom's typically unsuccessful attempts to capture Jerry. Despite being criticized as excessively violent, the show never showed any blood or gore. Just your standard electrocution or pounding with a mace, club, or mallet.

Since the show was created in the early 1930s to early 1950s some of the episodes depict racial stereotypes of that time. Due to this, some episodes, especially those including Mammy Two Shoes have been censored. Aside from racism, the show was also criticized for cannibalism and the glamorization of smoking. All in good fun, of course.

Although receiving notes for its controversial jokes, the series was, and is still considered, a great hit. Through 1940-1958 the series won seven Academy Awards for Animated Short film. Tying for first place with Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies for most awards in that category.

You know what they say, you can't keep a good thing down. Even with a mallet