What is the Term for the Relationship Tom and Jerry Have?

Factual Questions
1

As per the Classic Cartoon Duo, what terminology is given to the relationship?
I don’t think Stockholm Syndrome quite fits the bill for the situation.

They aren’t purely enemies;

They usually only go after each other, only if nothing else harms the other. If something does harm one or the other, they will be saved by the other.

And I don’t think that Tom ever has Jerry kidnapped for any length of time either.
(to backreference the stockholm again)

And in some cases, they seem to set aside differences all together.

Can they be “strange bedfellows” if it is just the two of them?

2

Antagonists?
Antagonistic Strange Bedfellows?

3

Love/ Hate?

Close Enemies?

4

They have a cat and mouse relationship.

5

I’d like to think of them as “madcap adversaries”.

6

anti-symbiotic?

7

Prey and Predator?

8

Husband and wife?? <ducks and runs> :smiley:

9

Siblings. “Nobody hits my brother – except me.”

10

How about the term for the (hilarious) look of unmitigated joy that Jerry gets whenever he gets/is about to get Tom really good?

11

Schadenfreude?

12

Adversarial.

It implies a duo that are at odds with each other but still respect each other.

13

I was thinking more ‘codependent’ actually…

14

It’s a Civil Union

Actually, there was another cartoon duo named “Tom and Jerry” before the MGM cat and mouse pair:

www.cartoonresearch.com/tomjerry

15

Love - Hate?

16

In answer to just the title.

**Jerry ** of course is an administrator and the tech admin. **Tom ** is only a moderator and poster.

Jerry has the power to really mess with Tom whereas **Tom ** only has the power to really mess with all of us normal posters.

So the relationship would be much like that of an Officer to an NCO, A God to a demi-god or perhaps a Police Captain to a Patrolman.

I have 6 of those cartoons at home. They are public domain, sold in dollar stores and not the least bit funny or entertaining.

Jim

17

Well, they aren’t funny, but they’re kind of interesting, in that they show what you could do in cartoons before the basic conventions were established, and just how much truly hateful racism used to be permissible in popular entertainment.

18

Hmmm, educational of past negatives. I will accept that. Perhaps I will even watch them again with that in mind.

Thanks,
Jim

19

Holey catrimony.

20

Besides the Van Bueren Tom and Jerry (renamed “Dick and Larry” for some television broadcasts), there was another famous duo who also went by that name. You probably know them better as Simon and Garfunkel.