9. Itchy & Scratchy Are Rip-Offs Of Two Different Cat & Mouse Cartoons Not called Tom And Jerry
While nowadays the cat and mouse team most people think of when thinking of violent cartoons is Tom & Jerry, truthfully they were only one of several from the 1940s and '50s. There are two cartoons in particular the creators of The Simpsons point to as the main inspiration for Itchy & Scratchy. The first, cited by producer David Silverman, is Katnip and Herman, a cat-and-mouse duo from Famous Studios (since renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios.) They were one of the first cartoons of this type constantly targeted by censors for violence (as well as racism, but thankfully Itchy & Scratchy leave that part out.)Simpsons' creator Matt Groening himself cites Hanna Barbara cartoon Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks- which were originally part of The Huckleberry Hound Show. Pixie and Dixie are mice brothers, and together they torment Mr. Jinks the cat (when he attempts to eat them, of course.) Groening even states the names "Pixie and Dixie" as the inspiration for the names "Itchy & Scratchy."