The PC World: "Tom and Jerry" smoking scenes to be cut after complaint

[voivod]

They chase each other at high speed wielding axes and hammers. But the famous cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry are in trouble in Britain for smoking on screen.

A channel airing the cartoons has agreed to cut scenes that glamorize smoking after British media regulator Ofcom received a complaint from a viewer who took offence at two episodes.

In the first, "Texas Tom," the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the second, "Tennis Chumps," Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

In a bulletin posted online, Ofcom noted "concerns that smoking on television may normalize smoking," and said that the Turner company, licensee for Boomerang which aired the cartoons, had agreed to edit some smoking scenes out of "Tom and Jerry."

"The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that "Texas Tom" was one such example.

But it would not cut all smoking scenes, it added.

Ofcom said it recognized smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, but noted that the threshold for including such scenes when the audience is predominately young should be high.

The Belgian cartoonist Maurice de Bevere replaced his famous creation Lucky Luke's ubiquitous cigarette with a blade of grass, winning him official recognition from the World Health Organization in 1988.

[chefcraig]

The important thing here is smoking, children should not see it demonstrated by a cat. Yet the axe scenes are just dandy.

[ZeoBandit]

I was watching T&J Thursday night with my nieces. There was one episode where Tom became suicidal and was sitting on a rail road track waiting for a train to come and kill him. I remember watching this ep as a kid, but I couldn't imagine people getting away with that if it was something done today.

[BREW CREW]

I started smoking when I saw Tom and Jerry do it!

[Greenpaw]

They need to censor the "anvil dropping on the head" scenes from Road Runner too

Think of all the lives that could be saved! I mean, there's not a day that goes by that I don't read about a poor soul who was killed by a falling anvil. These kids are far too dumb to understand that it's just a cartoon. And there's just not enough time in the day for a parent to monitor what their child is watching. It CAN'T be done.

And it's all funded by that evil company ACME. I read on a conspiracy theory website that ACME helped fund 9-11 and they are brainwashing our kids to become terrorists with these so-called harmless cartoons.

SAVE THE CHILDREN!!!!!!! SAVE US ALL!!!

/sarcasm

[Pabs]

Well, even though Brew Crew is the rare exception, kids aren't going to start smoking because of Tom and Jerry.

Nice to see the Liberals or the world acting once again. Pretty soon that glass dome will cover us all.

[Van Hampshire]

If anyone remembers the original Pinoccio there is a scene where all the characters are smoking cigars, playing pool and drinking beer. Of course it later turns them all into donkeys that are used for slave labor. Good 'ol Disney. BTW I loved all those old cartoons as a kid and never once took them seriously. The cartoons now make me want to kill myself! Bleech!

[cokemach1]

What a JOKE!

Not surprising though. I've talked about this for a long time with some of my family and friends. Remember when Bugs Bunny use to dress up like a chick to try to sway Elmer Fudd into doing something stupid, or trying to pull a fast one on Yosemite Sam? It was hilarious. And honestly, in this day and age, I think it's even funnier!

I know Porky Pig will have to get pants eventually.

I don't think it's liberals only. PC has just gone too far and no one can take a joke or they will get sued. Remember Beavis and Butthead with "FIRE"? We've made our own bed with this garbage, so now, no one can say anything.

People let the tube raise the kids. Kids don't know better (supposedly). Dumbass parents if you ask me. Yeah, we all need a break some times. But if all your kid does is watch TV and you can't teach him or her to have sense enough to know that something is a CARTOON, please move. We have a hard enough time with dumbasses in this country already.

"F" THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!!!

[billy007]

The same people that complain about the acts in cartoons probably think nothing of sitting their young 'uns in front of a video game all day playing commando blowing away anything that moves in vivid computer-style graphics.

[vh resurrection]

The same people that complain about the acts in cartoons probably think nothing of sitting their young 'uns in front of a video game all day playing commando blowing away anything that moves in vivid computer-style graphics.

A game rated Mature is not the same as a cartoon for kids. When a lot of the old cartoons were made, nobody realized the damage that smoking could do.
I would allow my daughter to watch Tom & Jerry smoking or an anvil falling on Daffy Duck's head. I will also have enough sense to teach her values and right and wrong. The problem isn't so much with media (cartoons, movies, games, etc.) as it is with the parents.
I loved those cartoons back in the day. My new cable company doesn't carry Boomerang so I miss out on them now. The ones on Cartoon Network are mostly stupid as far as I'm concerned. I never once dropped an anvil on anyone's head. Or fired an Acme cannon at a bird. Or smoked a cigarette because Tom & Jerry did it.
It's just bad parenting, lack of common sense, and the bigwigs in small offices with no windows making everyone else suffer.

[Junior]

I'm so sick of stupid people ruining everything for everybody. Does Sponge Bob teach kids that they can breathe under water? No, of course not.

If your kid wants to smoke becuase a cartoon cat and mouse do it in 2 episodes; your kid is probably stupid, thanks to your inferiour genes.

[the_atomic_punks_rule]

Any word on what bearing this will have on Itchy and Scratchy?