Tom and Jerry is a long-running American animated series created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, first released in 1940 and built around the endless slapstick chase between a cat and a mouse. Its exaggerated vocal reactions, including frantic screams, became part of the show's comic language and were later clipped and shared online as short reaction sounds. Creators now reuse the scream in memes, gaming videos and fail compilations because it instantly signals panic without needing any dialogue, keeping a piece of classic cartoon humour alive for new audiences.