Tom is the blue-grey cat from Tom and Jerry, the long-running cartoon series built around his endless chase of Jerry the mouse. His exaggerated scream became one of the show's most recognisable running gags, reused whenever a plan backfired or he took a painful hit. As clips from the series circulated online, editors began lifting the scream for memes, fail videos and reaction edits, where it works even without the original scene. Its cartoon exaggeration keeps it funny decades later, especially for slapstick moments.