Nibbles Mouse, also more commonly known as Tuffy, is a character from the Tom and Jerry franchise. He is a little gray, diaper-wearing orphan mouse who happens to be Jerry's nephew. His debut in the franchise was in the 1946 short The Milky Waif.
Character Overview[]
Personality[]
In the cartoons, and iterations, Nibbles is often portrayed as innocent and sweet, lacking the cunning nature typically associated with mice in the series. He often serves as a foil to the more mischievous Tom and Jerry.
He tends to be somewhat naïve, often getting into trouble or leading Tom into humorous situations without realizing the consequences. Nibbles has a loving and caring nature, particularly towards Jerry, whom he often looks up to. Their relationship adds a layer of warmth to their interactions. He displays a playful demeanor, often engaging in cute antics that highlight his child-like personality.
Appearance[]
In the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Nibbles, also known as Tuffy, is quite small, even by mouse standards. In his earliest appearances, he starts off as an even tinier character than Jerry, but as the shorts progress, he grows slightly larger, which only adds to his adorable and vulnerable nature. His diminutive size amplifies his innocence and helplessness, especially when compared to larger characters like Tom.
Nibbles typically sports a light gray or beige fur coat, giving him a soft and cuddly appearance that perfectly complements his overall cuteness. He often wears a diaper, indicating his young age, as he baby or younger mouse, which further emphasizes his baby-like qualities and enhances his charm.
With his large, expressive eyes, Nibbles conveys a sense of innocence and curiosity. His eyes communicate a wide range of emotions, from joy and excitement to surprise and fear. He also has a small, round nose and tiny ears that enhance his charming facial features. His chubby, rounded body, combined with his diaper, elevates his cute factor and highlights his playful, childlike nature.
Additionally, Nibbles has small paws and a slender, long tail. His paws are often depicted as overly expressive, emphasizing his gestures and emotions. Meanwhile, his tail, though small, is frequently utilized for balance or playful movements, adding to his delightful antics.
History[]
Tom and Jerry cartoons[]
Nibbles in his debut appearance in The Milky Waif.
Nibbles' first official appearance came in the 1942 comic book Our Gang Comics #1, where despite his diaper, he was presented as a peer of Jerry rather than a younger individual. In the comics, the grey mouse's name was given as Tuffy Mouse from the start. In the comics, Nibbles remained a peer of Jerry with no relatives. In 1953, the animation writers decided to change his on-screen relationship to Jerry. He became Jerry's nephew in Life with Tom. Nibbles first cartoon appearance in The Milky Waif, Nibbles was now presented as a younger individual.
Nibbles always seems to deliver the final blow. In The Little Orphan, Nibbles shoots a wine bottle at Tom. In Touché, Pussy Cat! he cuts open a barrel with wine in it and washes Tom away (getting drunk in the process) and in The Two Mouseketeers, Nibbles fills a cannon with food and shoots it at Tom.
Nibbles was more often a speaking character than Jerry. In the "Mouseketeer" subseries, he spoke mostly in French, resorting to English whenever a slapstick humor depended on it. The only exception to this was Robin Hoodwinked where he talked purely in a Cockney accent and had a different, rougher voice. Nibbles looked somewhat more mature in Robin Hoodwinked as well, despite the fact that he still wore his diaper. The Mouseketeer shorts almost always featured sequences in which Nibbles got drunk. In his last appearance in Robin Hoodwinked, he is also shown to be drunk as the cartoon comes to a close.
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show[]
Tuffy appeared as one of the eight main characters the The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show. He returned alongside Tyke Bulldog, who were both absent in The Tom and Jerry Show (1975). In the series, he was voiced by Lou Scheimer or Frank Welker in which he sounds either like a high pitched child or a grown adult, this varies between segments and episodes.
Tuffy mostly in appeared in 30 seconds wraparound segments, however he has appeared in two episodes of the series (similar to Tyke). He appeared in Pied Piper Puss in a non-speaking role and No Museum Peace, here he has a speaking voice.
Tom and Jerry Kids[]
Tuffy's apperance in Musketerr Jr.
Tuffy was not introduced in the series, until the fourth season. Tuffy makes his only appearance in Musketeer Jr., in which the episode is similar to the 1954 Tom and Jerry short "Touché, Pussy Cat!".
Tom and Jerry Tales[]
In the Tom and Jerry Tales episode Cat Nebula, Tuffy appeared as Jerry's sidekick and had a younger voice. Strangely, he spoke in a feminine French accent in the non-mouseketeer Tales shorts Cat Show Catastrophe, Cat of Prey, and DJ Jerry.
The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)[]
Tuffy returns in the The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) as a major character.
Tom and Jerry Play[]
Tuffy became one of the main characters in Tom and Jerry Play who appeared in all episodes (with the exception of the first episode). Starting with Rainbow Candy Shop.
He was the only major character from the series to appear.
Films[]
As of Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz, Tuffy currently speaks with an American accent in later Tom and Jerry media.
Filmography[]
Tom and Jerry original shorts[]
- The Milky Waif
- The Little Orphan
- Safety Second
- The Two Mouseketeers
- Two Little Indians
- Life with Tom (flashback)
- Little School Mouse
- Mice Follies
- Touché, Pussy Cat!
- Tom and Chérie
- Feedin' the Kiddie
- Royal Cat Nap
- Robin Hoodwinked
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show[]
Tom & Jerry Kids Show[]
Tom and Jerry Tales[]
Season 1[]
Season 2[]
- Cat Show Catastrophe
- Cat of Prey
- Sasquashed (does not speak)
- DJ Jerry
The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)[]
Season 1[]
- Haunted Mouse
- What a Pain!
- Turn About
- Tuffy Love
- Domestic Kingdom (does not speak)
- Just Plane Nuts (does not speak)
- Pets Not Welcome
- Cruisin' for a Bruisin'
- Road Trippin'
- Bone Dry
- Hunger Strikes
- Say Cheese
Season 2[]
- Picture Imperfect
- Slinging in the Rain
- The Paper Airplane Chase (Does not speak)
- Say Uncle
- Here Comes the Bribe
- Tuffy's Big Adventure
- Dandy Do-Gooders
- Tom-Fu
- Toodle Boom (does not speak)
- Unhappily Harried After
- Splinter of Discontent
- Tom and Jerry-Geddon
- Funnel Face
- Pinch Hitter
- School of Hard Knocks
- Cat Match Fever
Season 3[]
- When You Leash Expect It
- Home Away From Home
- Lame Duck
- Lost Marbles
- Tuff Shooting
- Costume Party Smarty
- Stolen Heart
- The Invisible Cat
- Frenemies
- Hockey Jockeys
- Hyde and Shriek
- All Cat Jazz
- Wrap Star
- Charm School Dropouts
- Driven Crazy
- Cuckoo Clock
- Plant Food
- Game Changer
- Kiss and Makeup
- Suitable For Framing (does not speak)
- Knighty Knight Knight
- Ballad Of The Catnip Kid
- Mirror Image
Season 4[]
- Gym Rat
- Mouse Party
- The Devil You Know
- Counting Sheep
- Balloonatics
- My Buddy Guard
- Hangin' Tough
- Shadow of a Doubt (does not speak)
- Into the Woods
- Oh, Brother
- Mind Your Royal Manners
- The Butterfly Effect
- Hush Puppy
- The Masked Mouse
- How to Be a Dog
- Donut Daze (does not speak)
- A Kick in the Tail
- Broom for Improvement
- Tap Cat
- The Ol' Switcheroo
- Bones of Contention
- Slam Dunk
Season 5[]
- Not So Grand Canyon
- I Dream of Jerry
- Piñata Yadda Yadda
- Mr. Nobody
- Top Dog
- Rikki Tikki Tabby
- The Not So Ugly Duckling (picture cameo)
Tom and Jerry in New York[]
- Here Kite-y Kite-y (does not speak)
- Torpedon't (does not speak)
- Surfer Supreme (cameo)
- The Spa's the Limit (does not speak)
- Snow Day (does not speak)
- Flamingo A-Go-Go (does not speak)
Tom and Jerry Play[]
- Rainbow Candy Shop
- Fluffy! Bakery
- Bubble! Bath Time
- Sleepless Night
- Kitchen Fight
- Doll House
- Cheese Day
- Diner
- Picnic
- Travel
- School Days
- Halloween
- Playing in the Snow
Films[]
- Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
- Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes
- Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz
- Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure
- Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz
- Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Tom and Jerry: Cowboy Up
- Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land (as the main character)
Other appearances[]
Video Games[]
Nibbles appears in video game "Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers" as a Challenger. He is the one of the fast and weak fighters alongside Jerry, Quacker, Tyke and Robot Cat of the eleven characters. He also appears in Tom and Jerry Mouse Maze as one of the playable characters along with Jerry (and his variants) and Tyke. He is a playable character in Tom and Jerry Chase.
Trivia[]
- The character has been depicted in various classic cartoons and TV episodes as more talkative than Jerry.
- Nibbles is the only major animal character in the Tom and Jerry series of shorts that is depicted in clothing (a cloth diaper).
- In the Tom and Jerry Show (2014) there are German triplets that are identical to him, and they also replace him during the "Nightmare" parts of the show.
- In French version, Nibbles was renamed "Mitsou".[1]
- The first appearance of Tuffy was in Our Gang #1 Dell Comics 1942. He was created by Oskar Lebeck and Gaylord Du Bois, designed by them specifically for the comics. (page 34 Reflections on The Eyrie; by Gaylord Du Bois. Eyrie Publications, Essex, N.Y. 1984.)
- Now it was the cartoons' turn to retcon, changing the screen name Nibbles to Tuffy in the 1957 cartoon Feedin' The Kiddie. Tuffy was thus named Tuffy in all English-language media from 1957 through the 1980s until now.
- In different Tom and Jerry franchises, his names was changed and reused in films and series.
- He had no speaking roles in Tom and Jerry in New York.
- Nibbles has a fond taste for food, which can be a weakness as sometimes he forgets about escaping from foes and starts to search for his food.
- He was a orphan who is from an mouse orphanage called Bide-a-wee Mouse Home evident in The Little Orphan and Two Little Indians.
- In The Two Mouseketeers, Nibbles makes a sandwich while singing "Alouette," which causes him to get caught by Monsieur Pussycat (Tom).
- In "The Milky Waif," while escaping Tom, Nibbles pauses to drink Tom's milk, unaware that Tom is standing right in front of him.
- A Looney Tunes/Tiny Toons character called Li'l Sneezer closely resembles him.