The Ants are an army of marching ants that appear in Cat Napping, Pup on a Picnic, Barbecue Brawl, Carmen Get It!, Tom and Jerry Kids, Tom and Jerry Tales, The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) and Tom and Jerry in New York. They only appear to steal food. Typically, when the lead ant spots some food available, he makes a call to the following ants with a bugle and then they continue marching. When the ants climb onto something one of the main characters are sitting upon, it jerks violently, causing injury to the character.
History[]
Tom and Jerry[]
The Ant appeared as minor character that appeared whenever food is involved that lure them to becoming a nusicance to the characters.
Cat Napping[]
The ants are first seen in "Cat Napping," after Tom spots Jerry snoring and decides to take action, he scoops up the mouse and drops him onto the marching army of ants, thinking he's off the hook. The ants, diligent in their task, are initially unaware of the commotion above them. As Jerry wakes up from the jostling and bumps his head on the steel sprinkler, he quickly realizes he’s in a precarious position.
Now fully aware of the situation, Jerry seizes an opportunity. He knows the ants are highly organized and can be directed with a clever nudge. With a swift move, he motions towards the hammock, causing the soldiers to pivot and change direction in unison. The ants, seeing Jerry’s signals, march in a tight formation toward the hammock where Tom is lounging unsuspectingly. As the army of ants swarms onto the hammock, Tom finally realizes what is happening—but it’s too late. The weight of the marching ants stresses the hammock's strings. With a sudden snap, the strings break, causing the hammock to roll up tightly around Tom, trapping him inside.
Pup on a Picnic[]
In Pup on a Picnic, An hungry army of ants spots Tom and the food he has gathered from on top of a tree. Driven by their appetite, the ants make their way up the tree, crawling toward the tempting morsels. Just as Tom successfully catches Jerry with his fishing rod and holds him triumphantly. The sudden arrival of the ants disrupts the balance of the branch, as their combined weight causes it to shake violently.
This commotion wakes Spike and Tyke, who are now fuming as they see the chaos unfolding above them. In a comedic turn, Tom, Jerry, the ants, and a flurry of falling apples come crashing down. As the dust settles, an angry Spike prepares to punish Tom for his mischief, but the attention quickly shifts to the ants. In a surprising turn of events, the ants leave the scene, successfully carrying away the food and an unwilling Jerry, highlighting their determination and teamwork as they triumphant march away.
Barbecue Brawl[]
Spike and Tyke have finally prepared their Father-Son Barbecue. Just as the father and son gets ready to dig in, an Ant Army spots their food and approaches the picnic table. Spike notices the Ants and grabs Tyke, along with the food by wrapping them up like a bag. He then flees to the diving board to escape from the Ant Army. However, the Ant Army still gives chase for their food, which leads both Spike and Tyke to fall into the swimming pool, as all of their barbecue is claimed by the Ant Army. Spike returns to the ground and grabs the steak from the Ants. But at this time, the leader blows his trumpet to have the other Ants successfully retrieve it, much to Spike's dismay.
Carmen Get It![]
In Carmen Get It!, An army of black ants are seen opera which Jerry lures some ants onto a blank page of the score to form musical notes in the page. Jerry gets Tom's attention, and as Tom tries to get him at the conductor's stand, the spotlight goes back on and everyone cheered for him. Tom has had no choice but to conduct the orchestra since the conductor was nowhere. However, Jerry causes the ants to change positions, causing Tom to misconduct the music, such that it changes to "American Patrol", "Yankee Doodle", "Dixie", and "There'll Be a Hot Time In the Town Tonight". Finally, the ants scatter and Tom sees Jerry. He screws Jerry into a light bulb socket, and lights Jerry like an x-ray.
At the end of the short, after the song concludes, Jerry takes a bow before the audience. Meanwhile, the ants make their appearance as they skillfully spell out "THE END" on the pages of a book. Their performance is met with thunderous cheering and applause, bringing the era to a triumphant close.
The Tom and Jerry Show (1975)[]
Although there no army ants seen in the series, The Tom and Jerry Show (1975). Two red ants called Benny and George that escaped a lab after Benny becomes giant.
Tom and Jerry Kids[]
In Tom and Jerry Kids, a more anthropomorphic army of military ants makes an appearance, led by a character named General Ambrose. These ants arrive wherever food is present, ready to take action. Despite being rather small, they make a pretty well-organized force with artillery, armored fighting vehicles, airborne units, and even medical personnel. In the episode "Go-Pher Help," the army is depicted as tall and lanky. One notable segment titled "The Ant Attack" features the ants pursuing Tom's birthday cake, with Jerry lending his assistance.
Additionally, in three segments focused on Spike and Tyke—entitled "Return of the Ants," "Roughing It," and "This Is No Picnic" — the ants interrupt the father-son duo's picnic, much like in the classic series. Spike consistently attempts to keep the ants at bay, but they ultimately prevail in their antics.
Tom and Jerry Tales[]
Don't Bring Your Pet to School Day[]
In Tom and Jerry Tales, an army of fire ants makes an appearance in the episode "Don't Bring Your Pet to School Day." During a school presentation, Jerry mischievously releases various pets belonging to the other students, including an ant farm filled with fire ants. The ants later invade Tom's fur, which is sticky with apple juice, causing him to scratch uncontrollably. This chaotic scene unfolds to Nancy's great dismay.
Little Big Mouse[]
In the episode "Little Big Mouse," a single red ant makes an appearance. Tom, seeing the exhausted ant, nicely places an ice cube on its head to cool it down. Grateful for Tom's kind gesture, the ant develops a friendly bond with him, reminiscent of the friendship between Spike and Jerry. However, trouble brews when the ant starts stealing food from Jerry's picnic, prompting Jerry to try and stop the little thief. This creates a rivalry between Jerry and the ant, as the ant takes the stolen food back to its anthill.
After a series of thrilling antics involving the ants, Jerry discovers that all his food is gone, leaving him sad and disappointed. Meanwhile, the ant enjoys a picnic with Tom, and the two share a delightful meal together, reveling in their newfound friendship.
The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)[]
An army of ants reminiscent of those from the classic cartoons makes a notable appearance in The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) episode "It's the Little Things." In this episode, Tom spots the ants marching through a forest. After being shrunk down to a tiny size, he desperately tries to escape, but the oblivious ants march on, unknowingly flattening him in the process.
Tom and Jerry in New York[]
The same ants from The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) reappeared in Tom and Jerry in New York episode, To Your Health. Here when Jerry places a picnic table in the Royal Gate Hotel, this attacts the ants to the basket full of ants underneath it, all while cha-cha-cha music plays in the background.
When Tom spots the ants marching by, just as the Health Inspector arrives to question Armand about what’s happening. Caught off guard, Armand struggles to find the right words. In a desperate bid to hide the chaos, Tom throws his bed over the ants, but instead of stopping them, they continue to carry off the picnic, bed and all. The Health Inspector glances at Armand, who offers a nervous smile in return. As the ants swarm into the pots, Tom begins to swat at them with his bed and feet. He abruptly stops when he notices the Health Inspector watching his antics. Meanwhile, Armand quickly comes up with a story, claiming that a child broke their ant farm.
Appearances[]
Tom and Jerry[]
Tom and Jerry Kids[]
Tom and Jerry Tales[]
The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)[]
Tom and Jerry in New York[]
Gallery[]
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