Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks

Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera first made their claim to fame with the cat and mouse duo Tom & Jerry while still working for MGM. It wasn’t until 1958 that they reintroduced a cat and mouse cast of characters to a series with Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. Only now there were two mice causing trouble for the resident house cat: a blue, bow tie wearing mouse named Pixie, and his friend Dixie, who wore a red vest.

Unlike the Tom & Jerry cartoons, all three members of the Pixie & Dixie cast spoke. Mr. Jinks’ mouse chasing repertoire was also less frenetic than Tom’s had been. Mr. Jinks’ had a laid back, confident disposition that signaled he knew he would, like, catch the “meeces” in his own good time.

Although most stories took place in a residential home, occasionally Mr. Jinks had employment in some sort of profession that required him to deal with a bow tie and vest wearing rodent problem.

Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks was one of three segments on the half-hour The Huckleberry Hound Show, airing in 1958. The other 7-minute segments included Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear. The cat and mouse trio made appearances in subsequent Hanna-Barbera ensemble series after their own series ended, but failed to achieve the same level of notoriety as many of their cartoon contemporaries.