The Itchy & Scratchy Show (often shortened as Itchy & Scratchy) is a fictional animated series featured on The Simpsons. The cartoon depicts a blue mouse named Itchy, and a black cat named Scratchy, who repeatedly maim or kill each other (most often Itchy trying to kill and maim Scratchy). It is typically presented as 15- to 60-second sketches that are a part of The Krusty the Clown Show. Itchy & Scratchy is filled with graphic violence that almost invariably prompts laughter from The Simpsons characters, especially Bart and Lisa.
The Itchy and Scratchy characters are extremely violent and bloody parodies of cat-and-mouse cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, Herman and Katnip, and Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. The Italian comic strip Squeak the Mouse is also considered to be an inspiration for the characters.[1][2][3][4]
The cartoon first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show short "The Bart Simpson Show", which aired in 1988. The cartoon's first appearance in The Simpsons was in the 1990 episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home". The cartoons became popular among the show's writers and animators, and they are often added when an episode needs expanding. Several full episodes were centered on the fictional production of Itchy & Scratchy, such as "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge".
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show that appears occasionally in episodes of The Simpsons. They appear in the form of 15- to 60-second-long cartoons that are filled with graphic violence, usually initiated by Itchy the mouse against Scratchy the cat, with the former almost always being the victor.[5] Itchy & Scratchy airs as a segment on The Krusty the Clown Show, and also aired on its brief replacements, Sideshow Bob's Cavalcade of Whimsy, and Gabbo.[6] Itchy & Scratchy mostly airs as a standalone show rather than being a segment in some episodes, such as "In Marge We Trust" (season 8, 1997).
Itchy & Scratchy is usually a parody of traditional cartoons or takeoffs on famous films, but the plot and content are always violent and bloody, with Itchy performing unprovoked acts of graphic violence and homicide unlike most classic cartoons. The most direct and obvious example is Tom and Jerry, an animated series which was also about a constant battle between a cat and a mouse, with the mouse usually victorious, though in Itchy & Scratchy, the mouse acts as the antagonist. Itchy & Scratchy also includes shorts such as Scratchtasia, a parody of Fantasia, and Pinitchio, a parody of Pinocchio.[7] Animation-related jokes are prevalent in the show, such as the Manhattan Madness cartoon in "The Day the Violence Died", which is based on very early animated cartoons such as Gertie the Dinosaur.[8] The cartoons also occasionally serve to play out an exaggerated form of the conflict in the surrounding episode. For example, in "Deep Space Homer" (season five, 1994), Homer is recruited by NASA, and later watches an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon which directly (and gruesomely) parodies the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien.[9]
Several full episodes of The Simpsons were centered on the fictional production history of The Itchy & Scratchy Show. It begins with Chester J. Lampwick creating Itchy the mouse for the now-lost silent cartoon Manhattan Madness, in which Itchy brutally attacks and kills an Irishman and Theodore Roosevelt, in 1919 (the year of the first Felix the Cat cartoon). However, the character was later stolen by Roger Meyers.[10] Scratchy starred in his first cartoon in 1928 titled That Happy Cat. The film, a 13-second-long animation showing the cat whistling and tipping his hat, was a commercial failure. Later that year, Itchy and Scratchy starred in their first cartoon together called Steamboat Itchy, a violent parody of Disney's Steamboat Willie.[11] Along with the cartoon shorts, Itchy and Scratchy were featured in a World War II–era radio series,[12] at least two films (Pinitchio and Scratchtasia, which are parodies of Pinocchio and Fantasia, respectively),[13] and television commercials for Laramie Cigarettes.[14]
Itchy & Scratchy Studios is run by Roger Meyers Jr., the son of Roger Meyers, the cartoon's supposed creator. The studio was bankrupted after it was sued by Lampwick for $800 million when he was represented by Lionel Hutz, but was saved after receiving a large cash settlement from the government over its use of Mr. ZIP.[10] The show underwent a brief, non-violent retooling following a protest campaign led by Marge Simpson, but it returned to its original violent format after Marge was later discredited after defending the display of Michelangelo's David in Springfield in the face of public objection.[15] Itchy & Scratchy has spawned an in-universe Academy Award–winning film adaptation,[11] amusement parks,[13] and a musical;[16] and, like Krusty's show, localized versions are produced for other countries, such as Jamaica's The Itchem and Scratchem Blow.[17]
The Itchy & Scratchy Show first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show short "The Bart Simpson Show", which originally aired November 20, 1988. They were the first major recurring characters outside of the Simpson family to appear.[30] As a child, series creator Matt Groening and his friends would fantasize about an ultra-violent cartoon and how much fun it would be to work on a show like that.[18][31] The names "Itchy" and "Scratchy" were inspired by Pixie and Dixie, which was a segment on the cartoon show The Huckleberry Hound Show.[31] The comic strip Squeak the Mouse is also considered an apparent inspiration for the characters.[1][2][3][4] As a child, Groening really liked the 1961 Disney film One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and it was one of the reasons to why he got into cartooning.[32] In the film, the puppies watch television, and the idea of having a cartoon within a cartoon thrilled Groening. From that idea he got the inspiration for Itchy & Scratchy.[32]
David Silverman states that Itchy and Scratchy cartoons are "an ironic commentary on cartoon mayhem in the sense that it's taken to a more realistic level. The kids on The Simpsons are laughing at it, and we're laughing too, but part of what you're laughing at is the over-the-top excessiveness of the violence."[33]
"Over the years, we have gotten fan mail from people asking for Itchy & Scratchy to get their own spinoff, and you know, more Itchy & Scratchy, so we put together a montage of Itchy & Scratchy moments, that is several minutes long, and I've shown it to audiences and they get stunned after a minute and a half."
Itchy & Scratchy cartoons are often added when a show needs expanding or when there is an issue that the writers wish to satirize.[34][35] In some cases, notably in "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", the writers use Itchy & Scratchy as a way to comment on The Simpsons.[19] The shorts are often difficult for the writers, and take much time to develop and devise a title, and in the end they fill little time.[36] Writing the Itchy & Scratchy cartoons is quite often a group effort, with it being pitched out one gag after another.[37] Itchy & Scratchy are a favorite of John Swartzwelder, who has written many of the episodes that center on them and quite often pitches the ideas for the shorts.[36] In the early seasons, fans wanted more Itchy & Scratchy, so the writers decided to do "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge", an episode that dealt with censorship issues which would allow them to show several cartoons.[29] The cartoons are often kept short, because according to David Silverman, "it doesn't really work as a long cartoon."[33]
During David Mirkin's tenure as showrunner (season five and six), he was asked by the Fox network not to do any more Itchy & Scratchy cartoons due to the amount of violence in them. In response, the show produced "Itchy & Scratchy Land". The network asked them not to do the episode, and threatened that if the episode was produced, they would cut the Itchy & Scratchy parts out themselves, but relented when Mirkin threatened to tell the media. The writers nevertheless promised to try not to overdo the violence and in some scenes the violence was cut.[26]
During their tenure as executive producers, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein tried to fit in one episode relating to Itchy & Scratchy every season. They note that as the seasons progressed, it became increasingly difficult for them to create new Itchy & Scratchy episode ideas.[8] Although the episode was difficult to animate, "Itchy & Scratchy Land" was "a dream come true" for the animators, as they enjoyed animating scenes filled with violence.[38]
Itchy and Scratchy have appeared in various products and other media relating to The Simpsons.
The Itchy & Scratchy Game was released for Game Gear and Super NES, a version for the Sega Genesis was also developed but was never commercially released.[39] Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness, was released for Game Boy.[40] Itchy, Scratchy and Poochie play roles in the "Grand Theft Scratchy" section in The Simpsons Game.[41]
Itchy and Scratchy have also appeared in commercials for various products, including a 1999 Butterfinger advert where Bart watches a short called "500 Easy Pieces".[42]
They appear in the first scene of The Simpsons Movie. The writers of the film knew from the beginning that they were going to start with an Itchy & Scratchy short and the segment was the first scene that was storyboarded by the animators.[43]
The duo also appear in the pre-show video for The Simpsons Ride. They host a video called "Safety First" that shows riders what can happen to them if they do not follow ride requirements.[44]
Outside of The Simpsons, Itchy & Scratchy also appear in one of the last scenes of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.[45]
In his 2004 book Planet Simpson, author Chris Turner describes Itchy & Scratchy as "by far the most gleeful visual riffingonThe Simpsons [...] each snippet of "Itchy & Scratchy" packs as much frenetically paced action, sight-gaggery, and physical humor into its half-minute of screen time as a half-dozen Road Runner cartoons and a dozen Tom & Jerrys."[5]
In 2007, Vanity Fair named "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" the sixth-best episode in the show's history, describing it as "a classic satire of network influence, obsessed TV fans, and programs that survive long after the shark has been jumped, the episode is a meta-celebration, a tongue-in-cheek rebuttal to everyone who claimed that the quality of The Simpsons had declined over the years."[46]
Todd Gilchrist of IGN called Itchy & Scratchy a masterpiece, stating it "could easily be packaged and sold by [itself]."[47] Robert Canning of IGN wrote that "it's always fun to see an 'Itchy and Scratchy' cartoon" but believes that the shorter and simpler cartoons are better than the longer more complex ones.[48]
In 2003, Entertainment Weekly named "Itchy & Scratchy Land" and "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" the 7th-best and 23rd-best episodes of The Simpsons, respectively.[27]
In a 2006 article, IGN ranked Itchy & Scratchy in tenth position on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters", citing that "the Itchy & Scratchy Show shines a nice mirror on cartoons, showing just how funny cartoon violence really is."[49]
In a 2014 Vulture article, The Simpsons writers ranked their nine favorite Itchy & Scratchy cartoons. Their choices included season 4's "Steamboat Itchy", season 14's "Bleeder of the Pack", the opening scene of The Simpsons Movie and the safety video "Safety First" that plays before The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios.[50]
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