Which duo created Tom and Jerry?

The duo who created Tom and Jerry was William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Hanna and Barbera met while working at MGM’s animation unit and began developing the cat-and-mouse concept in the late 1930s. Their first completed collaboration was Puss Gets the Boot, released in 1940. That short featured a cat originally called Jasper and an unnamed mouse, but its success led MGM to commission a continuing series and establish the names Tom and Jerry.

Their creative partnership lasted for decades. Barbera generally handled story development, storyboards, layouts, and character design, while Hanna supervised animation timing and directed the movement and rhythm of the action. Together, they directed 114 Tom and Jerry shorts for MGM from 1940 through 1958.

The pair later founded Hanna-Barbera Productions, whose television successes included The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo. A common mix-up is crediting Walt Disney or another animation team because Disney characters also dominated theatrical cartoons, but Tom and Jerry originated at MGM under Hanna and Barbera. Their original shorts won seven Academy Awards.