The Itchy & Scratchy Show
| Itchy and Scratchy | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons characters | |
Title card for The Itchy & Scratchy Show featuring Itchy (left) and Scratchy (right) | |
| First appearance | The Bart Simpson Show (November 20, 1988) |
| Created by | Matt Groening |
| Voiced by | Itchy: Dan Castellaneta Scratchy: Harry Shearer |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Itchy: House mouse Scratchy: Tuxedo cat |
The Itchy & Scratchy Show (often shortened as Itchy & Scratchy) is a fictional animated series featured on The Simpsons. The cartoon depicts a sadistic mouse named Itchy who repeatedly maims or murders a black cat named 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, unsuitable for children, 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, Kit 'n' Kaboodle, and Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. The Italian comic strip Squeak the Mouse is also considered to be an inspiration for the characters.
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".