The Itchy & Scratchy Show

Background

The cartoons are gory parodies of cat-and-mouse series such as Tom and Jerry, with the Italian comic Squeak the Mouse also counted as an influence. Itchy & Scratchy first appeared in the 1988 Tracey Ullman short The Bart Simpson Show and in The Simpsons proper in 1990's There's No Disgrace Like Home. The writers and animators liked them so much that they are often added when an episode runs short. Whole episodes deal with the cartoon's production: in Itchy & Scratchy & Marge Marge campaigns against its violence, and in The Day the Violence Died Chester J. Lampwick proves he created Itchy. Dan Castellaneta voices Itchy and Harry Shearer voices Scratchy.

Role in The Simpsons

The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show on The Simpsons, appearing as 15- to 60-second cartoons filled with graphic violence. Itchy, a blue mouse, almost always initiates unprovoked attacks against Scratchy, a black cat, and usually wins. The cartoons air as a segment on The Krusty the Clown Show and its brief replacements, The Side-Show Bob Cavalcade of Whimsy and Gabbo, but sometimes appear as standalone shows, as in "In Marge We Trust" (season 8, 1997).

They parody traditional cartoons and films, with Tom and Jerry being a direct influence, though Itchy acts as the antagonist. Examples include Scratchtasia (parodying Fantasia) and Pinitchio (parodying Pinocchio). Animation jokes appear, such as the Manhattan Madness cartoon based on early animations like Gertie the Dinosaur. The cartoons sometimes exaggerate the episode's conflict, as in "Deep Space Homer" (season five, 1994), where a cartoon parodies 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien.

Featured in Itchy & Scratchy

Itchy, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, is a blue mouse and the villainous antagonist who relentlessly mutilates or kills Scratchy and other cats, often without motivation beyond the thrill, laughing evilly. Scratchy, voiced by Harry Shearer, is a threadbare, dim-witted black cat and the perpetual victim, seldom provoking Itchy and usually living an ordinary life until killed. Poochie, an orange dog, appeared in "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" (season eight, 1997).

Producers added Poochie to reinvigorate the show, and Homer Simpson voiced him. Introduced in "The Beagle Has Landed", Poochie was universally despised for interfering with the violence and was killed off in his second appearance despite Homer's objections. The episode referenced TV shows adding new characters and commented on fan complaints about The Simpsons. Originally, Poochie was to be obnoxious due to wealth rather than coolness. He later made brief cameos in "Treehouse of Horror IX", "Little Big Mom", and "The Nightmare After Krustmas".