04/06/2026
The Anime: Tom and Jerry Gokko
The show is officially titled Tom to Jerry Gokko (トムとジェリーごっこ), and it premiered on Cartoon Network Japan on November 11, 2022. Rather than writing the characters' names in katakana — the script typically used for foreign words and names in Japanese — the creators deliberately used hiragana, the softer, more rounded script, to visually reinforce the show's cute, gentle aesthetic. It's a subtle but clever touch that signals to a Japanese audience that this version of Tom and Jerry is meant to feel warm and approachable rather than frenetic.
The producers described the series as "adding a topping of kawaii to the speedy, humorous movement of the good-natured fights Tom and Jerry always get into." All the characters were given rounder, softer designs with slightly muted colors compared to the standard Cartoon Network versions — imagine the classic duo reimagined through the lens of a Japanese sticker book or plushie collection.
Why November 11th? The 1,300-Year-Old Reason
Cheese Day's date isn't arbitrary. It was officially established in 1992 by the Japan Imported Cheese Promotion Association, but the historical reasoning goes back to the year 700 AD. Ancient Japanese chronicles record that Emperor Monmu ordered the production of a dairy substance called So (酥) — a condensed, boiled-down milk product considered a prototype of cheese or butter. It was treated as a precious medicinal tonic used by aristocrats and monks, not an everyday food. This is recognized as the oldest confirmed record of a cheese-like product in Japanese history. Since that imperial decree occurred in the 10th month of the old lunar calendar — which corresponds to November in the Gregorian calendar — November was chosen to honor it, and the 11th was picked simply because it's easy to remember (11/11). To celebrate the day in 2022, Cartoon Network Japan aired a full seven-hour block of Jerry-focused cartoons.
Notably, November 11 is already famous in Japan as Pocky & Pretz Day (the chocolate stick snacks whose shape mirrors the date 11/11), so Cheese Day shares the date with one of Japan's most popular food holidays.
Tuffy/Nibbles: The Little Mouse with Many Names
Tuffy — also called Nibbles — is actually one of Tom and Jerry's oldest supporting characters, debuting in the 1946 short The Milky Waif. He's an orphaned baby mouse, Jerry's ward, perpetually clad in a diaper and almost always hungry. Despite his tiny size, he regularly gets the better of Tom. He even won an Academy Award appearance, featuring in the 1949 Oscar-winning short The Little Orphan. In a beloved trilogy of shorts set in the court of King Louis XV, he speaks almost exclusively in French. For the anime adaptation, two different Japanese voice actresses were cast to voice Tuffy across the show's episodes — Eri Tanaka for the early episodes and Nana Kumagai thereafter.
The Bigger Picture
The anime spin-off is a nice encapsulation of how Japan tends to engage with foreign cultural imports: adopt them, adapt them, and often put a uniquely Japanese spin on them. Cheese itself went through the same journey — arriving as a post-WWII school lunch staple, becoming woven into Japanese cuisine (think cheese-stuffed chikuwa fish cakes or cheese mochi), and eventually producing Hokkaido artisan cheeses that now win international competitions. Celebrating that history with a kawaii Tom and Jerry marathon feels very fitting.
