The iconic 1950s series Tom and Jerry has been a pinnacle of many people's childhoods over the last seventy decades.
What wasn't there to love about an adorably tiny mouse thankfully escaping from the clutches of a menacing and hungry cat, by playing some mildly amusing pranks on him? I mean, it was iconic!
This week, however, a handful of fans of the hit cartoon have been left heartbroken after an episode resurfaced on social media, which showed three drowned kittens being taken to heaven.
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The popular Instagram account @insidehistory posted the tragic clip yesterday, which shows pussycat Tom temporarily visiting the gates of heaven, having sustained an injury during a lighthearted playfight with mouse Jerry.
A line-up of cats begin entering the gates and boarding a train - the 'Heavenly Express' - after seemingly being killed on Earth.
The train conductor - a cat himself - then appears to be assessing a moving sack, which is tied at the top with a piece of string, before three gorgeous kittens emerge, splashing some water out of the bag, implying they'd been purposefully drowned.
Looking down at the late kittens, the cat conductor then says, "Tut tut tut, what some people won't do."
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Leaving fans literally wiping away their tears, the video's caption explained: "We were too young to understand this. The golden escalator of Heaven takes Tom’s soul up into the sky to the golden gates of the railroad station where the 'Heavenly Express' train is waiting that carries the souls of cats to heaven.
"Fluff, Muff and Puff, three kittens who suffocated and drowned in a bag of water go quickly through the gate to the train. The gatekeeper allows the kittens through as their passings were untimely."
And viewers of the resurfaced episode were quick to note their surprise at its deeper, more sinister meaning.
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One wrote in the comment section: "I remember this episode. I was a kid and it flew right over my head. Wow."
Another penned: "This cartoon reminds me of my childhood where there was no such thing as stress and the burdens of life".
"It’s so heartbreaking how so many sweet loving animals never even get a chance at life", a third emotional viewer noted.
"I don’t think that would have made sense to me as a child. Now seeing it, makes me sad," a fourth added.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros/ Inside History / InstagramTopics: Animals, TV and Film, Instagram, Social Media