Haunting conspiracy behind 'one of the darkest episodes in the history of cartoons'
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A disturbing conspiracy theory about an episode of Tom and Jerry is circulating online and honestly, we don't know how to feel.
The much-loved 1950s cartoon was a feature of many childhoods for decades. But you might have heard a disturbing conspiracy theory about what happened in the final episode of the cartoon knocking about online.
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As viewers will know, both Tom and Jerry spent a lot of time tied to railway tracks, but always managed to escape with seconds to spare.
But one episode implied they might not make it out this time.
As one X user wrote: "I just read about the last episode of Tom & Jerry... how it was one of the darkest episodes in the history of iconic cartoons, was aired only ONCE on Cartoon Network and has been banned ever since, and resulted in Tom & Jerry committing suicide. Gosh. I'm depressed now."
Now, while a lot of this isn't actually true, what actually happened isn't much less harrowing.
An episode titled 'Blue Cat Blues' did actually end with Tom and Jerry together in a depressive funk on live train tracks, and ends before revealing their fate.
It also sees Tom drinking himself into a stupor.
Prepare for your childhood to be ruined by the clip below:
In the 1956 episode, Tom is pretty gutted when his girlfriend leaves him for another cat.
Although Jerry tries to boost his friend's mood, his mouse girlfriend also ditches him.
At the end of the episode, both cartoon characters are sitting on the tracks, seemingly waiting for a train to approach.
However, what internet conspiracy theorists get wrong is that this isn't really the final episode of Tom & Jerry, around 100 more episodes have aired since then.
Tom and Jerry were seen alive and well in the next episode a month later, so presumably didn't get mown down by a train.
Though the episode isn't a fan favourite due to its pitch black themes, it was never banned and has aired as a rerun on TBS and TNT in the 1990s.
Nevertheless, 'Blue Cat Blues' was a pretty sad episode - and it wasn't the only one.
People were left pretty heartbroken after an episode resurfaced on social media, which showed three drowned kittens being taken to heaven.
The tragic clip shows Tom temporarily visiting the gates of heaven, having sustained an injury during a lighthearted play fight with 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.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Conspiracy Theory
Lucy Devine