Tom and Jerry quit smoking--retroactively

Turner Broadcasting will edit smoking scenes out of more than 1,500 Hanna Barbera cartoons after a complaint was made to the UK broadcasting regulator.

The regulator's latest news bulletin stated that a viewer, who was not identified, had complained about two smoking scenes on "Tom and Jerry," saying they "were not appropriate in a cartoon aimed at children."

In the first, "Texas Tom," the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the second, "Tennis Chumps," Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

"The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that "Texas Tom" was one such example.

Because there's nothing so enticing to a small child as a cat smoking a cigarette.