That Explains It: Mideast Vioence is Tom & Jerry's Fault

For years, the Middle East has tended to blame others for its woes: the US, Israel, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, or all of the above conspiring together. But now the Head of Egypt's State Information Service, speaking at a Cairo University Conference, has uncovered another culprit: Tom & Jerry cartoons. (Also here.)


So when we talk about addressing the root causes of ISIS, we should go after MGM and Hanna-Barbera?

Personally I find this ridiculous. I blame Warner Bros.: the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote are much more violent.

Something Different for the Weekend: Mish-Mish Effendi, Egypt's First Cartoon Star

I like to do something a little different for the weekend, so how's this: Egypt's first animated cartoons began in the 1930s, produced by the Frenkel brothers, and clearly directly influenced by (and imitating) American pioneer cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Tom & Jerry. Their character, Mish-Mish Effendi, is an Egyptian everyman; his lady-love, Baheya, is a belly-dancer (and looks like a direct steal from Betty Boop). ("Mish-mish" means apricots, but he apparently got his name from the Egyptian phrase bukra fi'l mish-mish, "tomorrow in the apricots," a way of saying "never.")

The first Mish-Mish cartoon dates from 1936. They were made into the 1950s, when the Frenkel brothers, who were Jewish, left Egypt for France. You can find a short history in English here, though it is in an English that looks like it's been machine translated.

 One that survives complete dates from 1939-1940, ordered by the Ministry of War to support a national defense bond issue aimed at strengthening the Egyptian Army as World War II began in Europe. It's in Egyptian colloquial with some titles in English, but is pretty straightforward for anyone familiar with 1930s cartoon tropes, for those who don't know Arabic. (And this YouTube version is for some reason subtitled in German.)

It's called "Mish-Mish Effendi and the National Defense." Like other cartoon characters in the era, Mish-Mish is used to spread some patriotic propaganda. In part one we see Mish-Mish wooing Baheya, then see her belly-dance (with cameo appearances by bad caricatures of Laurel and Hardy and other celebrities). In the second part, we see Egyptians contributing to the war loan. Then Mish-Mish Effendi goes to war, becomes a war hero, beats the (unspecified) enemy, and gets the girl. It's not up to Disney standards (though a lot of US cartoons have provided inspiration), but it's a fascinating artifact. Parts one and two: