Downhearted Duckling is an animated Tom and Jerry short released on November 13th, 1954 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

The story revolves around a yellow duckling (Quaker) who thinks he's ugly. Unable to continue dealing with his misery, he aims to put an end to his life, whether by way of suicide or by letting Tom eat him. Jerry does everything he can to prevent his death.

Tropes in this cartoon include:

• Adaptation Species Change: In-Universe. In Quacker's book, the titular Ugly Duckling looks like an actual duckling rather than the cygnet that it's supposed to be.
• Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Quacker keeps asking Tom to eat him, and Tom is happy to oblige. But then Tom sees Quacker with curlers, a mud mask and corset and it horrifies him. When Quacker asks, "Aren't you going to eat me?", Tom heads for the hills.
• Aside Glance: When Quacker firsts asks Tom to eat him, the cat delivers a befuddled look to the camera, as if to say 'Is he serious'?
• Brown Bag Mask: Near the end of the episode, Quacker wears a white paper bag because he was deemed too ugly. It isn't until a female duckling arrives and convinces Quacker that he's cute does he remove the paper bag and they both walk away together hand-in-hand.
• Cosmetic Horror: Jerry puts curlers, a mud mask and a corset on Quacker to make him prettier. When Tom sees him, he is horrified, which makes Quacker's complex worse.
• Driven to Suicide: Depressed upon reading the story of The Ugly Duckling and believing he's ugly, Quacker tries various methods of suicide, like beheading himself with an axe and trying to get Tom to eat him. Jerry does all he can to stop him.
• Eaten Alive: For a brief moment, Quacker is eaten by Tom at one point (which is his intention as part of his intention to put an end to his life). Jerry quickly opens Tom's mouth to take the duckling out before it's too late.
• I Am Not Pretty: Quacker believes this.
• Interrupted Suicide: The whole cartoon is full of this, as Jerry has to keep saving Quacker from ending his own life in various ways.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Tom has no idea what's actually happening with Quacker wanting to end his life and just sees a free meal, which Jerry keeps stealing from him.
• Off-into-the-Distance Ending: The cartoon ends with Quacker and his lover, Fifi, walking into the sunset.