Felix the Cat

Felix the Cat is a cartoon character from the silent-film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make the Felix one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Felix was the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power.

Related Topics:
Cartoon - Character - Silent-film - Surrealism - Star power

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Felix's earliest origins remain disputed. Australian émigré movie entrepreneur Pat Sullivan and American animator Otto Messmer have both claimed to be his creator, and evidence backs up both claims. What is certain is that the cat emerged from Sullivan's studio, and cartoons featuring the character enjoyed unprecedented success and popularity in the 1920s. Paramount Pictures distributed the earliest films, and Margaret J. Winkler became distributor in 1922. Sullivan did most of the marketing for the character.

Related Topics:
Australia - émigré - Movie entrepreneur - Pat Sullivan - American - Animator - Otto Messmer - Cat - 1920s - Paramount Pictures - Margaret J. Winkler - 1922 - Marketing

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Felix exploded into American popular culture and enjoyed great success overseas as well. He soon became an icon of American popular culture and enjoyed great success overseas as well. He got his own comic strip (drawn by Messmer), and his image soon adorned all sorts of merchandise. Jazz singers such as Paul Whiteman sang about him, and Felix even became the first image ever broadcast by any television transmitter. Nevertheless, the success was shortlived. The arrival of talking cartoons, particularly those of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, eclipsed the silent offerings of Sullivan and Messmer. A few talking Felix shorts produced by Sullivan's brother failed to win back audiences.

Related Topics:
American - Popular culture - Comic strip - Jazz - Paul Whiteman - Talking cartoons - Walt Disney's - Mickey Mouse

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Television would prove the cat's savior. Felix cartoons began airing on American TV beginning in 1953. Meanwhile, Joe Oriolo, the new artist behind the Felix comic strip, gained the rights to feature Felix in a new series specifically for television. Oriolo introduced new characters, such as Poindexter and Rock Bottom, and he gave Felix a "Magic Bag of Tricks", which could shift into myriad shapes based on Felix's needs. Oriolo continues as Felix's caretaker today, and the cat has since starred in other television programs and in a feature film.

Related Topics:
Television - 1953 - Joe Oriolo - Poindexter - Rock Bottom - Feature film

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