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.

Unprecedented popularity

When distribution from Paramount expired in 1922, Sullivan began distributing his cartoons through Margaret J. Winkler. Under Winkler, Felix's popularity soared to new heights.

Related Topics:
1922 - Margaret J. Winkler

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By 1923, the cat was at the peak of his film career. "Felix in Hollywood", a short released during this year, plays upon Felix's popularity, as he becomes acquainted with such fellow celebrities as Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, and even censor Will H. Hays. His image could be seen on clocks, Christmas ornaments, and as the first giant balloon ever made for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Felix also became the subject of several popular songs of the day. Even Paul Whiteman, the king of jazz himself, did a bit on the frisky feline.

Related Topics:
1923 - Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. - Cecil B. DeMille - Charlie Chaplin - Ben Turpin - Will H. Hays - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Paul Whiteman

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In addition, Felix was the first image ever broadcast by television when RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for a 1928 experiment via W2XBS New York in Van Cortlandt Park. The doll was chosen for its tonal contrast and its ability to withstand the intense lights needed. It was placed on a rotating phonograph turntable and photographed for approximately two hours each day. After a one-time payoff to Sullivan, the doll remained on the turntable for nearly a decade as RCA fine-tuned the picture's definition.

Related Topics:
Television - RCA - Papier-mâché - 1928 - W2XBS - New York - Van Cortlandt Park - Phonograph - Turntable

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Felix's great success also spawned a host of imitators. The appearances and personalities of other 1920s feline stars such as Julius of Walt Disney's Alice Comedies, Waffles of Paul Terry's Aesop's Film Fables, and Bill Nolan's 1925 adaptation of Krazy Kat all seemed to have been directly patterned after Felix.

Related Topics:
Walt Disney - Alice Comedies - Paul Terry - Aesop's Film Fables - Krazy Kat

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Felix's cartoons were a hit with the critics as well. They have been cited as wonderfully imaginative examples of surrealism in filmmaking. Felix has been said to represent a child's sense of wonder, creating the fantastic when it is not there, and taking it in stride when it is. His famous pace—hands behind his back, head down, deep in thought—became a trademark that was analyzed and re-analyzed by critics around the world. Felix's expressive tail, which could be a shovel one moment, an exclamation mark or pencil the next, serves to emphasize that anything can happen in his world.

Related Topics:
Surrealism - Filmmaking

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Felix as mascot

Given the character's unprecedented popularity and the fact that his name was partially derived from the Latin word for "luck", some rather notable individuals and organizations adopted Felix as a mascot. The first of these was a Los Angeles Chevrolet dealer and friend of Pat Sullivan named Winslow B. Felix who first opened his showroom in 1921. The three-sided neon sign of Felix Chevrolet, with its giant, smiling images of the character, is today one of LA's best-known landmarks, standing watch over both Figueroa Street and the Harbor Freeway. Others who adopted Felix included the 1922 New York Yankees and aviator Charles Lindbergh, who took a Felix doll with him on his historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - Chevrolet - 1921 - Figueroa Street - Harbor Freeway - 1922 - New York Yankees - Charles Lindbergh - Atlantic Ocean

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This popularity persisted. In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy's Bombing Squadron Two (VB-2B) adopted a unit insignia consisting of Felix happily carrying a bomb with a burning fuse. They retained the insignia through the 1930s when they became a fighter squadron under the designations VF-6B and, later, VF-3. Early in World War II, a US Navy fighter squadron currently designated VF-31 replaced its winged meat-cleaver logo with the same insignia, after the original Felix squadron had been disbanded. The carrier-based night-fighter squadron, nicknamed the "Tomcatters," remained active under various designations continuing through the present day and Felix still appears on both the squadron's cloth jacket patches and aircraft, still carrying his bomb with its fuse that has yet to burn down.

Related Topics:
World War II - US Navy - VF-31

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