Felix the Cat is a funny animated animal character that was created during the silent film age in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer. With his strong black body, huge eyes, and broad smile, Felix was instantly recognizable. DreamWorks Animation bought Felix the Cat, for an undisclosed sum from Felix Cat Productions, which owns Don Oriolo.
Feisty and resourceful, Felix was the first animated star to appear in his first cartoon in 1919, nine years before the opening of Disney’s Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse. Felix was redesigned by animator Bill Nolan in 1924 and became a Hollywood star in the middle of the decade. With his wacky escapades, personable but never sweet personality, and characteristic fast-paced storyline, Felix moved so fast that he became Hollywood’s darling, beloved mascot, and marketing icon; his wide-eyed face appeared on ceramic toys and balloons at the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927.
Felix was the first animated character to achieve the popularity that was sufficient to attract a cinema audience simply because of its star power. His black body, white eyes, and huge grin, combined with the surrealism of the situation where his cartoon placed him, made him one of the most famous comic figures in the world. Felix the Cat DVDs and the internet streaming of old TV shows and short films caused a surge in the popularity of characters and demand for Felix merchandise rose again.
Felix remained silent until 1929 when the sudden popularity of Mickey Mouse led the studio to turn him into an animated film with sound.
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Like many cartoon characters from 1920 to 1940s, Felix’s overall design has changed over the years. He is a black cat with a white nose and large eyes that occupy most of his face, similar to Mickey Mouse, but the early design was a short plane with a crazy galloping gaucho. The US Navy’s Bombardement Squadron Two (VB-2B) created the logo of Felix, who wore a bomb used by the squadron as a fabric jacket patch for the aircraft.
When NBC tested the first cinch television cameras in 1928, they used a Felix doll on a rotating turntable for their test images. Felix was so popular in Los Angeles that a Chevrolet dealer used a giant three-sided neon sign of the cat overlooking the Downtown Harbor Freeway. For this reason, Felix was an integral part of the showroom, and a friend of Pat Sullivan dubbed Winslow B. Felix opened the doors of the showrooms in 1921.
Who creates Felix the Cat?
There is a conflict between Pat Sullivan, the owner of the animation studio, and Otto Messmer, a cartoonist who works for him.
Many animation professionals attribute Felix the cat to Otto Messmer, one of Sullivan’s animators. Sullivan was born as an animator and began his career as a cartoonist before founding his own animation studio in 1916. His supporters claim Felix grew from an earlier character, Messmer, who appeared in a short film called The Tale of Thomas and Kat (1917) two years before Feline Follies
What is certain is that as soon as Felix emerged from Sullivan’s studio, cartoons with the cat enjoyed success and popularity in popular culture in the 1920s. and In 2002, Felix was voted one of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time by TV Guide and ranked 28th. In 2004, he was ranked 89th in Channel 4 as the” 100 Greatest Cartoons “poll.
