Character of the Week: Felix the Cat

Felix The Cat

Felix the Cat is a loveable character that has been with us since the silent film era. The first incarnation of Felix is seen in 1919 in a Paramount Pictures short animated film called “Feline Follies.” In this film, Felix goes by the name Tom Kat. There is confusion in Felix’s history regarding when he got his name, Felix the Cat, and who is credited with his creation. The conflict is between Pat Sullivan, the owner of an animation studio, and Otto Messmer, a cartoonist who worked for Sullivan. The debate still continues in the present day.

By the end of 1919, Felix the Cat had starred in “The Adventures of Felix” and other short films, and his popularity soared. A Felix comic strip was syndicated in over 250 newspapers internationally, and ran daily and on Sundays. A new short film was created and shown every two weeks, and this helped push Felix to superstardom. Felix merchandise started to pop up everywhere. Charles Lindbergh even brought a Felix doll with him on his flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and Felix has the credit of being the first balloon ever made for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927!

By the late 1920’s “Talkies,” films with sound, were being released with animated characters such as Mickey Mouse. Sullivan’s studio made several Felix short films with sound, but they were never as popular as the original silent films.

In 1928, Felix was chosen by RCA Television Studios to be the model used to precisely calibrate television transmissions for New York Channel #1. The paper-maché Felix doll was placed on a turntable and stayed under the burning studio lights for a few hours each day as the technicians worked on the transmitted image of Felix to get the correct definition. In 1931, the channel became part of NBC, and Felix continued to be the model used to test transmissions for nearly a decade.

In 1943 the Felix Sunday comic strips were cancelled, but the Felix daily strips continued on. At this time Felix was given his own comic book, which came out monthly for Dell Comics. Also around this time production started on Felix cartoons to be aired on television. Felix’s appearance changed slightly and his Magic Bag of Tricks was introduced, along with new characters such as the Professor and Poindexter. Starting in 1958, over 250 Felix cartoons aired, and were syndicated to run for over 20 years!

In the eighties, the feature length film “Felix the Cat: The Movie,” was released. It was shown throughout the world and it ran on the Disney Channel for 10 years. In the nineties, a television series called “The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat” was released. Also created was “Baby Felix and Friends,” which has run on television in the Japanese market since 2000, soon to be coming to the US. In 2004 another feature film “Felix the Cat Saves Christmas” was released, adding to his notoriety.

Recently DVDs of all the old Felix TV shows and animated short films became available. This has created another surge in Felix’s popularity, and all kinds of Felix merchandise are being sold. There are Felix fashion clothes, DVDs, key chains, clocks, dolls, a Nintendo video game, and even a special slot machine at Bally’s Casinos. Even a Felix Mira automobile by Daihatsu has been built! (According to felixthecat.com) In 1996, Felix was seen in advertisements for Wendy’s Restaurants and was offered as the prize toy in kid’s meals. He was also the official logo of the American International Carnival in 2004.

Felix’s popularity has continuously grown throughout the years. He was featured in TV Guide as the 25th most recognizable and famous cartoon character in the world. (felixthecat.com.) Felix the Cat is a symbol of where we started in animated film, and he will always be remembered for being a part of the first television transmission signals. He is a loveable character that will continue to entertain generation after generation of Americans and people all over the world with his antics and his Magic Bag of Tricks.

Check out our website for Felix merchandise and collectibles. We have bendable dolls, key chains, mugs, movie posters and much more!