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Felix the Cat is a cartoon character. Created in 1922, the black body, white eyes and giant grin of the animated cat, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons placed him, combined to make him one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Felix was the first cartoon character to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power.
The "wonderful, wonderful cat" was also the "very first television star" — the first image ever broadcast by any television transmitter.
According to an Australian ABC-TV documentary screened in 2004, Felix the Cat had his origins in a character named Thomas Kat, who appeared in a half-reel movie—"The Tail of Thomas Kat"—produced in 1917 in New York City,[1] by the animation studio of Australian émigré Pat Sullivan .
The first undisputed appearance was in the Paramount Pictures short Feline Follies in 1919. Feline Follies was a success, and Paramount ordered more shorts starring Master Tom. Paramount producer John KingJohn King is the name of several notable individuals, including: John King, 19th century Australian explorer John King, White House correspondent for CNN John William King, one of the murderers of James Byrd, Jr. John King, author of novels such as The Fo renamed the cat "Felix", after the LatinAlternative meanings: See Latin (disambiguation Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. It gained great importance as the formal language of the Roman Empire. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and ma words felis (cat) and felix (happy) and animator Bill Nolan helped Otto MessmerOtto Messmer ( August 16 1892 October 28 1983) was an American animator, best known for his work on the Felix the Cat cartoons and comic strip produced by the Pat Sullivan studio. The extent of Messmer's role in the creation and popularity of Felix is a m redesign the fledgling character in 1922, making him both rounder and cuter. Felix's new looks coupled with Messmer's mastery of character animation , learned largely from his work on the Chaplin pictures, would soon skyrocket the character into the international consciousness.
It remains a matter of dispute whether Felix was created by cartoon producer Pat Sullivan or his employee, a cartoonistA cartoonist is an artist who specializes in drawing cartoons (see also comic books and strips, anime, manga). They traditionally use pencil to sketch out their drawings, then go over the sketches in black ink, using either brushes or metal nibbed pens. and animatorAn animator is one who is involved in the process of animation. How this person actually creates animation depends on the field in which he or she works. Some fields in which an animator may work: Video games Motion pictures Art and design workers. named Otto MessmerOtto Messmer ( August 16 1892 October 28 1983) was an American animator, best known for his work on the Felix the Cat cartoons and comic strip produced by the Pat Sullivan studio. The extent of Messmer's role in the creation and popularity of Felix is a m.
Sullivan claimed in a newspaper interview in 1925Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 See also 1925 in aviation 1925 in film 1925 in literature 1925 in mu that it was he who created Felix and did the key drawings for the character.
However, many years after Sullivan's death, Messmer claimed that Felix was based on an animated Charlie ChaplinFor the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). Sir Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin ( April 16, 1889 December 25, 1977) was the most famous actor in early to mid Hollywood cinema, and later also a notable director. His pri that he created while working at Sullivan's studio. Messmer subsequently took on freelance animation work for Paramount Pictures following World War I, and on September 1, 1919, the short Feline Follies debuted. The cartoon starred a black, grinning cat named "Master Tom" who moved and danced like Chaplin. This nascent creature was blockier and longer-snouted than today's Felix, but the familiar black body was already established because Messmer found solid shapes easier to animate.
Pat Sullivan marketed the cat relentlessly, making up all sorts of tall tales about the character's origins and even taking credit for being the character's sole creator.
Meanwhile, the uncredited Messmer continued to produce Felix cartoons on a nearly mass-produced scale. He even began a comic strip in 1923 distributed by King Features Syndicate, which added significantly to his workload.
The first Felix the Cat comic strip, which debuted in Britain's Daily Sketch on August 1, 1923 and in the US on August 26 through 31 that same year. Though this was Messmer's work, note Sullivan's signature. The strip includes a notable amount of 1920s slang that seems unusual today, such as "buzz this guy for a job" and "if you want a swell feed just foller me".
Felix also starred in an anime-esque film, which intoduced new charcters and a totally new concept for Felix the Cat
