The famous Felix pace as seen in "Oceantics" (1930)

Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent-film era. An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make Felix one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Felix was the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power. For other uses including various songs titled "Movie Star" see Movie star (disambiguation.

Felix's origins remain disputed. Australian cartoonist/film entrepreneur Pat Sullivan, owner of the Felix character, claimed during his lifetime to be its creator as well. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing Cartoons Traditionally much of this work was and still is humorous and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking i Patrick Sullivan ( 2 February, 1887, Sydney New South Wales &ndash 15 February 1933, United States) was an Australian American animator Otto Messmer, Sullivan's lead animator, has more commonly been assigned credit in recent decades. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An animator is an Artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called Animation when rapidly displayed Otto Messmer ( August 16 1892 - October 28 1983) was an American Animator, best known for his work on the Felix Some historians argue that Messmer ghosted for Sullivan. A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person What is certain is that Felix emerged from Sullivan's studio, and cartoons featuring the character enjoyed unprecedented success and popularity in the 1920s.

From 1922, Felix enjoyed sudden, enormous popularity in international popular culture. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — He got his own comic strip (drawn by Messmer) and his image soon adorned all sorts of merchandise from ceramics to toys to postcards. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist There were several manufacturers who made stuffed Felix toys. Jazz bands such as Paul Whiteman's played songs about him. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Paul Whiteman ( March 28, 1890 &ndash December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral The most popular song of 1923 was "Felix Kept On Walking", and further songs followed.

Nevertheless, Felix's success was fading by the late 1920s with the arrival of sound cartoons. A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. These new shorts, particularly those of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, had made the silent offerings of Sullivan and Messmer, who were then unwilling to move to sound production, seem outdated. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Mickey Mouse is a comic animal Cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. In 1929, Sullivan decided to finally make the transition and began distributing Felix sound cartoons through Copley Pictures. The sound Felix shorts proved to be a failure and the operation ended in 1930 with Sullivan himself passing away in 1933. Felix saw a brief three cartoon resurrection in 1936 by the Van Beuren Studios, but the glory of the old days had disappeared during the cat's short-lived stint in color and sound. Van Beuren Studios was an Animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928 to 1936

Television would prove the cat's savior. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Felix cartoons began airing on American TV in 1953. Meanwhile, Joe Oriolo, who was now directing the Felix comic strips, introduced a redesigned, "long-legged" Felix in a new animated series for TV. Joseph "Joe" Oriolo (b 21 February 1913, Union City New Jersey &ndash d Oriolo also added new characters, and gave Felix a "Magic Bag of Tricks", which could assume an infinite variety of shapes at Felix's behest. The cat has since starred in other television programs and in a feature film. In the Film industry, a feature film is a Film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening Felix is still featured on a wide variety of merchandise from clothing to toys. Oriolo's son, Don Oriolo, now controls creative work on Felix movies.

Creation

A scene of Felix "laffing" from "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).

On November 9, 1919, Master Tom, a character resembling Felix, debuted in a Paramount Pictures short entitled Feline Follies. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. ^[1] Produced by the New York City-based animation studio owned by Pat Sullivan, the cartoon was directed by cartoonist and animator Otto Messmer. The City of New York A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing Cartoons Traditionally much of this work was and still is humorous and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes An animator is an Artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called Animation when rapidly displayed It was a success, and the Sullivan studio quickly set to work on producing another film featuring Master Tom, The Musical Mews (released November 16, 1919). Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It too proved to be successful with audiences. Otto Messmer gave two different versions of how Felix got his name, the one on his official site ”Rejoining Sullivan with a great idea for a new character named Felix the Cat http://www.ottomessmer.com/, and the second that ”Mr. (John) King of Paramount Magazine suggested the name "Felix", after the Latin words felis (cat) and felix (luck), which was used for the third film, The Adventures of Felix (released on December 14, 1919). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Pat Sullivan said he named Felix after Australia Felix from Australian history and literature. In 1924, animator Bill Nolan redesigned the fledgling feline, making him both rounder and cuter. Felix's new looks, coupled with Messmer's mastery of character animation, would soon rocket Felix to international fame. Character animation is a specialized area of the Animation process concerning the animation of one or more characters featured in an animated work ^[2]

Felix and Charlie Chaplin share the screen in a memorable moment from "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).

The question of who exactly created Felix remains a matter of dispute. Sullivan stated in numerous newspaper interviews that he created Felix and did the key drawings for the character. On a visit to Australia in 1925, Sullivan told The Argus newspaper that "The idea was given to me by the sight of a cat which my wife brought to the studio one day. The Argus was a morning daily Newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. "[1] On other occasions, he claimed that Felix had been inspired by Rudyard Kipling's "The Cat that Walked by Himself" or by his wife's love for strays. Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet ^[2] Members of the Australian Cartoonist Association have demonstrated that lettering used in Feline Follies matches Sullivan's handwriting. [2] Sullivan's claim is also supported by his March 18, 1917, release of a cartoon short entitled The Tail of Thomas Kat, more than two years prior to Feline Follies. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Both an Australian ABC-TV documentary screened in 2004 and the curators of an exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales, in 2005, suggested that Thomas Kat was a prototype or precursor of Felix. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. The State Library of New South Wales (also known as the Mitchell Library) is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia However, few details of Thomas have survived. His fur color has not been definitively established, and the surviving copyright synopsis for the short suggests significant differences between Thomas and the later Felix. For example, whereas the later Felix magically transforms his tail into tools and other objects, Thomas is a non-anthropomorphized cat who loses his tail in a fight with a rooster, never to recover it. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects

Sullivan was the studio proprietor and — as is the case with almost all film entrepreneurs — he owned the copyright of any creative work by his employees. In common with many animators at the time, Messmer was not credited. After Sullivan's death in 1933, his estate in Australia took ownership of the character.

It was not until many years after Sullivan's death that Sullivan staffers such as Hal Walker, Al Eugster, and Sullivan's lawyer, Harry Kopp, credited Messmer with Felix's creation. Alfred Eugster ( February 11 1909 &ndash January 1 1997) was an American Animator and Film director, regarded They claimed that Felix was based on an animated Charlie Chaplin that Messmer had animated for Sullivan's studio earlier on. The down-and-out personality and movements of the cat in Feline Follies reflect key attributes of Chaplin's, and, although blockier than the later Felix, the familiar black body is already there (Messmer found solid shapes easier to animate). Messmer himself recalled his version of the cat's creation in an interview with animation historian John Canemaker:

Many animation historians (most of them American and English) back Messmer's claims. Among them are Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, Colin and Timothy Cowles, Donald Crafton, David Gerstein, Milt Gray, Mark Kausler, Leonard Maltin, and Charles Solomon. Michael Barrier may refer to Michael Barrier (actor - American actor best known for appearances on Star Trek The Original Series Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is a well known animation historian with ten books and numerous articles to his David Gerstein (born 1974) is a Comics author and editor as well as an Animation Historian. Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American Film critic and Film Historian. ^[3]

Regardless of who created Felix, Sullivan marketed the cat relentlessly, while the uncredited Messmer continued to produce a prodigious volume of Felix cartoons. Messmer did the animation directly on white paper with inkers tracing the drawings directly. The animators drew backgrounds onto pieces of celluloid, which were then laid atop the drawings to be photographed. Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from Nitrocellulose and Camphor, plus dyes and other agents Any perspective work had to be animated by hand, as the studio cameras were unable to perform pans or trucks. Messmer began a comic strip in 1923, distributed by King Features Syndicate. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, ^[2]

Popularity and distribution

The Felix the Cat comic strip debuted in England's Daily Sketch on August 1, 1923 and entered syndication in the United States on August 19 that same year. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. This particular strip was the second to appear (on August 26). Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Although this was Messmer's work, he was required to sign Sullivan's name to it. The strip includes a notable amount of 1920s slang, such as "buzz this guy for a job" and "if you want a swell feed just foller me". Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language.
Click to enlarge.

Paramount Pictures distributed the earliest films from 1919 to 1921. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Margaret J. Winkler distributed the shorts from 1922 to 1925, the year when Educational Pictures took over the distribution of the shorts. Margaret J Winkler (or M J Winkler) was one of the key figures in silent animation history, having a crucial role to play in the histories of Max and For the current and unrelated company of the same name see Educational Pictures (image archive Sullivan promised them one new Felix short every two weeks. ^[4] The combination of solid animation, skillful promotion, and widespread distribution sent Felix's popularity soaring to new heights. ^[2]

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, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, and even censor Will H. Hays. Douglas Fairbanks ( May 23 1883 – December 12 1939) was an American Actor, Screenwriter, director Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director Ben Turpin ( September 19, 1869 Vaudeville He worked in Vaudeville, Burlesque William Harrison Hays Sr ( November 5, 1879 &ndash March 7, 1954) was the namesake of the Hays Code for censorship of American His image could be seen on clocks, Christmas ornaments, and as the first giant balloon ever made for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual Parade presented by Macy's Department store. Felix also became the subject of several popular songs of the day, such as "Felix Kept Walking". Even Paul Whiteman, the king of jazz himself, did a bit on the frisky feline. Paul Whiteman ( March 28, 1890 &ndash December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral Sullivan made an estimated $100,000 a year from toy licensing alone. ^[2] With the character's success also emerged a handful of new costars. These included Felix's master Willie Brown, a foil named Skiddoo the Mouse, Felix's nephews Inky, Dinky, and Winky, and his girlfriend Kitty.

Abstract surrealism was abundant in many of the classic Felix shorts. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Shown here is a still from "Felix Woos Whoopee" (1930).

Most of the early Felix cartoons mirrored American attitudes of the "roaring twenties". Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s principally in North America, that emphasizes the period's social artistic and cultural dynamism Ethnic stereotypes appeared in such shorts as Felix Goes Hungry (1924). Recent events such as the Russian Civil War were depicted in shorts like Felix All Puzzled (1924). The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Flappers were caricatured in Felix Strikes It Rich (also 1924). The term flapper in the 1920s referred to a "new breed" of young Women who wore short skirts bobbed their hair listened to the new Jazz music He also became involved in union organizing with Felix Revolts (1923). A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming In some shorts, Felix even performed a rendition of the Charleston. The Charleston is a Dance named for the city of Charleston South Carolina.

References to alcoholism and Prohibition were also commonplace in many of the Felix shorts, particularly Felix Finds Out (1924), Whys and Other Whys (1927), Felix Woos Whoopee (1930) to name a few. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol In Felix Dopes It Out (1924), Felix tries to help his hobo friend who is plagued with a red nose. By the end of the short, the cat finds the cure for the condition: "Keep drinking, and it'll turn blue. "

In addition, Felix was one of the first images ever broadcast by television when RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for a 1928 experiment via W2XBS New York in Van Cortlandt Park. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 Papier-mâché ( French for 'chewed-up paper' because of its appearance sometimes called paper-mâché, is a construction material that consists of pieces of WNBC Channel 4 is the flagship station of the NBC television network located in New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Van Cortlandt Park is a 1146 acre (46 km² park located in the Bronx in New York City. 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. The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s 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.

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 especially Bill Nolan's 1925 adaptation of Krazy Kat (distributed by the eschewed Winkler) all seem to have been directly patterned after Felix. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter The "Alice Comedies" are a series of Animated cartoons created by Walt Disney in the 1920s in which Terrytoons was an Animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio located in New Rochelle New York, United Aesop's Film Fables was a series of animated short subjects created by American cartoonist Paul Terry. Krazy Kat is a Comic strip created by George Herriman that appeared in U ^[5]

Felix's cartoons were a hit with the critics as well. They have been cited as imaginative examples of surrealism in filmmaking. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members 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 has been analyzed by critics around the world. ^[6] 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. ^[7] Aldous Huxley wrote that the Felix shorts proved that "What the cinema can do better than literature or the spoken drama is to be fantastic. Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 &ndash 22 November 1963 was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. "^[8]

In 1928, Educational ceased releasing the Felix cartoons and several were reissued by First National Pictures. First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them and eventually to producing them as Copley Pictures distributed them from 1929 to 1930. He saw a brief three-cartoon resurrection in 1936 by the Van Beuren Studios (The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, Neptune Nonsense and Bold King Cole), but the glory of the old days had disappeared during the cat's short-lived stint in color and sound. Van Beuren Studios was an Animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928 to 1936 Sullivan did most of the marketing for the character in the 1920s. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of

The U. S. Navy insignia for the VF-31 Tomcatters squadron from 1948. Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31 known as the Tomcatters are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the The squadron motto is "We get ours at night".

Felix as mascot

Given the character's unprecedented popularity and the fact that his name was partially derived from the Latin word for "lucky", 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. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM 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. Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County California named for General José Figueroa (1792 – 9 September 1835 governor of Alta California from 1833 to 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. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

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, whose members Edward O'Hare and John Thach became famous Naval Aviators in World War II. Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare (March 13 1914 &ndash November 26 1943 was a Naval aviator of the United States Navy who John Smith "Jimmy" Thach ( 19 April 1905 - 15 April 1981) was a World War II naval aviator air combat World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the world war 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. Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31 known as the Tomcatters are a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the 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, carrying his bomb with its fuse that has yet to burn down.

Felix is also the oldest high school mascot in the state of Indiana, chosen in 1926 after a Logansport High School player brought his plush Felix to a basketball game. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union When the team came from behind and won that night, Felix became the mascot of all the Logansport High School sports teams.

The pop punk band The Queers also use Felix as a mascot, often drawn to reflect punk sensibilities and attributes such as scowling, smoking, or playing the guitar. Pop punk (also known as punk pop and other names is a Fusion genre that combines elements of Punk rock with Pop music, to varying The Queers are an American Pop punk band formed in 1982 by Portsmouth New Hampshire native Joe King (A Felix adorns the covers of both the Surf Goddess EP and the Move Back Home album. Surf Goddess is an EP by Pop-punk band The Queers. Track listing "Surf Goddess" "Mirage" (Tommy Move Back Home is the fourth album by Pop-punk band The Queers released on Lookout! Records. Felix also appears in the music video for the single "Don't Back Down". Besides appearing on the covers and liner notes of various albums the iconic cat also appears in merchandise such as t-shirts and buttons. In an interview with bassist B-Face, he asserts that Lookout! Records is responsible for the use of Felix as a mascot. Lookout! Records is an Independent record label based in Berkeley California. ^[9]

From silent to sound

Felix and Inky and Winky in "April Maze" (1930)

With the advent of The Jazz Singer in 1927, Educational Pictures, who distributed the Felix shorts at the time, urged Pat Sullivan to make the leap to "talkie" cartoons, but Sullivan refused. The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American Musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized Dialogue A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. Further disputes led to a break between Educational and Sullivan. Only when Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie made cinematic history as the first talking cartoon with a synchronized soundtrack did Sullivan see the possibilities of sound. Steamboat Willie ( 1928) is an Animated cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse released on November 18, 1928. He managed to secure a contract with First National Pictures in 1928. However, for reasons unknown, this did not last, so Sullivan sought out Jacques Kopfstein and Copley Pictures to distribute his new sound Felix cartoons. On October 16, 1929, an advertisement appeared in Film Daily with Felix announcing, Jolson-like, "You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

Unfortunately, nothing good was heard from Felix's transition to sound. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Film Daily was a daily publication that existed from 1915 to 1970 Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Sullivan did not carefully prepare for Felix's transition to sound, and added sound effects into the sound cartoons as a post-animation process[3]. The results were disastrous. More than ever, it seemed as though Disney's mouse was drawing audiences away from Sullivan's silent star. Not even entries such as the off-beat "Felix Woos Whoopee" or the Silly Symphony-esque April Maze (both 1930) could regain the franchise's audience. Silly Symphonies is a series of Animated Short subjects 75 in total produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939 April Maze is a 1930 Animated cartoon featuring Felix the Cat. Kopfstein finally canceled Sullivan's contract. Subsequently, he announced plans to start a new studio in California, but such ideas never materialized. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Things went from bad to worse when Sullivan's wife, Marjorie, died in March 1932. After this, Sullivan completely fell apart. He slumped into an alcoholic depression, his health rapidly declined, and his memory began to fade. He could not even cash checks to Messmer because his signature was reduced to a mere scribble. He died in 1933. Messmer recalled,

In 1935, Amadee J. Van Beuren of the Van Beuren Studios called Messmer and asked him if he could return Felix to the screen. Van Beuren even stated that Messmer would be equipped with a full staff and all of the necessary utilities. However, Messmer declined his offer and instead recommended Burt Gillett, a former Sullivan staffer who was now heading the Van Beuren staff. Burton F Gillett ( October 15, 1891 - December 28, 1971) was a director of animated films. So, in 1936, Van Beuren obtained approval from Sullivan's brother to license Felix to his studio with the intention of producing new shorts both in color and with sound. With Gillett at the helm, now with a heavy Disney influence, he did away with Felix's established personality and made him just another funny-animal character of the type popular in the day. Funny animal is a Cartooning term for the Genre of Comics and Animated cartoons in which the main characters are Humanoid or The new shorts were unsuccessful, and after only three outings Van Beuren discontinued the series. ^[5]

The cat's comeback

In 1953, Official Films purchased the Sullivan-Messmer shorts, added soundtracks to them, and distributed to the home movie and television markets. Official Films was a home movie distributor founded by Leslie Winik in 1939 to produce educational shorts Messmer himself pursued the Sunday Felix comic strips until their discontinuance in 1943, when he began eleven years of writing and drawing monthly Felix comic books for Dell Comics. Dell Comics was the Comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in Pulp magazines. In 1954, Messmer retired from the Felix daily newspaper strips, and his assistant Joe Oriolo took over. Joseph "Joe" Oriolo (b 21 February 1913, Union City New Jersey &ndash d Oriolo struck a deal with Felix's new owner, Pat Sullivan's nephew, to begin a new series of Felix cartoons on television. Oriolo went on to star Felix in 260 television cartoons distributed by Trans-Lux starting in 1958. Trans-Lux is a major manufacturer of real-time displays and became known for their Stock market Tickers Their range included mechanical ones that appeared electronic Like the Van Beuren studio before, Oriolo gave Felix a more domesticated and pedestrian personality, geared more toward children, and introduced now-familiar elements such as Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks, a satchel that could assume the shape and characteristics of anything Felix wanted. The program is also remembered for its distinctive theme song written by Winston Sharples:

Felix the Cat,

The wonderful, wonderful cat!

Whenever he gets in a fix,

He reaches into his bag of tricks!

The show did away with Felix's previous supporting cast and introduced many new characters. These include the sinister, mustachioed Professor; his intelligent but bookish nephew Poindexter (with an IQ of 222); the Professor's bulldog-faced, bumbling sidekick Rock Bottom; an evil, cylindrical robot and "King of the Moon" named The Master Cylinder; and a small, unassuming and friendly Inuit named Vavoom, whose only vocalization is a literally earth-shattering shout of his own name. Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent-film era An Intelligence Quotient or IQ is a score derived from one of several different Standardized tests attempting to measure Intelligence. Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent-film era Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent-film era These characters were performed by voice actor Jack Mercer. Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters (including those in feature films television series animated shorts and Video games) and Jack Mercer ( January 13, 1909 &ndash December 4, 1984) was an American Animator, Storyman and Voice actor

Oriolo's plots revolve around the unsuccessful attempts of the antagonists to steal Felix's Magic Bag, though in an unusual twist, these antagonists are occasionally depicted as Felix's friends as well. The cartoons proved popular, but critics have dismissed them as paling in comparison to the earlier Sullivan-Messmer works, especially since Oriolo aimed the cartoons at children. Limited animation (required due to budgetary restraints) and simplistic storylines did nothing to diminish the series' popularity. Limited animation is a process of making Animated cartoons that do not follow a "realistic" approach ^[5]

Today, Oriolo's son, Don, continues to market the cat. In 1988, Felix starred in his first (and only) feature film, Felix the Cat: The Movie, in which he, the Professor and Poindexter visit an alternate reality. Felix the Cat The Movie is an animated film based on the eponymous cartoon and comic strip character. The film was a box-office failure. Additionally, it was not even released until 1991. In 1995 to 1997, Felix appeared on television again, in an off-beat series called The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (called The New Adventures of Felix the Cat before release which has led to it sometimes being referred to Baby Felix followed in 2000 for the Japanese market and the direct-to-video Felix the Cat Saves Christmas. Baby Felix is a children's animated Television program that follows the adventures of a young Felix the Cat and infant versions of the characters For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Oriolo has also brought about a new wave of Felix merchandising, everything from mugs to a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by

Felix in his very first screen appearance "Feline Follies" (1919)

Since the publication of John Canemaker's Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World's Most Famous Cat in 1991, there has been a renewed interest in the early Sullivan-Messmer shorts. In recent years, the films have seen lots of VHS and DVD exposure, most notably on the Presenting Felix the Cat compilations from Bosko Video, Felix! from Lumivision, Felix the Cat: The Collector's Edition from Delta Entertainment, Before Mickey from Inkwell Images Ink, the recent Felix the Cat and 1920's Rarities from Thunderbean Animation. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Messmer Felix comic compilations have also begun to emerge including Nine Lives to Live: A Classic Felix Celebration by David Gerstein and more recently The Comic Adventures of Felix the Cat from Determined Productions.

Notes

References

Felix unwittingly requests moonshine from a Prohibition-era bootlegger in "Felix Finds Out" (1924). Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol

• Canemaker, John (1991): Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World's Most Famous Cat. Pantheon, New York.
• Crafton, Donald (1993): Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898–1928. University of Chicago Press.
• Gerstein, David (1996): Nine Lives to Live. Fantagraphics Books.
• Barrier, Michael (1999): Hollywood Cartoons. Oxford University Press.
• Beck, Jerry (1998): The 50 Greatest Cartoons. JG Press.
• Culhane, Shamus (1986): Talking Animals and Other People. St. Martin's Press.
• Gifford, Denis (1990): American Animated Films: The Silent Era, 1897–1929. McFarland and Company.
• Maltin, Leonard (1987): Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. Penguin Books.
• Solomon, Charles (1994): The History of Animation: Enchanted Drawings. Outlet Books Company.

Further reading

• Patricia Vettel Tom (1996): Felix the Cat as Modern Trickster. [4] American Art, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1996), pp. 64–87

See also

An early Felix title card, 1922.

• Animation in the United States during the silent era
• Kit-Cat Klock
• Winsor McCay
• Dan Voiculescu

External links

• The Official Felix the Cat Website
• Public Domain Felix cartoons on Archive.org
• Clues contradicting the Messmer and Canemaker account of the creation of Felix
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004, Rewind "Felix the Cat" (Concerns the dispute over who created the character. Animated films in the United States date back to at least 1906 when Vitagraph released Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. A Kit-Cat Clock is an art deco novelty style Clock. The clock is manufactured in the shape of a black Cat and is hung on a wall Winsor McCay ( September 26 1867 (? – July 26 1934) was an American Cartoonist and Animator. Dan Voiculescu (b) is a Romanian politician and businessman He is the founder and president of the Romanian Humanist Party, now the Conservative Party (PC )
• State Library of New South Wales, 2005, "Reclaiming Felix the Cat"(PDF exhibition guide, including many pictures. )