Felix the Cat

Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer. He is an anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin. Felix was the first animated character to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences. Felix starred in a comic strip, appeared on merchandise, and was even the mascot for a high school. By the late 1920s, Felix's success was fading due to the arrival of sound cartoons. However, Felix saw a brief resurgence in 1936 with three new cartoons produced by the Van Beuren Studios. In 1953, Felix cartoons began airing on American television. Joe Oriolo introduced a redesigned Felix with longer legs, a smaller body, and a larger head. Oriolo also added new characters and gave Felix a "Magic Bag of Tricks" that could assume an infinite variety of shapes. Felix has since starred in other television programs and in two feature films. As of the 2010s, Felix is featured on a variety of merchandise from clothing to toys. In 2002, TV Guide ranked Felix the Cat number 28 on its "50