Felix the Cat

<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv259/MAL_CLUB/Club%20Layout/FelixCatAni.gif" border="0" /><!--center--></div> <strong>Felix the Cat is a cartoon character from the silent-film era. 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. Felix was the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power. Felix's origins remain disputed. Australian émigré, cartoonist, and film entrepreneur Pat Sullivan and American animator Otto Messmer have both claimed to be his creator, and evidence seems to back up both claims. Many historians, including John Canemaker, argue it was Messmer who ghosted for Sullivan. What is certain is that the cat emerged from Sullivan's studio, and cartoons featuring the character enjoyed unprecedented success and popularity in the 1920s. Television would prove the cat's savior. 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. 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. 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.</strong> <div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/nOf2fH_IqQQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nOf2fH_IqQQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><!--center--></div>