Felix the Cat was the most popular animated characters from the silent era. Felix the cat cartoons were made in the United States, but were produced by Australian Pat Sullivan, (born in Sydney in 1887 ) who was a film producer, and pioneer animator, produced the first sound cartoon and in 1928 had the first televised cartoon. Felix and his surreal antics were wildly popular during the 1920s.
In 1917, Pat Sullivan released a cartoon short entitled The Tail of Thomas Kat, more than two years prior to Feline Follies. 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 cat.
Pat Sullivan said he named Felix the cat after Australia Felix from Australian history and literature. In 1924.
Felix the cats black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make Felix the cat one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history.
Felix the cat cartoons began airing on American TV in 1953 in which they 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 two feature films.
Felix the cat is still featured on a wide variety of merchandise from clothing to toys.
