Pat Sullivan & Otto Messmer (1929)

This Felix the Cat cartoon doesn’t have much of a plot but rather is a series of random adventures starring our hero and a fox. It’s a silent cartoon that had crude sound added after the fact by distributor Jacques Kopfstein. This cartoon looks to have been made earlier than 1929. It’s no wonder that Disney and Fleischer made serious inroads into Felix’s popularity.

Felix the Cat is a funny cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he is one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history. Felix was the first animated character to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences.

Felix originated from the studio of Australian cartoonist/film entrepreneur Pat Sullivan. Either Sullivan himself or his lead animator, American Otto Messmer, created the character. What is certain is that Felix emerged from Sullivan’s studio, and cartoons featuring the character enjoyed success and popularity in popular culture. Aside from the animated shorts, Felix starred in a comic strip (drawn by Sullivan, Messmer, and later Joe Oriolo) beginning in 1923, and his image soon adorned merchandise such as ceramics, toys, and postcards.