Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 16, 2004

Felix the Cat is a cartoon character. Created in 1922, his black body, white eyes and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations his cartoons placed him in, combined to make him one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Felix was the first cartoon character to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power. His origins were in cartoons starring an animated Charlie Chaplin that Messmer created while working at the animation studio of Australian émigré Pat Sullivan. Felix reached the height of his worldwide fame in 1925. Felix's career plummeted in 1930, when a desperate attempt to add sound to the shorts failed. However, the advent of television would prove the cat's savior. (more...)

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