The kooky feline's origins are somewhat lost to history, but two people can lay claim to his creation: Australian cartoonist Pat Sullivan and his colleague, Otto Messmer. He starred in countless silent cartoons beginning in the early 1920s, and eventually became so popular that Macy's displayed him as the first licensed cartoon character in their 1933 Thanksgiving Day Parade! What's more, a doll of Felix went on to become the first-ever image broadcast via television!
...Sadly, Felix's star was eclipsed by the advent of "talkie" pictures and cartoons, most notably Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon designed around synchronized sound. Its star, Mickey Mouse, soon overtook the cat in popularity, but Felix proved the old adage that cats have nine lives, for he never quite went away completely. Messmer's assistant from the old days, Joe Oriolo (as well as his son, Don), kept the flame alive through the 50s and 60s with a syndicated cartoon show, followed by a feature film in 1989 and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, a CBS show that lasted from 1995 to 1996. After that, well....I'm sure most people have a vague idea of who Felix is, since he's featured on retro merchandise from time to time. These days, his likeness is best (and erroneously) known from those "Kit Cat" clocks from the 50s which look a bit like Felix but are not Felix.
He, among many other characters, also rang in the New Millennium, with....
....this pair of salt-and-pepper shakers! Produced by a company named Clay Art Ceramics (I think it's more properly "The Clay Art Company of San Francisco"), they depict Felix in two different poses. I don't think he ever really had a memorable "second banana" in his cartoons to serve as the other shaker, so you're going to have to remember which is which at the table.
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