| Basic Info | Creator Info | Felix the Cat and Friends | Work Cited Page |
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Felix the Cat first appeared on screen as "Master Tom" in FELINE FOLLIES released on September 1, 1919. Due to the enormous popularity of his first Felix film, Paramount Studios signed a two year deal with Pat Sullivan to create one Felix the Cat film per month. Felix the Cat enjoyed celebrity status and quickly became a household name in Canada, the U.S. and abroad in England, Germany, Australia, and China. Felix became one of the most famous stars of the 1920's, rivaling Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. The Prince of Wales picked Felix the Cat as his Polo Team mascot and a picture of Felix accompanied Charles Lindbergh in his historic solo-flight across the Atlantic. In 1923, a Felix the Cat comic strip was created and ran in newspapers until 1943. It was very popular during WWII. In 1927, the first giant balloon in the MACY*S Thanksgiving Parade was Felix The Cat. In 1928 Felix's popularity was threatened by the release of the first Disney sound animation film STEAMBOAT WILLIE starring Mickey Mouse. Sullivan and Messmer tried to move Felix into sound pictures, but their attempts failed because their sound effects rarely matched the action on the screen. When his screen career faded in popularity in the mid-1930s, Felix spent a several years in a memorable series of short comic films titled FELIX'S MAGIC BAG OF TRICKS. In this series, Felix's magic satchel was introduced and was featured in many of the films. It is still full of wonderful tricks and things! This limited-animation series was produced by Otto Messmer's former assistant, Joe Oriolo. It introduced Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks, as well as characters like The Professor, Vavoom, Master Cylinder and Poindexter. Felix most recently lit up the screen again in the mid-1990's in a strange and unusual series titled TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT, produced by Film Roman, Inc. and still shown on television. |
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Pindexter is the Professor's Genius nephew with an IQ of 222. He speaks in complicated scientific jargon but when he is misunderstood he sums up the context of what he said in 3 to 4 easy to understand words. He's a bit of a wise guy in that his intelligence underlies his sarcastic tendencies. To save face for the family, he will cover for his Uncle's Shortcomings and failures. |
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Unwittingly, felix becomes Skiddoo's straight man. He add's unspoken, background sight gags to many of Felix's adventures. |
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Kitty is Felix's longtime girlfriend who keeps him company and offers helpful and constructive criticism when he needs it. She's always happy, gregarious and friendly, and remains very feminine and loving at the same time. She's independent, reliable and loves new clothes and Felix. She also helps with Inky and Winky |
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The Professor is Felix's friendly adversary. He always seems to be one step behind Felix. It appears that the crafty mad scientist will do anything and everything to fain the upper hand and obtain Felix's magic bag of tricks. Always his own worst enemy, The Professor's plans will always fail because he chooses the sneaky way. |
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Master Cylinder is the ultimate bad guy bully. He is the undisputed King of the Moon and delights in caturing Felix and Poindexter every chance he gets. Whatever je os, robot or living being, no one controls him; not even The Professor who was at one time his teacher. |
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Rock Bottom does all the Professor's dirty work. with more brawn then brains, he takes everyting The Professor says to the word and often messes up his boss' schemes. Rock is the definition of a big oaf. |
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Vavoom is the loveable little character who;s coive is so loud it can knock over trees, houses, and even moutains. With his one-word vocabulary, "VAVMOO", he often wreaks havoc without realizing it. But he also uses it on purpose to get his pal Felix and himself out of tight situations. |
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Inky and Winky are Felix's two inquisitive and ingenious nephews. They are obedient and treat their uncle with respect, although he is occasionally the brunt of their practical jokes. Their curiosity and impish charm endears them to almost everyone, and their simultaneous conclusions suggest the psychic link that many twins are supposed to have. |
