Somwhere around 1918-1919 by Otto Messmer. Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created by cartoonist and animator Otto Messmer. His squat, black body and huge, white eyes and grin are instantly recognizable worldwide, due largely to the fact that this anthropomorphic cat was the first true movie cartoon star. While working at the animation studio of Pat Sullivan, Messmer produced a series of shorts starring an animated version of Charlie Chaplin. Messmer painstakingly analyzed Chaplin's films, and he would later inject a good deal of Chaplin into the as-yet-unnamed Felix in "Feline Follies", created on a freelance basis for Paramount Pictures in 1919 immediately after the end of World War I. This early Felix was blockier and longer-snouted than today's version of the character, but his familiar black body was already established since Messmer found solid shapes easier to animate. The film was a success, and Paramount ordered more. Paramount producer John King named the character "Felix", after the Latin words felis (cat) and felix (good luck). Fellow animator Bill Nolan and Otto Messmer redesigned Felix in 1922, making him both rounder and cuter. Felix's new looks coupled with Messmer's masterful character animation (learned largely from his work on the Chaplin pictures) skyrocketed the character into the international consciousness. At the height of Felix's fame in 1925, an estimated three-quarters of the world's population could recognize him. Pat Sullivan marketed Felix relentlessly, making up all sorts of tall tales about the character's origins (he claimed to have been the cat's sole creator). Felix was everywhere. His image adorned clocks, Christmas ornaments, balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and even early experiments with television. An image of a Felix the Cat doll on a stool was the first ever broadcast. A Chevrolet dealer near downtown Los Angeles adopted the character in the late 1930s, and today, the neon sign of Felix Chevrolet with its giant, smiling image of Felix the Cat continues to stand watch over both Figueroa Street and the Harbor Freeway. Meanwhile, the uncredited Messmer continued to create the cartoons behind the scenes (as well as a comic strip in 1923). This great success also generated a host of imitators -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bosko, even Mickey Mouse himself were designed to look as much like Felix as possible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat Felix the Cat had a very humble beginning as a curious and mischievous little cat as first conceived by New Jersey cartoonist Otto Messmer. In no time at all he was more popular than movie stars and world leaders of the same era. His squat, black body and huge, wide eyes and grin were instantly recognizable worldwide. He is considered the first true movie cartoon star. His first appearance was in a short film in the early 1900's called "Feline Follies". Soon thereafter he made the transition to print. King Features syndicated Felix in over 250 newspapers in a multitude of languages, reaching practically every corner of the globe. He's now published through Felix Comics, Inc., in various magazines and publications. Little did anyone know back then that this rather angular Felix would metamorphosize into the rounder, more lovable character he is today. TV Debut (interesting stuff as a btw) During the early days of television development it was necessary to monitor and adjust the quality of the transmitted picture in order to get the best definition. To do this, engineers required an 'actor' to constantly be under the burning studio lights as they tweaked and sharpened the image, and Felix fit the bill perfectly. He was the right colour (black and white), impervious to the heat from the lights and worked cheaply (in fact a one-off payment was all that was required). RCA's first experimental television transmissions began in 1928 by station W2XBS (New York-Channel #1) in Van Cortlandt Park and then moved to the New Amsterdam Theater Building, transmitting 60 line pictures. The 13" Felix the Cat figure made of paper mache was placed on a record player turntable and was broadcast using a mechanical scanning disk to an electronic kinescope receiver. The image received was only 2 inches tall, and the broadcasts lasted about 2 hours per day. By 1931 the station became part of NBC and began to transmit from 42nd St. These early broadcasts consisted of objects like Felix the Cat or early test patterns and photographs. Felix remained on his turntable for almost a decade as the early experimenters strove towards the goal of a high definition picture. http://www.felixthecat.com