By JERRY BECK, Sun., Oct.
16, 2005, 12:00pm PT
 | | Felix the Cat |
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Felix the Cat, created in 1919, became the first true animation superstar and the inkwell icon to beat during the silent era of motion pictures. He spawned the first cartoon merchandising boom, had songs written about him and was admired by Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney. Created by newspaper cartoonist Pat Sullivan and animated with a strong personality by Otto Messmer, Felix was so popular that a figure of him was used as a test image for the first television broadcast in 1929 -- making him the first cartoon character to appear on TV.
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