Pat Sullivan

Now one personality that has never been lost is one that came two years later where we have the first cartoon icon and this was Felix the Cat.

In 1919, Felix the Cat was created by Otto Mesmer and Pat Sullivan, becoming the first breakout animated star and merchandising franchise.

Felix the Cat is one of the most iconic recognizable cartoon characters in animation history, and he was created during the silent film era in 1919, and he holds the distinction of being the first fully realized recurring animal character in American film animation.

Felix made his debut in the short film Feline Follies, and was released on November 9th, 1919, initially under the name Master Tom, but later being renamed Felix.

The short was distributed through Paramount Pictures, as part of the Paramount Screen Magazine, and there's a long-standing historical dispute over whether Felix was created by Pat Sullivan, who was an Australian cartoonist and studio owner, or Otto Mesmer, who was his lead American animator.

And until his death, Sullivan claimed sole creation credit, and he often stated the idea came from his wife bringing home a stray cat, but some researchers also note Australian cultural influences in the naming and design of this.

But Mesmer's claim, beginning in the late 1960s, Mesmer maintained that he animated feline volleys entirely on his own at home during nights and weekends when Sullivan was busy.