Cartoonist and animated film producer, Pat Sullivan was best known for creating the popular cartoon character Felix the Cat. Departing for London in 1909, Sullivan remained overseas although he returned to Australia for several visits during the 1920s. Based in New York, Sullivan opened his own animated cartoon studio and subsequently featured a black cat in the short animated films The Tail of Thomas Kat (1917) and Feline Follies (1919); the 'cat had become "Felix" by the fourth film, changing from a four-legged to a two-legged character. Under the title "Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat", contracts were secured to provide a cartoon a month to cinemas. A change of distributor in 1921 saw Felix in 60 per cent of cinemas in North America. Felix cartoons were aimed at adults, incorporating skits on cubism and flappers. The films - and from 1923 the published comic strips - spread to Europe and in 1924', when Sullivan (and his wife Marjorie) toured England, 'Felix was so famous that entrepreneurs were producing pirated dolls and toys. Sullivan managed to obtain a share of the royalties. An up-and-coming animator, Walt Disney, copied Felix with a character named Julius. Forced to withdraw, Disney created a new character, Mickey Mouse, which soon put a dent in Sullivan's business'. (Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography Online)
