A rare Felix the Cat dating from the 1930s, when various leading toy manufacturers produced their own stuffed versions of the cartoon character, created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. The anthropomorphic young black cat, with a giant grin, is often considered to be one of the most recognised cartoon characters in film history.

Standing 26cm (10″)  high, our Felix is woodwool-stuffed, and made of black mohair on a wired armature with a white mohair face. His head swivels, while his  arms move together in unison. Felix has lifelike shaped limbs, and he uses his long tail to help him balance.

His features are original, including large black button eyes backed with white coated fabric, and a black button nose.  That iconic grinning mouth is black felt (with a couple of small patched repairs), and he has three white embroidered teeth. There’s a few small darns to his black mohair here and there, and some slight loss of mohair to his white face. Overall, though, Felix is a top cat, with lots of fur. (His face may look a bit green in some pics due to reflections from the shrubbery in the background).

This  lovable puss is wearing a handmade dicky bow and pair of felt shorts, in the spirit of his rival – Micky Mouse!

By the late 1920s, with the arrival of sound cartoons, Felix’s commercial success  was fading. The new Disney shorts of Mickey Mouse, made the silent offerings of Sullivan and Messmer seem outdated, and production ceased in 1932.  However, there was a revival on American TV in 1953, with a remodelled Felix and new  characters added, to appeal to a new generation of fans.