The very first image ever to be broadcast over TV airwaves was Felix The Cat. When the engineers at RCA were busily creating TV, they used a Felix doll as their test model in their very first transmission in 1928.
Created by Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer, and John King in 1919, Felix had originally appeared in newspaper comic strips and had made the transition to the big (movie) screen.
In the 1960s Trans-Lux syndicated serials, Felix was equipped with a magical bag of tricks that could give even Mary Poppins’ carpetbag a run for its money.
Because the bag seemed to hold the perfect item for every occasion, it was greedily coveted by the Professor, Felix’s cunning, yet usually unsuccessful rival.
The Professor’s bulldog sidekick, Rock Bottom, would inevitably fail in his attempt to steal the bag for his master.
Felix also spent time helping the Professor’s brainy nephew, Poindexter – whose name left a legacy as the nickname of particularly bright children for decades.
Also notable were episodes involving the sinister Master Cylinder, and the bizarre little Eskimo called Vavoom, who could cause avalanches by shouting his own name!
Jack Mercer voiced all the characters on this show.
In 1994 CBS brought the resourceful feline back for a series of five-second commercial bumpers. The spots sparked a resurgence in Felix’s popularity, and one year later, the cat came back in the all-new The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.
Felix
Jack Mercer
Professor
Jack Mercer
Rock Bottom
Jack Mercer
Poindexter
Jack Mercer
Master Cylinder
Jack Mercer
Vavoom
Jack Mercer
