Felix the Cat

1 9 6 0 – 1 9 6 1 (USA)

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 transitioned 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!