Famous cats!

From cute to cheeky, here are some of the world’s most famous cats…

Garfield, who turned 30 this year, was created by Jim Davis. In spite of, or perhaps because of, being lazy and often nasty, this corpulent kitty is one of the most popular cartoon cats. The Garfield comic is currently the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip, appearing in around 2,580 newspapers and journals as of 2007. Garfield loves pizza and lasagne and hates Mondays. He counteracts boredom by perpetually playing tricks on his master Jon, and by taunting the family dog Odie. There have been computer-animated and cartoon movies and television series starring this famous fat, tabby cat.

Felix the Cat is considered the world’s first true movie cartoon star, and first appeared in a short film in 1919 called ‘Feline Follies’. Not long after, he made the transition to print. During the 1920s, his popularity exploded and the mischievous feline was the star of many cartoon classics. Felix played an important role in the development of television, where a 13 inch Felix the Cat figure made of papier mache on a record player turntable was broadcast as part of experimental television transmissions in 1928. While New Jersey cartoonist Otto Messner is generally credited as the creator of Felix the Cat, Australian cartoonist/film entrepreneur Pat Sullivan also made claims.

The Cat in the Hat first appeared in the children’s book of the same name published in 1957 by Theodor Seuss Geisel, A.K.A. Dr. Seuss. This zany cat transformed a dull, rainy afternoon into a magical and messy adventure for two children whose mother was away. The book was made into a live-action film in 2003, starring Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat.

Thomas Cat, the feline half of the ever-duelling cat and mouse duo Tom and Jerry, was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for MGM. The pair debuted in the cartoon movie ‘Puss Gets the Boot’ in 1939, in which Tom was originally called “Jasper”. The cartoon is based around the futile attempts of the grey cat to catch the mouse, typically resulting in Tom leaving a trail of destruction in the house. Although many other characters in the cartoon speak, Tom and Jerry rarely do. However Tom famously sings while wooing female cats!

Sylvester is a tuxedo cat that first appeared in Friz Freleng’s ‘Life with Feathers’ television cartoon in 1945. Sylvester was first paired with his main rival and tormentor, Tweety the canary in ‘Tweety Pie’ in 1947. Like Thomas Cat, Sylvester is never successful in his attempts to chase his adversaries, which also include Speedy Gonzales and Hippety Hopper. Sylvester’s trademark is his lisped exclamation, “Sufferin’ succotash!”

Hello Kitty was produced by Sanrio, a Japanese company famous for creating cute characters, and originally appeared on kids’ stationery in the 1970s. Hello Kitty was introduced to the world in 1974. As British culture was popular with Japanese girls at the time, she was created as an English cat that resides in London. She has a twin sister called Mimmy and a boyfriend called Dear Daniel. This unassuming kitty has achieved some amazing feats, including becoming the U.S. children’s ambassador for UNICEF and being adopted as a fashion statement by many celebrities like Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton.

More information and further reading:

http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-famous-celebrity-cats-movie-star-felines.htm
http://www.kittens-lair.net/history-and-famous-cats/cartoon-cats.html
http://petcaretips.net/famous_cats.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield
http://www.felixthecat.com/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_and_Jerry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_the_cat
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/6062-hello-kitty-profile