December 14, 1919 –
Felix the Cat first appeared in film, Feline Follies (under the name ‘Master Tom‘,) on this date. This was a full nine years before Mickey Mouse’s debut in Disney’s Steamboat Willie.
The legendary cartoon character created in the silent film era by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer in Australia was a whimsical black cat that walked on two legs and often had the moves and childlike nature of Charlie Chaplin (who was an inspiration for Sullivan).
The Haus of Dcaligari 