This morning on 2SER with Tim Higgins, I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out another great Sydney story - the origins of the cartoon character Felix The Cat.

Felix the Cat pre-dates Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, making Felix possibly the earliest animated celebrity. But while everyone knows that Felix was created by Walt Disney, few know the creator of Felix. His name was Pat Sullivan (born Patrick O'Sullivan) a Sydney boy who grew up in the inner city suburbs of Woolloomooloo and Chippendale around the time of Federation and aspired to make it big as a cartoonist. After attending art classes at the Art Society of NSW, in 1905 O'Sullivan (as he was then known) began submitting cartoons, illustrations and caricatures to The Worker, the trade union affiliated newspaper. When the Great White Fleet visited Sydney, he dreamed of America and set off the following year overseas, going first to London and then on to the United States of America in 1914. It was around this time that he dropped the O and became Pat Sullivan. Three years later Sullivan produced his first animated film, The Tail of Thomas Kat. Thomas was the precursor to Felix, who first appeared in film in 1919 in The Adventures of Felix. Felix The Cat was a great hit. This little black cat was quite an individual, able to think, reason, and solve problems using his bag of tricks, and in 1923 he began to appear in comic strip form. By the mid-1920s, the Felix comic strip was published in more than 60 newspapers worldwide. Although the height of his fame was in the 1920s and 1930s, he was still well-known decades later. He appeared in over 100 films, featured in music, comic books, toys and badges, as well as appearing on collectables and clothing. The Dictionary features some great images of the fictional character in various guises that attest to his popularity. A Felix the Cat toy is included in the Australian War Memorial collection, as he was a mascot for some of the naval personnel on HMAS Brisbane. In the 1920s, a large Felix the Cat was dragged lovingly by its young owners down to Nielsen Park for an outing; and a cheeky cartoon of Felix can be found at Bondi Beach. Relive Tim's astonishment at Felix's Sydney connection by listening to the podcast, and tune in next week as I once again rumage through my bag of tricks to share with you another tantalising tale from Sydney's history.