"I used an extreme amount of eye motion, wriggling eyes and turning his whiskers, and this seemed to be what hit the public - expressions! I think instead of just having him chase a lot of things around and bumpin' each other, which might be funny, I made him act as a little boy would wonder... how high is that star, how deep is the ocean, what makes the wind blow? I used all those things for a theme."
—Otto Messmer thoughts on Felix's personality and why he was such a hit with the public
There's a funny little cat, with a tummy nice and fat.
He's won picture fame...Felix is his name.
Has a funny little walk Whiskers on his chin;
And, no matter where he goes Or what occurs to him...
Felix keeps on walking, keeps on walking still.
With his hands behind him, You will always find him.
Blew him up with dynamite, but him they couldn't kill.
Miles up in the air he flew, He just murmured "Toodle-oo!"
Landed down in Timbuctoo, And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
One day he was collar'd, By a whale, and swallowed.
In the tummy of that whale he found himself, but still,
All the same he never frown'd, He just smiled and then look'd round,
Thought it was the "Underground", And kept on walking still.
Way out on a desert isle, Felix met a crocodile.
It just gave a cough, Blew his whiskers off.
Then he walk'd for miles and miles Till his feet were raw,
Thought he'd have a rest, but then a lion there he saw!
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Cannibals then caught him, Tasty bit they thought him.
Skinned him like a rabbit, he was so "cut up" until
A native's scalp he noticed there, Stuck it on where he felt bare,
Raised his hat and said "There's hair", And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
By a train at Dover, Had his tail run over,
On the rail he left his tail, it gave the folks a thrill,
Still for that, he didn't care. Though he had no rudder there,
Wagged his "nothing" in the air, And kept on walking still.
He's so full of funny tricks, Fed some sawdust to the chicks,
Now instead of eggs...They lay table legs.
On poor Auntie's powder puff "Hair restorer" placed,
Then when he saw Auntie put that Tatcho on her face...
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Now poor Auntie Eva Has a full grown "beaver"
On the tiles he went last night, those tabby cats to thrill,
Met a Frenchy cat named Lou, She said "Do you parley vous?"
He said, "Yes, but not with you," And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Someone tried to drown him, with a brick tied round him.
Shoved him in the rain-tub there, but him they couldn't kill,
Started lapping with his tongue, Till that water all was done
Then he crept out through the "bung", And kept on walking still.
Kept on walking, kept on walking, Kept on walking still. Mee-ow!
—>—Felix Kept on Walking"
, the original Felix the Cat theme.
He's won picture fame...Felix is his name.
Has a funny little walk Whiskers on his chin;
And, no matter where he goes Or what occurs to him...
Felix keeps on walking, keeps on walking still.
With his hands behind him, You will always find him.
Blew him up with dynamite, but him they couldn't kill.
Miles up in the air he flew, He just murmured "Toodle-oo!"
Landed down in Timbuctoo, And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
One day he was collar'd, By a whale, and swallowed.
In the tummy of that whale he found himself, but still,
All the same he never frown'd, He just smiled and then look'd round,
Thought it was the "Underground", And kept on walking still.
Way out on a desert isle, Felix met a crocodile.
It just gave a cough, Blew his whiskers off.
Then he walk'd for miles and miles Till his feet were raw,
Thought he'd have a rest, but then a lion there he saw!
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Cannibals then caught him, Tasty bit they thought him.
Skinned him like a rabbit, he was so "cut up" until
A native's scalp he noticed there, Stuck it on where he felt bare,
Raised his hat and said "There's hair", And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
By a train at Dover, Had his tail run over,
On the rail he left his tail, it gave the folks a thrill,
Still for that, he didn't care. Though he had no rudder there,
Wagged his "nothing" in the air, And kept on walking still.
He's so full of funny tricks, Fed some sawdust to the chicks,
Now instead of eggs...They lay table legs.
On poor Auntie's powder puff "Hair restorer" placed,
Then when he saw Auntie put that Tatcho on her face...
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Now poor Auntie Eva Has a full grown "beaver"
On the tiles he went last night, those tabby cats to thrill,
Met a Frenchy cat named Lou, She said "Do you parley vous?"
He said, "Yes, but not with you," And kept on walking still.
Felix kept on walking, kept on walking still.
Someone tried to drown him, with a brick tied round him.
Shoved him in the rain-tub there, but him they couldn't kill,
Started lapping with his tongue, Till that water all was done
Then he crept out through the "bung", And kept on walking still.
Kept on walking, kept on walking, Kept on walking still. Mee-ow!
—>—Felix Kept on Walking"
, the original Felix the Cat theme."Felix was just a little figure in the background, instead of being the center figure. He [Burt Gillett] tried to push his own characters in there. Gillett tried to push himself, rather than the cat."
—Otto Messmer's gentle criticism of the Van Beuren Studios Felix shorts.
"The shapes and markings of Felix and Mickey, perhaps more than Oswald, have similarities, but when you are using such simple basic construction (i.e. circles) there is bound to be such duplication."
"(Felix had) a very inventive personality, meaning that his creators had endowed him with an exceedingly resourceful and agile mind. To me he was an entertaining personality who was full of surprises. I don't remember any of the other early characters, Farmer Al Falfa or Aesop's Fables, impressing me in the same way....Felix was the first character that had a personality and I'm sure that didn't go unnoticed by Walt."
"They have little bits of personality here and there on Felix, but they don't go near far enough."
—Walt Disney's thoughts on Felix The Cat.
"I think everyone since owes a huge debt to Otto Messmer and Felix. We are using techniques, ideas and cliches today that began with this creation. Felix is truly the father of cartoony cartoons."
—John Kricfalusi, praising Messmer and Felix.
