Adding to a growing library of classic cartoon characters the company can now, at any moment, render in CGI or force to do a video blog, DreamWorks has also acquired Felix The Cat, easily the world’s fifth or sixth most beloved cartoon feline. Of course, long before Garfield, Tom, Heathcliff, Sylvester, Scratchy, et al., Felix at least had the distinction of being first, captivating Jazz Age-era audiences who related to his silent movie antics of constantly being hungry and hating immigrants. Now that estimable legacy will be honored with, as Jeffrey Katzenberg announced, DreamWorks’ “plan to make him one of the most desired fashion brands in the world.” Indeed, it seems the company isn’t plotting a new Felix movie or TV show—at least, not yet. Rather, it hopes to use his famous black-and-white image to create a line of clothes and accessories for today’s regressed ravers to put into their own bag of tricks.
“Felix really goes beyond evergreen status and rises to something even more uncommon, as he is a true icon,” Katzenberg said of this important, historic character they’d picked up for cheap so they could put his face on T-shirts.