Cartoon Cats

Gift Ideas Inspired by Beloved Cartoon Cats

There are no ordinary cats. - Colette

Gifts inspired by cartoon cats will delight cat lovers who are also fans of feline-inspired cartoons!

Do you (or someone you know) have a favorite cat-inspired cartoon? My very favorites are Felix the Cat and Garfield. It’s no wonder that I also love items that feature these popular felines. And I'm sure I'm not alone.



So, if you have a cat-loving friend who also loves a feline cartoon, consider giving her a gift inspired by it. Indeed, cartoon related items make fun gifts.

Not sure what to give? Luckily for you, there are many items to choose from...

Some gift ideas featuring cartoon cats include:

This list is just a small sample of the many cartoon-inspired gifts you’ll find online. But there’s more... You will find high-end collectibles, cute mugs, cool hats, fun watches, plush toys... and much more:

If your friend loves art, give him a gift of cat cartoon art.

Want something cool? Check out The Cartoonizer at www.cartonizemypet.com. This cool tool lets you create your own highly customizable cartoon cats, which can then be placed on all sorts of merchandise!

Now here’s the fun part. Are you new to the world of feline cartoons? Would you like to learn more about them? Do you want to reminisce about your childhood’s favorite cartoon? Below you will find a list of several popular cartoon kitties. Enjoy!

Felix the Cat, the Wonderful, Wonderful Cat!

Felix is one of the earliest cartoon cats. He is also one of the best-known cartoon cats in the world. Indeed, Felix was not only a very popular film character, but he was also the first image to be broadcast over a television transmitter.

The earliest version of Felix first appeared in 1919 in the Paramount Pictures short film Feline Follies under the name of Master Tom. He was later renamed Felix, and – as the saying goes – the rest is history. Felix the Cat also starred in Felix in Hollywood and Felix Saves the Day, among other movies.

In 1953, Felix the Cat short films were syndicated and shown on TV. A television series followed, which became very popular. Its theme song, Felix the Wonderful Cat, which was written by Winston Sharples, became very popular as well.

Interestingly, both Pat Sullivan (an Australian cartoonist and film producer) and Otto Messmer (an American animator) claimed to be the creator of Felix the Cat.

Needless to say, Felix the Cat memorabilia makes a wonderful gift for cat lovers who are also fans of this wonderful cat.

More Felix the Cat information

Garfield

One of the most popular cartoon cats, Garfield was created by Jim Davis. It first appeared on June 19, 1978 and it quickly became a hit. The series follows the comings and goings of Garfield the Cat, Jon Arbuckle (Garfield's human parent) and Odie the Dog (Garfield’s drooly nemesis).

So who’s Garfield? He’s a fat, black-striped, orange cat. A pampered cat, Garfield thinks he’s the master of the home. He also believes that he's smarter than Jon, his long-suffering human companion.

Garfield is self-centered and arrogant, and yet he’s utterly delightful. He also suffers from very human emotions such as apathy and boredom. I think that these human qualities make him very appealing to his fans. He also experiences human issues such as dieting and difficult relationships.

Garfield also became a movie star. Garfield: The Movie, opened in 2004. There was also a television series, Garfield and Friends, and several television specials. You can find DVD sets of the television series and the specials. Obviously, these make great gifts for Garfield fans.

More information about Garfield

Sylvester the Cat

Sylvester J. Pussycat Senior (or Sylvester for short) is another beloved cartoon cat best known for his lisp.

One of the stars of Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, Sylvester is particularly known for constantly chasing Tweety Bird, a seemingly innocent yellow canary known for often outsmarting Sylvester. But Tweety was not the only Sylvester’s nemesis. He was also paired with Speedy Gonzalez and Hippety Hopper.

This fun feline first appeared in the 1945 short film Life with Feathers. Sylvester and Tweety Bird appeared together for the first time in the 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie. Interestingly, in this cartoon Sylvester was named Thomas. You can find posters and prints featuring Sylvester. Art inspired by this black-and-white feline make an excellent gift idea for both cat lovers and Sylvester fans.

More about Sylvester the Cat

Tom (from Tom and Jerry)

This couple of cartoon characters, created by the animators William Hannah and Joseph Barbera, is one my favorites.Thomas (Tom) is a gray cat who’s always getting in trouble because of the provocations of Jerry (a mouse that lives is Tom's house). Most of the time, Jerry is disturbing Tom and Tom is running after Jerry. It is so much fun to see them entangled in impossible situations.

Metro-Goldwyn Mayer produced Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoons from 1940 to 1958. Other studios produced later versions. Not surprisingly, many of the original cartoons won Academy awards.

Tom and Jerry reappeared in TV cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions (from 1975 to 1977, and from 1990 to 1993). Filmation Studios produced Tom and Jerry cartoons during the 1980s.

The feature-length film Tom and Jerry: The Movie debuted in 1992 nationwide. Do your friends love cats and/or this dynamic duo? Consider giving them Tom and Jerry pictures. They make wonderful cat lover gifts.

More about Tom and Jerry

Top Cat

Top Cat is another animated series produced by the Hannah and Barbera team. The series debuted in 1961. Top Cat follows the adventures of a gang of alley cats. They live in a Manhattan alley, and are constantly chased by Officer Dibble who wants to throw them out of the alley.

The members of the Top Cat gang are: Top Cat (the suave leader of the bunch), Fancy Fancy, Spook, Benny, Brain, and Choo Choo.

This was one of my early childhood favorite cartoon cats (in Spanish it was called Don Gato y su Pandilla, which means Mr. Cat and his Gang).

More about Top Cat

Heathcliff

Heathcliff, like Garfield, is a fat, black-striped, orange cat that first appeared in a comic strip created by George Gately. The strip debuted in 1973.

Heathcliff is a self-centered cat who enjoys annoying the local fishmonger. Sonja, a chubby but very feminine white cat, is Heathcliff’s girlfriend.

Heathcliff also appeared on ABC’s The Heathcliff & Dingbat Show, which began on October 4, 1980. This particular show was produced by Ruby-Spears. DiC produced another version of Heathcliff titled The Heathcliff and the Cadillac Cats show, which featured Riff Raff, Hector, Mungo, and Wordsworth. This version of the show is the one I saw when I was little. The show also featured Cleo (Riff Raff’s girlfriend) and Leroy (the junkyard dog).

More about Heathcliff

Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is an extremely popular cartoon cat created by Sanrio, a Japanese company. This cute kitten was born in November, 1974.

Hello Kitty is a white, mouth-less, big-eyed cat. She’s girly, cute, and impossibly sweet. Hello Kitty lives in London with her parents and her twin sister Mimmy. She also has several friends, including Dear Daniel, Chococat, Cinnamoroll, and Tippy. Hello Kitty's pet is Charmmy Kitty, a lovely Persian cat.

Hello Kitty's image appears on over 20,000 products, including toys, purses, clothing items, high-end jewelry, electronic games, and even a car. She has become quite a fashion icon not only among young girls, but also among teenagers and even adults.

More about Hello Kitty

Krazy Kat

Krazy Kat is a comic strip authored by George Herriman. Krazy Kat was part of an earlier comic strip called The Dingbat Family and it debuted on April 23, 1916. The strip later appeared by itself on the Sunday edition of several US newspapers.

Characters of the comic strip include:

  • the title character, Krazy Kat, a cat who is believed to be a female
  • Ignatz Mouse, Krazy Kat’s love interest
  • Officer (Offisa) Pupp, Krazy Kat’s devoted protector.

The story line revolves around the relationships among these three characters. Krazy Kat was animated several times from 1916 to 1964.

Krazy Kat is definitely one of the most complex cartoon cat characters ever created.

Want to read more about Krazy Kat? Here's more

Eek! The Cat

Eek! The Cat is an animated TV series featuring a purple cat named Eek. It was created by Savage Steve Holland and Bill Kopp, and it appeared on Fox Kids during the 1990s.

Eek’s motto is "it never hurts to help". And as you can imagine, Eek's overly optimistic nature often gets him in hot water.

Other characters of the series include: Mom, Wendy Elizabeth and J.B, and Eek’s girlfriend Annabelle.

More about Eek! the Cat

Mooch (Mutts)

Mooch is a lovable kitty who is best friends with a dog (!). He is one of the main characters of Mutts, a daily comic strip that chronicles the adventures of Mooch and his best pal Earl the Dog. The strip also spotlights the relationship between this pair and their human friends.

Mutts was created by Patrick McDonnell, an acclaimed cartoonist and animal advocate. It debuted in 1994. From time to time, the strip devotes full episodes to raising awareness about animal rights.

More about Mutts

The Pride: A True Story Cat Cartoon

The Pride - A True Story Cat Cartoon, tells the real life adventures of Johnny, the strip's crazy – but adorable – feline protagonist. The Pride also recounts the interactions between Johnny, his gang of cat "friends" (former centers of the universe before Johnny's appearance), and their human companion, Jane.

The Pride was created by Jane Denny, a talented artist and cat lover. She was the recipient of the 2007 Muse Medallion for Best Cat Cartoon, awarded by Purina and the Cat Writers’ Association in their 2007 communications contest.

More about The Pride

Have fun with your favorite cartoon cats!

Note: All the copyrighted cartoon cats mentioned here are trademarks of their respective owners.


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