Sullivan Vs. Messmer - Who really created Felix The Cat?

It is said that Otto Messmer created Felix The Cat for Pat Sullivan’s studio in New York. Both Messmer and Sullivan claimed to have created Felix.

Pat Sullivan produced a cartoon called ‘The Tail of Thomas Kat’ which was seen as a prototype for Felix. When Otto joined the studio he worked on a character called ‘Master Thomas’, the two cats were practically identical and eventually Otto renamed him ‘Felix The cat’. On the one hand Otto gave Felix life and a name, but on the other, he wouldn’t have been able to do so without Sullivan’s original Thomas Kat. It was only after Sullivan’s death that Messmer started to make claims of ownership, and despite Sullivan’s death and the closure of the studio, Otto stayed dedicated to Felix and spent the rest of his days drawing Felix the Cat comic strips.

This kind of debate reminds me of the ongoing Lee/Kirby case, with Messmer and Sullivan credit is clearly due to both parties. One may have originated the idea and one may have adapted it. The end result however, is a product of both men’s input over time. Isn’t it odd that the term ‘co-creator’ is overlooked by greed, despite it’s positive meaning.

Image courtesy of http://media.onsugar.com/files/2011/04/15/2/1437/14373728/dcb35ac3a7783775_felix-the-cat.jpg