For those who thought merchandising began with Star Wars, guess again. Not long after his debut in 1919, cartoon's earliest superstar, Felix the Cat, was the first character given their own line of merchandising. By the time this ad ran in the November 11, 1932 edition of Film Daily, Mickey had all but eclipsed Felix's fame leaving Uncle Walt no choice but to put out a line of Chinaware and rodent nylons.
December 13, 2014