Famous Friday: Sylvester the Cat

by Paws on Your Heart on June 7, 2013

“Sufferin’ Succotash!” today’s famous feline is one of our all time favourite Looney Tunes characters, Sylvester the cat. This black and white feline is best known for his catch phrase (“Sufferin’ Succotash”), his proud attitude, and his persistent attempts to capture his nemesis, Tweety Bird.

Sylvester the cat was first drawn in 1945 by Isadore “Friz” Freleng, an animator at Termite Terrace Studios (aka Warner Brothers Studios), and Sylvester’s first animated appearance was in the short film Life With Feathers (see it HERE). Although the feline in the film is clearly Sylvester the cat, he was not actually named until shortly after the film was released. An interesting fact about the name Sylvester is that it’s a play words from the phrase “felis silvestris”, which is the scientific name for wild cats.

It wasn’t until 1947 when Sylvester the cat made his first appearance with the little yellow bird Tweety. Their first pairing was in an episode of Looney Tunes titled Tweety Pie. Since their first appearance together Sylvester and Tweety have been featured together in many more episodes of Looney Tunes.

The pair actually became so popular that they were given their own television shows The Sylvester and Tweety Show (1976), and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (1995–2001), and their own comic book called Tweety and Sylvester (1963). They were even featured together on their own U.S. stamp in 1998. If you’d like to see Sylvester the cat and Tweety in action, check out the 1948 Looney Tunes episode called I Taw a Putty Cat here.

In addition to his role as Tweety’s nemesis, Sylvester has also become an integral Looney Tunes character alongside Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. Whether he’s exploring spooky places with Porky Pig, or trying to teach his son Sylvester Junior how to catch mice, Sylvester is always able to entertain audiences. 

We love Sylvester because of his determination and persistence when it comes to life’s obstacles (which in his case are often traps set by Tweety, Granny, or Spike the Bulldog). Sylvester the cat shows us that even if life is getting you down and there are obstacles in the way you should keep moving forward to try to accomplish your goals.

Is there a famous feline you’d like to see featured in one of our Famous Friday posts?
Let us know in the comments section below.

 

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