Since June is almost over lets hope you all were able to submit something. If not here are a few last minute ideas.

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Director Tex Avery and animator Preston Blair turned out some of the sexiest cartoons of all time! A 1943 theater audience in Iselin, N.J., clapped, whistled, and yelled, until the beleaguered manager showed one of their hot toons three times!

Disney artist John Hench on the popularity of Mickey: “…Mickey Mouse…is made out of a series of circles…circles are things we have fun with - babies, women’s behinds, breasts!”

Felix the Cat was one of the earliest animated cartoon characters (dating back to 1919), the very FIRST character to appear on television (in a decidedly unanimated role as a test pattern) and the first balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. So then why has it taken this long for Felix to make hit first appearance on DJ David B’s Comics Tunes Tuesday? I am so ashamed.

It is believed that Felix was created by cartoonist/animator Otto Messmer, although producer Pat Sullivan claimed credit.

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Felix, the first TV star.

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(This parade was actually in Toronto, but you get the idea.)

This 1958 cartoon theme song should resonate with all you Arf-loving baby boomers who grew up messmer-ized by Felix as he rooted around in his bag of tricks to find a way out of a jam with The Professor and Poindexter.

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It’s a long road from the silver screen of 1919 to the internet of 2008, but you finally made it, Felix. That’ll do, cat. That’ll do.

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To relive this musical memory, click on the bar below…

(if no bar appears please click here to listen)

In the 1930′s and 1940′s, unauthorized pornographic mini-comics called Tijuana Bibles (“The Kind Men Like!”) featured some of the biggest cartoon stars of the day, among them, Jiggs, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Batman!

In 1906 Planters Peanuts held a contest to create a company spokestoon with a $5 prize-mere peanuts! THe winning entry was 13-year-old Antonio Gentile’s Mr. Peanut! Nutty but true!

The Nazi propaganda tool Das Schwartz branded Superman a Jew!

Cartoonist James Thurber was legally blind!

Ding’s cartoon commemorating the death of Teddy Roosevelt was almost never published! Ding drew it, then threw it away. But it was retrieved to meet the deadline. This almost rejected cartoon became Ding’s most popular cartoon ever!

Hit by a shell fragment at Salerno, Italy, soldier cartoonist Bill (Willie and Joe) Mauldin was awarded the purple heart!