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Famous Cats: Arlene, Tony the Tiger, Snowball I,
Courageous Cat, Mr. Jinks, Esso Tiger

Arlene



Arlene

Arlene fist appeared in the Garfield comic strip on the 17th of
December, 1980. Since then she has had the status of Garfield's
girlfriend. They both argue about each other, with Garfield
needing to go on a diet and Arlene needing to get the gap in her
teeth fixed, but they're perfect together.

They have a love-hate relationship: Garfield loves himself and
Arlene hates that.



Tony The Tiger


Tony the Tiger

Tony was introduced to the world by Kellogg's in 1952 as the
spokes-tiger for Kellog's Sugar Frosted Flakes.

Tony began his career in 1952, sharing package labels with Katy
the Kangaroo. Other contestants for representatives were Elmo the
Elephant and Newt the Gnu. Tony proved to be more popular than
Katy Kangaroo, so she was retired after the first year, and a better
spokes-tiger than Elmo or Newt, so they were dropped.

In 1953, Kellogg's advertising agency further developed Tony with
a four color spread in the August issue of Life magazine. Various
animation studios draw Tony, with the majority of the work being
handled by Hanna-Barbera.

His son, Tony Jr., became the trademark of Kellogg's Frosted Rice
cereal. Since 1981, Tony's face has graced Kellogg's hot air balloon.


Tony's original designer, children's book illustrator Martin
Provinsen, first created an orange cat with black stripes and a
blue nose who walked on all fours. But like most celebrities,
Tony has undergone extensive cosmetic changes over the decades.

The most dramatic alteration occurred early in his career, when
Tony's football-shaped head was replaced with a rounder, softer
form. That was followed by a series of other minor face-lifts
such as an eye color change from green to gold and the addition
of "whisker bones" and contours.

When America started heading for the health clubs, Tony also got
a slimmer, more muscular physique. He's also risen in stature
from a scrawny, cereal-box size cat who ambled on all fours
to a 6-foot figure with a towering, upright stance.

One thing that remained constant for much of Tony's life was his
voice. Thurl Ravenscroft provided the sole voiceover for Tony and
his trademark growl: "They're Grrrreat!" In 1952, Tony's son,
Tony Jr., was introduced into the campaign.


Tony Jr.


Tony's wife was known as Mrs. Tony or Mama Tony.
In 1974, (the Chinese year of the Tiger), Tony also had a daughter
named Antoinette.



Snowball I



Snowball I

A young Lisa Simpson cried and cried when her beloved first cat
Snowball died. Homer and Marge tried to fool her by replacing the
deceased feline with an identical one (thankfully, it was alive),
but Snowball II could never fill the void left in Lisa's heart.

Like most cats, Snowball enjoyed playing with yarn, petting, and
coughing up large chunks of her own fur.


Meditations on Turning Eight, by Lisa Simpson

I had a cat named Snowball --
She died! She died!
Mom said she was sleeping --
She lied! She lied!
Why oh why is my cat dead?
Couldn't that Chrysler hit me instead?



Courageous Cat



Courageous Cat
Courageous Cat, based in the Cat Cave, received his orders from
the Police Chief of Empire City, who happened to be a dog. The
crime-fighting duo traveled around in the Catmobile and carried
around a multi-purpose Catgun. The Catgun fired just about
everything, except bullets. The duo's foes included Rodney
Rodent, Shoo Shoo Fly, Professor Shaggy Dog, The Black Cat, Harry
Gorilla, Iron Shark, Professor Noodle Stroodle and The Frog, a
cigar-chomping amphibian who spoke in the gangster style of
Edward G. Robinson.

When alerted by the "Cat Signal," Courageous Cat donned a red costume
(a star adorned his chest) black trunks, yellow belt and cape and
white gloves.

His sidekick Minute Mouse dressed in a green cape, yellow shirt and
white gloves. This dynamic cat and mouse duo was created by Bob
Kane, the same person responsible for the original DC Comics
Batman character. Bob McFadden supplied the voices to both lead
characters.



Mr. Jinks



Mr. Jinks or Jinx

Jinx the cat "hated meeces to pieces," but loved his Kellogg's
Raisin Bran.

"Pixie And Dixie" was a segment of Hanna-Barbara's first
hit cartoon, "The Huckleberry Hound Show."
The Huckleberry Hound Show" was William Hanna and Joseph
Barbera's second made-for-TV series . The series premiered in
1958 and starred a good-natured hound dog with a Southern drawl,
Huckleberry Hound.

Sponsored nationally by Kellogg's Cereals, the show was the first
fully animated series made strictly for television, in contrast
to those hosted by live performers or ones with a cinematic history.

Pixie and Dixie" and "Mr. Jinks" were the first additional
segments on the 30-minute program. Pixie and Dixie were two little
mice who were constantly menaced by their playful nemesis. Jinks the
Cat, who "hates meeces to pieces."

The theme was a low-budget version of Hanna and Barbera's old
Tom and Jerry cartoons, with the addition of an extra mouse.


Pixie, Dixie, & Mr. Jinks



The Esso Tiger



The Esso Tiger

Esso Tiger - Orange jungle cat with black stripes who represented Esso Oil
in the mid-1960s with his trademark catchphrase "Put a tiger in your tank"
(created by Chicago copywriter Emery Smith).

From a humble beginning in Norway to the recognition he enjoys
today, it's been a long journey for one of the world's most
famous tigers. Esso's identification with the big cat dates back
to the early part of the 20th century when leaping tiger emblems
appeared on Esso Norway roadside gasoline pumps.

The tiger's next stop was in England in 1930. An ad was placed in
a 1936 issue of the Daily Mail newspaper showing a tiger on the
prowl for Esso Ethyl Motor Oil. Although popular, this ad was
halted by the outbreak of World War Two when all branding and
advertising of petrol stopped. The oil companies produced only
"generic" petrol during the war.

In 1953, Exxon (now known as ExxonMobil) the American parent
company of Esso, launched an intensive campaign, resurrecting the
1930's tiger. The success of the ads persuaded several European
affiliates to follow during the 1950's. Following on from this,
in 1959, an advertising agency in Chicago was asked by Exxon to
create an advertisement to boost sales of its petrol. They came
up with the phrase "Put a tiger in your tank". This was to become
the cornerstone of one of Exxon's most successful advertising
campaigns.

In 1964, the cartoon tiger was introduced and with the slogan
"Put a tiger in your tank" proceeded to capture consumers' hearts
and imaginations. While the tiger was perceived as friendly and
loveable, he also conveyed an impression of power and strength,
which proved to be a winning combination. Sales soared.
The success of the ad campaign prompted Time magazine
to proclaim 1964 as "The Year of the Tiger along Madison Avenue.

The cartoon tiger's popularity was not limited to America. Within
a year he could be found throughout Europe, Australia and the Far
East. However, the 1970's Middle East oil embargo brought the
live tiger back. With the embargo, serious issues emerged more
suitably addressed by the live tiger. Advertising campaigns were
redesigned and it was decided that the time was right to bring
back the fearlessness and strength suggested by the live tiger.
Since the live tiger appeared on British television in 1975, it
has co-existed with the cartoon tiger in most of Exxon's
worldwide markets, promoting products and communication on a wide
variety of topics.

The Esso Tiger was retired in the late 1960s but resurrected in 1972
when Esso changed its name to Exxon. Their ad slogan stated,
We're changing our name, but not our stripes!

In 1982, Exxon featured the live tiger in the United States, and
recently he leapt into the computer age in television commercials
featuring a moving car that turns into a running tiger.


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