A cartoon character from the silent-film era, Felix's black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make him one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Felix was the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power.

Joe Oriolo, introduced a redesigned, "long-legged" Felix in a new animated series for TV. Oriolo gave Felix his "Magic Bag of Tricks", which could assume an infinite variety of shapes at Felix's behest.