Black Cats in Popular Culture
- ejorigin
- Jul 13, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 8
Written by: Tan Yi Ling (Chen Yiling) (23-A2)
Designed by: Tan Zhi Shan (23-I1)
As the American writer Rusty Fischer once wrote, “Black cat on a fence; Halloween two days hence.” This short, rhyming phrase is one of the many quotes playing on the superstition that black cats are closely associated with and a symbol of Halloween and spookiness. In Western cultures, it is said that if you come across a black cat on the day of Halloween, you will have bad luck for the rest of the year. You may have also heard of the more general, well-known saying that crossing paths with a black cat will bring bad luck. These negative superstitions stem from various early beliefs - as early as the 13th century, the decretal Vox in Rama declared that such cats were an incarnation of Satan, and in some European folklore, they are linked to witchcraft and considered companions or familiars of witches. However, in spite of some viewing these creatures as harbingers of misfortune, black cats have made their mark and left pawprints on the popular culture of today. In this article, I will be delving into and exploring how Felix the Cat as well as Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service have influenced and continue to influence aspects of popular culture.
Felix the Cat
“Felix the Cat, the wonderful wonderful cat~”
Felix the Cat is an anthropomorphic black cat with wide eyes, a giant grin, and a mischievous and playful nature. Conceived and created during the silent film era, he made his debut on 9 November 1919 in the animated short Feline Follies. Then, over the next two decades in the 1920s and 30s, more than 100 black and white Felix cartoon episodes were produced and played in movie theatres all over the world. Aside from animation, Felix appeared in print, with the Felix the Cat comic strip debuting in Britain’s Daily Sketch on 1 August 1923. King Features also syndicated Felix in over 250 newspapers in a large number of languages, therefore pretty much allowing the character to achieve global reach. Felix is said to “represent a child’s sense of wonder, creating the fantastic when it is not there, and taking it in stride when it is”. Indeed, when Felix cartoons began airing on American television in 1953, Felix was now equipped with a magic bag of tricks - a yellow satchel with the capability to change its shape, form and function, and produce any items that he wanted.
The great success and lasting influence of Felix the Cat is demonstrated in several ways. Felix made history as the first ever cartoon character to become a parade balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and made a total of three appearances in the famous and popular holiday spectacle. Throughout the years, Felix has been referenced in various television shows and movies. For example, in one of the episodes of The Simpsons titled The Fat and The Furriest, the character Homer Simpson hallucinates that Felix is floating above him and taunting him. Besides that, the cat has left its mark on fashion. In 2018, the Dutch fashion label Scotch and Soda collaborated with Felix the Cat and produced various items of clothing, such as shirts, jackets, sweaters and denim jeans. More recently, thisisneverthat, a contemporary streetwear brand based in Seoul, has produced shirts with Felix printed on the front.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Taehyun wearing one of the Felix shirts by thisisneverthat.Photo credit: Twitter
Jiji, from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki’s Delivery Service is the fourth feature-length film animated by Studio Ghibli, and it tells the story of a 13-year-old witch Kiki who moves away from her family and sets up a flying courier service in Koriko, the new seaside town she stays in. In this film, the black cat Jiji is Kiki’s familiar and pet. While the appearance and role of Jiji are the same in both the Japanese version and American version of the film, there are noticeable differences in the cat’s personality. In the former, Jiji, voiced by the female voice actor Rei Sakuma, is more cautious and humble. On the other hand in the latter, voiced by Phil Hartman, Jiji is more chatty, sarcastic and cynical.
What stays unchanged, however, is the significance and symbolism of Jiji in the film. Kiki is on her mandatory year of independent living, practising her craft and training to be a full-fledged witch. Right from the beginning, the very fact that she is moving to a new place and entering a new stage of her life suggests that Jiji’s familiar presence is all the more important, comforting and reassuring as she adapts to a new lifestyle and hones her skills. Jiji also often guides and helps her out. On her first delivery job, when she lost a stuffed black cat which she was supposed to deliver to a little boy, Jiji agreed to pose as and pretend to be the stuffed toy until she was able to find the actual toy. This even resulted in Jiji being thrown around by the boy, highlighting how much Jiji has her best interests at heart. Moreover, the black cat is perhaps a symbol of Kiki’s immaturity, adding an additional, interesting layer to the film’s theme of growth and maturity.
Outside of this film, how has Jiji impacted popular culture? Firstly, Jiji has made cameo appearances in other Studio Ghibli films, such as Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart. In Spirited Away, when the protagonist Chihiro runs away from Yubaba and the Kashira, she runs into the playroom of Yubaba’s infant son, Boh. While there are multiple toys and cushions on the floor, some eagle-eyed viewers may spot the design of Jiji embroidered on one of the cushions. Jiji’s popularity is also clearly seen in various forms of merchandise, be it stuffed toys, figurines or keychains. Some fans also take the time to create pieces of cute fanart of Jiji or Jiji with his partner, a white cat named Lily. This is a reflection of how Jiji is very much a recognised and beloved character, with a strong and ongoing presence in popular culture.
A pair of Jiji and Lily plushies.Photo credit: Lulu Berlu
In conclusion, Felix the Cat and Jiji are just two out of the many examples of black cats in popular culture. Over the past decades, they have stood the test of time and received enduring love from fans, and they have shown that the cats of their kind should not be simply stereotyped and viewed as symbols of evil and bad luck.
Bibliography:
Comments