Fritz the Cat
Fritz the Cat is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a tabby cat who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began drawing the character in homemade comic books as a child. Fritz became one of his best-known characters, thanks largely to the motion picture adaptation by Ralph Bakshi.
| Fritz the Cat | |
|---|---|
First panel from a 1968 strip | |
| Author(s) | Robert Crumb |
| Current status/schedule | Ended |
| Launch date | January 1965 Help! Magazine |
| End date | September 1972 The People's Comics |
| Genre(s) | Humor |
| Preceded by | Animal Town |
The strip first appeared in Help! and Cavalier magazines, and subsequently in publications associated with the underground comix scene between 1965 and 1972; Fritz the Cat comic compilations elevated it to one of the underground scene's most iconic features.
The strip received further attention when it was adapted into a 1972 animated film of the same name. The directorial debut of animator Bakshi, it was the first animated feature film to receive an X rating in the United States, and the most successful independent animated feature to date.
Crumb ended the strip in 1972 due to disagreements with the filmmakers.