Inky and Winky are two of Felix's inquisitive and ingenious nephews. They first appeared in Felix Weathers the Weather (1926), but are most famous for their appearance in April Maze (1930). Since that, they have not appeared in any shorts, TV shows or movies but have been regular characters in a lot of the comic series.
In the Otto Messmer shorts, they are 2 playful kittens that like to have fun with their uncle, although their crying when something goes wrong seems to agitate Felix in April Maze. In later incarnations, they are much more mischievous and often play pranks on Felix. Despite this, they still respect him and are supportive in his many adventures.
While they debuted in the silent cartoons as supporting characters, their appearances in them were infrequent, and later Felix cartoons abandoned using them altogether. The bulk of their appearances can be found in the Felix the Cat comic books. A third, unnamed nephew/son occasionally appeared in the silent cartoons too, such as in "Flim Flam Films".
Old Website Description[]
Personality[]
Felix's two inquisitive and ingenious nephews. They are obedient and treat their uncle with respect, although he is occasionally the brunt of their practical jokes. Their curiosity and impish charm endears them to almost everyone, and their simultaneous conclusions suggest the psychic link that many twins are supposed to have.
Trivia[]
- When Joe Oriolo took over work on the Felix the Cat and later assumed ownership of Felix, he renamed Dinky to Winky. According to Don Oriolo, Joe just liked the name Winky better, and the name "dinky" had a connotation of being insignificant at the time, which didn't sound positive to Joe Oriolo.
- They make no appearances at all in the cartoons beyond the b&w shorts, although they found a new home in the comic books and still pop up in merchandising. Their official character profile also depicts them in the style of the Oriolo era, suggesting that they do exist in that series, but simply don't appear in person. However, they appear in 2023 graphic novel confirming their existence.
- In their initial appearances, they were said to be Felix's sons, but from 1930's "April Maze" and on, they were retconned to be Felix's nephews.
- In their modern appearances, Inky wears red shorts with white buttons (an amusingly similar outfit to that of Mickey Mouse) and a hat, while Winky wears a blueish-gray hat and shorts.
- In "April Maze", they are both voiced by uncredited actors, but are given no real dialogue, just childish, cat-like gibberish.
- They look almost identical to their uncle, except pint sized.
- They got their own comic book spinoff in the 50's, "Felix's Nephews Inky and Dinky", which ran for seven issues from 1957 to 1958.
- Their designs frequently changed throughout the series to match the changing designs of their uncle.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Inky And Winky/Gallery