Sylvester the cat is a character from Warner Brothers' 'Looney Tunes' cartoons. Australian television viewers would be familiar with the character from 'The Bugs Bunny Show' and other programs that packaged together old cartoons. The Warner Brothers cartoons have been shown on television for more than four decades. Their success on the small screen confounded their creators (such as Chuck Jones), who only intended for them to be exhibited in theatres within a year of production. Sylvester was typically trying to catch and eat the Tweety bird. His catchphrase was 'suffering succotash'.
This toy comes from a group of 3000 toys that was auctioned on 8 and 9 September 2002 by Goodman's at Double Bay. The toys, nearly all officially licensed merchandise from television productions, films and comic books, were accumulated in Australia by Barry Woodley since his youth. Most have their original packaging and have never been opened.
This toy is suitable for inclusion in the proposed exhibition about television in Australians' lives. In this context it can be used to illustrate themes relating to 'Children, television and the family' and merchandising.
The Sylvester the Cat figure was made by Equity in China in 1994.
The Sylvester the cat figure came from a collection of over 3000 toys accumulated by Barry Woodley of Sydney between 1980 and 2002. Woodley began collecting seriously at the age of 17. He was consistent in his approach, collecting only toy vehicles and robots licensed from television, film and other media such as comic books, that were in mint condition and in their original packaging. Woodley collected for his own pleasure and did not open the toys or play with them. The Sylvester the Cat figure was sold with the rest of the Woodley collection by Goodman's auctioneers in 2002.
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