Fritz the Cat

For the film, see Fritz the Cat (film).

Fritz the Cat
Accompanying the title is a illustration of Fritz the Cat with arms folded and a satisfied smile on his face, and the words: "Fritz is a sophisticated, up-to-the-minute young feline college student who lives in a modern supercity of millions of animals ... Yes, not unlike people in their manners and morals.
First panel from a 1968 strip
Author(s)Robert Crumb
Current status/scheduleEnded
Launch dateJanuary 1965
Help! Magazine
End dateSeptember 1972
The People's Comics
Genre(s)Humor
Preceded byAnimal Town

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, and Fritz would become one of his best-known characters.

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.

Fritz the Cat received further attention when it was adapted into a 1972 animated film of the same name. The directorial debut of animator Ralph 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 later that year due to disagreements with the filmmakers.