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This original hand-painted production cel features Top Cat, the ever-charming alley cat with Broadway swagger, from Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats (1988).

First broadcast on ABC in 1961, Top Cat was created by Hanna-Barbera as a witty parody of Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko. Bilko, replacing military scheming with street-smart New York humour. Voiced by Arnold Stang, Top Cat (or "T.C." to his gang) led a cast of lovable rogues, Benny the Ball, Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Choo-Choo, and Brain, whose antics brought a sense of urban cool to prime-time animation. Although the series lasted just one season, it became a cult favourite through reruns and international syndication, particularly beloved in the UK and Latin America.

By the late 1980s, Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats marked a nostalgic revival of the original show's charm, produced during a period when most of Hanna-Barbera's original 1960s artwork had already been destroyed to clear studio space. These cels were among the few remaining artefacts of traditional cel animation, later released through the official Hanna-Barbera art programme and authenticated by the studio with signatures from the creators themselves.

Though the cel originates from an interior mansion sequence in the film, it has been presented on a printed polo field background by the studio, on release, to enhance the composition and character focus. The pose perfectly captures Top Cat's self-assured grin and trademark nonchalance, traits that made him one of Hanna-Barbera's most enduring and sophisticated characters. The cel is signed by studio founders and animation legends Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, whose partnership defined much of 20th-century television animation.

This cel exemplifies the studio's craftsmanship at the twilight of the hand-painted era. The line work is clean and confident, the colour palette classically vibrant, and the character expression pure Hanna-Barbera, witty, confident, and unmistakably charismatic. Nearly forty years after his television debut, Top Cat remains the perfect embodiment of the clever, fast-talking charm that defined the golden age of television animation. The lot is accompanied by a Clampett Studio Collections certificate of authenticity. Dimensions: 28.5 cm x 34.75 cm (11.25" x 13.75")

Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.

Estimate: £500 - 1,000 Ω

View all lots from TOP CAT AND THE BEVERLY HILLS CATS (1988)