GERTIE THE DINOSAUR
The first American animated cartoon,
1909: Winsor McCay played vaudville
theaters with Gertie, the Trained Dinosaur, in a tour that introduced
Americans to their first glimpse of animation.
McCay appeared at the side of the stage in evening dress.
He introduced Gertie, an amible dinosaur that appeared on
the screen and did tricks more or less at her master's bidding.
As you can see in this animated gif, Gertie
did a little dance. She also lifted her foot on command, drank water
from the lake, and tossed a woolly mammoth by the tail.