Adam Ant — Puss 'n Boots (Video)

JUL 01 1983 · 12:00

Adam Ant — Puss 'n Boots (Video) (1983) Director: Adam Ant & Mike Mansfield Era: New Wave / Post-Punk Pop Peak (1983) - Height of UK New Wave chart dominance; MTV's second year driving transatlantic video culture; Adam Ant's transition from Adam and the Ants to polished solo pop spectacle, retaining pantomime theatricality. High curatorial value as a documented, IMDB-confirmed 1983 co-directed artifact at the intersection of UK pantomime tradition, New Wave pop theatricality, and the nascent music video narrative form. The clip's storybook structure, confirmed cast and directorial credits, and chart-significant release context make it a primary source for researchers studying early MTV-era British pop video culture and Adam Ant's artistic and commercial trajectory. Context: Released in October 1983, 'Puss 'n Boots' arrived at the commercial apex of UK New Wave pop, when MTV's two-year dominance had made the music video a primary promotional and artistic vehicle. The clip extends Adam Ant's signature pantomime-fable aesthetic — drawn from British music-hall tradition and New Romantic theatricality — into a fully realized short narrative film. The song reached #5 on the UK chart in November 1983, making it Ant's final UK top 10 hit. The production reflects Ant's collaborative relationship with Mike Mansfield, a veteran British pop television director who had worked with the artist since the Adam and the Ants era. The video's fairy-tale register and elaborate costuming sit within a broader early-80s trend of concept-driven clips that treated the music video as a mini-cinematic genre. Director notes: The video is co-directed by Adam Ant and Mike Mansfield. It follows a theatrical narrative: a 'Pussycat' character (played by Karen Landau) travels to London, is hired by a king to catch a Mouse Gang, transforms into a cat to complete the task, and is crowned Queen. The video functions as a short pantomime film rather than a standard performance clip, consistent with Ant's established fable-driven visual language. It was produced to support the lead European/Australian single from the Strip album (CBS, October 1983), which reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1983.