Elementary, dear Watson !

Sherlock Holmes figurines, Yolanda, Spain, 1980's

Remember these ? They were the heroes (and villains - yes Moriarty...) of Sherlock Hound, an Italian-Japanese cartoon which retold Sherlock Holmes tales using anthropomorphic animals (RAI & TMS production) Later on, these aired on French TV, in Spain etc.

Interesting story, Hayao Miyazaki, who directed 6 episodes of Sherlock, would later on be one of the 3 founding members of the Ghibli studios, where Miyazaki would continue with anthropomorphic animals on a whole new level (like in Porco Rosso). The style and attention to movement and detail is already present in the Sherlock Hound cartoons...