What came first? The mouse or the rabbit?

         It's hard to imagine Disney without its iconic figure, Mickey Mouse. Being the spokesperson, figurehead, and even the logo on much of Disney's merchandise, even I found it hard to believe that Mickey Mouse may not have been Walt Disney's first animated character.
     

       With the release of Epic Mickey, Disney relaunched the existence of Oswald, the lucky rabbit. Oswald was actually one of Walt Disney's first animated cartoon characters back in the 1920's and proved to be quite a roller coaster for the animator. With the first animated short, Poor Papa, featuring an older version of Oswald being a flop to Universal studios (Not quite the same company as we recognize it now), Walt Disney created the second short that made everyone gag over a younger Oswald called Trolley Troubles (It can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_czbftn30k). Did I mention that the title foreshadowed trouble for Walt (minus the trolley, of course)?

      Well, it actually led to quite some trouble for Walt, as he soon after lost the rights to creating future Oswald cartoons (yes, it was a sad day....). With a contractual agreement though, Walt was obligated to fulfill his duties of producing the final cartoons of Oswald before he broke away into his own studio and created a new character of his own. On a train ride, Walt dreamed up a character that seemed to ignite the passion and desire to continue to draw:  Mortimer Mouse! Yes, the name was slightly terrible and thanks to his wife, Lily, Walt changed the name to Mickey Mouse.

         Fast-forwarding to the future, Disney officially regained the rights for Oswald the lucky rabbit in 2006 and quickly put his icon into use in Epic Mickey. With the success of the game and relaunching of the beloved character of Walt Disney, the company soon trickled Oswald into merchandise and even little treats in the Disney Parks like this one that is featured in Magic Kingdom in Disney World at the meet and greet theater:

       My favorite would probably have to be the vinylmations that were released, featuring Oswald as the chaser for the Classic Collection.

    Even the ears would be super adorable on, too!

         With that being said, it's nice to welcome Oswald back to his original home with the rest of the Disney family (that's including the Marvel and Star Wars characters to the family, but I'll save that for another blog).

What are your opinions of Oswald coming back home?




Eric of Disney