Eighty-five years ago this week, Walt Disney’s first major animated character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, made his silver-screen debut in the short, “Trolley Troubles.”
Although Walt lost the rights to the character of Oswald in a business deal with his distributor in 1928, the loss inspired him to create a new character that quickly became a smashing success – Mickey Mouse.
In 2006, The Walt Disney Company regained the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the character has since found new fame in the Disney Epic Mickey video game. (Incidentally, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be released in stores November 18.)
Oswald also made his first appearance at Walt Disney World Resort in 2011, in this little detail that appears in Mickey’s dressing room at the new Mickey Mouse character greeting in Town Square Theater at Magic Kingdom Park.
Happy anniversary, Oswald!
