Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (or simply Oswald) is an animated character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures in 1927. First appearing in the short film Trolley Troubles, Oswald is notable for the ability to disassemble and reshape his body parts at will. He is credited for pioneering “personality animation”, which refers to cartoon characters displaying identifiable emotion. In Oswald’s case, he was often depicted as haughty, feisty, and overzealous, which typically led to comical misadventures that put the rabbit’s trademark luck to the test. Due to a financial falling out with producer Charles Mintz, Disney abandoned the Oswald series alongside Iwerks and a few other loyalists. Together, the remaining team would independently create Mickey Mouse, Oswald’s successor. Oswald would remain with Universal, and continued to appear in short films through 1938 before fading into obscurity. In 2006, The Walt Disney Company would acquire ownership of Oswald and the Disney-made cartoons. The character would see a resurgence thereafter, beginning with the 2009 video game Epic Mickey. Since then, Oswald has appeared in merchandise, theme parks, and various animated projects.