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Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

CBUB Wins: 0
CBUB Losses: 0
Win Percentage: 0%

Added by: patrickthekid

Read more about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at: Wikipedia

Official Site: Disney

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s. The majority rights to the character are currently held by The Walt Disney Company, with exceptions of Winkler and Walter Lantz cartoons that starred Oswald, which are owned by Universal.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was introduced in 1927 after Disney's series of Alice Comedies had run its course. Disney signed a new contract with Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle where he would produce a series of cartoons for Charles Mintz and George Winkler. The first Oswald cartoon, Poor Papa, was rejected by the Universal studio heads due to poor production quality and the sloppiness and age of Oswald. After this, Disney, together with Ub Iwerks, created a second cartoon called Trolley Troubles featuring a much younger, neater Oswald. The short officially launched the series and proved to be Disney's greatest success yet. Poor Papa was finally released a year later.

In the spring of 1928, with the series going strong, Disney asked Mintz for an increase in the budget. But Mintz instead demanded that Walt take a 20 percent budget cut, and as leverage, he reminded Disney that Universal owned the character, and revealed that he had already signed most of Disney's current employees to his new contract: Iwerks, Les Clark and Wilfred Jackson were among the few who remained loyal to Walt. Disney refused Mintz's demand, disassociating himself from Oswald after the series' first season. While finishing the remaining Oswald cartoons, Disney and Iwerks created the cartoon hero who would become The Walt Disney Company's lasting symbol: Mickey Mouse (a slightly altered Oswald the Rabbit to avoid litigation), the most famous of Walt Disney's characters.

Mintz, meanwhile, opened his own studio consisting primarily of former Disney employees, where he continued to produce Oswald cartoons, among them the first Oswald with sound, Hen Fruit (1929). Laemmle was dissatisfied with Mintz, and terminated his contract and opted to have the Oswald cartoons produced right on the Universal lot instead. By a coincidence, Disney and Mintz each produced nine cartoons the first year and 17 the next before Oswald was taken over by others. Laemmle selected Walter Lantz to produce the new series of Oswald shorts (the first of which was 1929's Race Riot). Lantz consulted Disney about Oswald and he gave Lantz his blessing to continue the Oswald series as the Mickey Mouse shorts had become more successful so the two became close friends.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has not been a contender in any CBUB matches.