Short-Term Insurance
What a lost ‘ lucky rabbit ’ can teach businesses about insurance
By Elvira Wood
H
ave you ever heard of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit ?
If not , fear not ; you are probably one of the millions of people around the planet who have never heard of the character . Although Oswald might be called “ the Lucky Rabbit ”, his “ luck ” – and that of his famous creator – ran out in 1928 , causing him to disappear in the shadows of animation for close to 94 years .
He did not see the light of day again until December 2022 when the Walt Disney Company released a short film of this animated character as part of its 100-year celebrations .
You see , Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Walt Disney , founder of the Walt Disney Company ’ s very first creation . Disney , the American entrepreneur , animator , voice actor and film producer is today best known for characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in animation history . It is hard to think that he faced any challenges in his career .
However , the story of Oswald shows that Disney ’ s rise to worldwide fame did not come without challenges .
Disney began his career as a commercial artist and cartoonist , creating advertisements and cartoon shorts for distribution in movie theatres in the 1920s . As per releases issued by and archives of the Walt Disney Company , during this time he worked as a contractor for the Universal Film Manufacturing Company ( now known as Universal Studios ) who requested him to create an animated character for them . That is when he created Oswald .
As much as Disney and the animators he employed provided all the creative for Oswald , he did not own the rights to the character . So , in 1928 , when Disney refused to accept a lower rate to produce the cartoon , according to an article by Antonia Carlotta titled When Walt Disney was fired from Universal , the studio dismissed him . Because Disney did not own the rights to Oswald , when he severed his ties with Universal , he could not “ take
Oswald with him ” and continue producing the character .
“ Disney , therefore , not only
lost his contract , he in a way also “ lost his lucky rabbit ” - the main source of income for his company at the time .
”
Determined not to give up , Disney created a new character . This time , however , he did not do it on a contract base , but ensured that he owned all the rights and creative control . It is said that he sketched out several ideas , before , one day , while sitting on a train , he had a sudden inspiration . He drew a small mouse with big ears , a round body and a long tail . This mouse was different from anything he had created before .
Disney named his new character Mickey Mouse . However , Mickey ’ s road to stardom was not without hiccoughs . The loveable mouse ’ s first appearance was in a silent film called “ Plane Crazy ”, which
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