Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, most often shortened to "Oswald," is a character in Disney-made cartoons.

Oswald originally appeared in shorts from 1927 to 1928 during the period of time when Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks were creating cartoons under the distribution of Universal Studios. He starred in their animated films until Disney and Iwerks left Universal in 1928 and developed Plane Crazy, featuring the famous character made in succession to Oswald, Mickey Mouse. Universal continued to produce their own Oswald films into the 30s (with a redesign by Walter Lantz) and even into the early 50s, but was sparingly used by Universal since.

Oswald is aesthetically and personality-wise very similar to Mickey, featuring a plump, black body with a bright face and long ears in his early cartoons; the plots of several Oswald cartoons were sometimes blatantly reused in later Mickey cartoons. However, Oswald was owned by Universal until 2006, when The Walt Disney Company traded Al Michaels, an ESPN sportscaster, to NBC Sports for rights to the character.

History
After ending production on Alice Comedies in 1927, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks were instructed by Distributor Charles Mintz to create a cartoon character to be sold to Universal. Oswald was hence created; Disney signed a contract that allowed Oswald cartoons to be distributed by Universal, although the comapny would keep all rights to the character. Their first cartoon, Poor Papa, was rejected by Universal Studios (and would not be publicly released until later in 1928). Their second attempt, however, was with Trolley Troubles, a cartoon that was Disney's biggest success so far and launched the series under distribution by Universal.

Disney and Iwerks left Universal in 1928; Disney was so distraught over having lost the rights to the Oswald character that he vowed never to work for a company he didn't own ever again. They created Mickey Mouse shortly after and created Plane Crazy under "The Walt Disney Studio."

Some of Oswald's most notable cartoons were Trolley Troubles, Oh, What a Knight, Sky Scrappers, The Mechanical Cow, and Poor Papa. Several Oswald cartoons have now been classified as lost films, such as Africa Before Dark, Hot Dog, The Ol' Swimmin' Hole, and Ride 'Em Plowboy.

Relationships
Having been owned by Universal until 2006, Oswald was never included with the cast of in-universe Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse or Goofy.

Upon his inclusion as a major character in the 2009 video game Epic Mickey, Oswald was written in as Mickey's older half-brother, who never lived up to his sibling's fame. It is unknown whether or not he interacted with Mickey's friends.

Personality
Oswald has traditionally been portrayed as having a personality not unlike Mickey's; he shares his same sense of adventure, passion, and mischief. He appears happy-go-lucky and swiftly engages in one activity to the next.

Epic Mickey in 2009 saw a radical change in Oswald's behavior; rather than being cheerful, Oswald has gone into a state of frustration for the loss of his world and for having missed out on acheiving the same recognition as his brother, Mickey. However, by the end of the story, Oswald and Mickey seem to have made amends.

Oswald has a girlfriend named Ortensia. She appeared in nearly every Oswald cartoon from the 1927-1928 era, and is considered to be Oswald's equivalent of Mickey's Minnie Mouse.