The Heroism of Bob Iger

Now only a true Disney Fanatic (mainly me and Duffy) would truly understand this but in my overwhelming excitement I felt the need to share it with everyone else.

Yesterday we received news that an old member of the Disney family has been welcomed back into the fold after almost an 80 year estrangement.

Bob Iger, in a true act of heroism negotiated the rights for Disney to once more use Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

For those of you who don't know Oswald the Lucky Rabbit he was one of Walt's first animations, and he was quite successful in the 20's However due to Walt's less then perfect record in business he may have created the rabbit but he somehow let his copyright in the rabbit be taken. This meant that he was unable to retain any of the exclusive rights that belong to copyright holders such as reproduction, derivative works, publication, and he was basically unable to profit or benefit from any of his hard work.

On that fateful day in 1927 when Walt learned that he no longer had copyright in Oswald, and could no longer use him to help fuel his dreams he got on a train and headed back to California from NY with nothing but Lily. While on that train he realized that he would have to start over and so he did with the first drawing of mouse, a mouse named Mortimer, who would eventually become one of the country's most recognized icons, a mouse who would mean freedom to many other nations in the world, a mouse that would represent all that was magical and imaginative in the world.

So although we missed Oswald we would not be where we were today without his absence, but as we have come so far it is about time that we have all of the family back together.

So thank you Bob for bringing us back Oswald who began a dream that we are all still living today.