Forgotten Disney Icon Gets Starring Role

in Disney Parks, Merchandise

Oswald at Disney California Adventure

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Move over, Mickey Mouse; it’s time for another icon’s time in the spotlight.

Mickey has been the icon of Disney Parks and Resorts for decades. You can virtually find any piece of merchandise you want with Mickey’s face on it at the parks; t-shirts, backpacks, ice cream bars, pins, shoes, hats, toys, kitchenware, housewares – you name it, Mickey’s got it. However, keen fans will know that Mickey was not the first emblem of Disney Animation.

steamboat
Credit: Disney

That honor would have to go to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, created in 1926 (two years before Mickey Mouse) by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. As Oswald was initially created for Universal Pictures, NBC retained the rights to the character from 1928 until 2006, when Disney CEO Bob Iger made an unprecedented trade with NBC to gain control of the character again. While Oswald made select appearances in some video games and a few minor merch items, he mostly stayed out of the spotlight until just last year, when the first Oswald short since 1928 premiered.

While Mickey still holds the top spot in most Disney fans’ hearts, Oswald has a dedicated fanbase full of support for the somewhat underground character. Ever since Disney regained control of him, fans have been clamoring for more Oswald appearances in film, television, and especially in the parks and resorts.

oswald-new-cartoon
Credit: Disney

Recently, those fans’ dreams have been coming true. Oswald and his love interest, the cat Ortensia, were recently announced to lead Disneyland’s Lunar New Year celebrations. Aptly celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, fans clamored for the chance to meet the long-lost characters. It marked one of Oswald’s more major Park appearances (aside from a few one-off meet and greets at special events) and Ortensia’s first appearance ever.

While West Coast Disney fans can rejoice in meeting the famous rabbit, Disney fans worldwide can now all rep their favorite rabbit with the new Disney100 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Collection, which was released on shopDisney and at the Disney Parks today.

A selection of merchandise featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Credit: Disney Parks Blog

The collection features a wide variety of merch, including stylish apparel, adorable plushes, pins, and housewares. The Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Desk Lamp ($79.99) is absolutely precious and is sure to brighten up the desk of any animation fan! Fans are also very excited for the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Ear Hat ($24.99) as a long-eared alternative to the classic Mickey hat.

There’s also a brand new Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Magicband+ ($44.99) that is currently on backorder and won’t ship until the end of March, but diehard Oswald fans may want to get their hands on this collector’s item before it’s too late.

A white magicband featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Credit: shopDisney

This is more Oswald merchandise than we’ve ever seen before, and it comes alongside Disney’s Vault Collection and the upcoming Disney100 Decades Collection, all celebrating Disney’s vast animation and park history. Shop for the full Oswald collection here.

What’s your favorite part of the new collection? Let us know in the comments!

in Disney Parks, Merchandise

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