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Walt's Story: Episode 5
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Walt, Lily and Sunnee
Walt, Lily and the chow named Sunnee

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit delighted filmgoers and gave Walt and Roy a sense of security. They purchased adjoining lots and moved into identical homes in the fall of 1927. Lilly's mother joined her daughter and Walt (Walt and Lilly were to serve as long-term hosts for several of Lilly's relatives over the years). Around Thanksgiving, Walt decided he wanted a puppy. He did research and determined that the chow was the perfect choice: "The chow does not shed hair," he reported. "The chow does not have fleas. The chow has very little dog odor." He presented the puppy to Lilly in a large hatbox at Christmastime. She was startled when the present turned out to be a dog instead of a hat. But she was soon in love with the new pet. (Walt remembered, and used the scene of the dog in the hatbox years later in "Lady and the Tramp.")
 
As Oswald's stardom grew, Walt decided that he could renew the contract for the cartoons at a better price. So he and Lilly headed off for New York City to cut a new deal. But there was a lot Walt didn't know as he blithely headed east. He didn't know that Charlie Mintz had offered Walt's staff more money and freedom if they came to work for him. He didn't know that most of his staff had accepted. Most important, he didn't know that Charlie Mintz -- and Universal Pictures -- really owned the legal rights to Oswald. It may have been Walt and his staff who had turned Oswald into a star, but Mintz and Universal held the star's contract! Mintz demanded that Walt give up his own business and work exclusively for him. Walt refused. Mintz was unrelenting. And Walt left New York without most of his staff and without Oswald.
Charles Mintz
As the headline affirms, Charles Mintz (with cane) left little doubt that Oswald was now his, not Walt's
 
Walt's telegram to Roy
Walt's telegram to his brother Roy: "Don't worry. Everything OK"
Before boarding the train home, Walt sent Roy a telegram: "LEAVING TONIGHT STOPPING OVER KC ARRIVE HOME SUNDAY MORNING SEVEN THIRTY DON'T WORRY EVERYTHING OK WILL GIVE DETAILS WHEN ARRIVE -- WALT" But while Walt was trying to protect his brother from the real story, it would appear that his mind was already working on a way to make the telegram true by the time he arrived home. As Walt told the story of that now famous trip to Los Angeles, he knew that he had to come up with a new character. And so he dreamed up the idea of Mickey Mouse on the way home. At first Walt thought he'd call his new creation Mortimer. But Lilly didn't like that name. "How about Mickey?" she asked. As hundreds of millions of fans now know, he took her advice. Soon after Walt got home, he began creating three cartoons starring his new featured player.
 
Efforts to sell Mickey Mouse cartoons were initially discouraging. Mickey was just another cartoon creature competing for screen space with Felix the Cat and even Oswald (who continued to be drawn by Mintz's new staff). The solution: Synchronize one of the three cartoons -- "Steamboat Willie" -- to sound. Like many of Walt's ideas, it wasn't easy. But it was Mickey's ticket to fame. Walt found a "big and influential guy" named Pat Powers who provided the sound equipment and soon agreed to distribute the cartoons as well. Initial efforts were unsuccessful, but Walt persevered and eventually triumphed. Reviewers -- and more important, the public -- loved it. Though there were disquieting reasons to think that Powers might not be the most trustworthy of partners, Mickey was soon bringing in enough money for Walt to hire top animators and many trainees. And Walt was ready to use them to begin new enterprises. Steamboat Willie
Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie." First released on November 18, 1928, the date is still used as Mickey's official "birthday."
 
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