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Walt, Lily and the chow named Sunnee
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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.")
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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.
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As the headline affirms, Charles Mintz (with cane) left little doubt
that Oswald was now his, not Walt's
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Walt's telegram
to his brother Roy: "Don't worry. Everything OK"
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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.
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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.
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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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