Ultra-Rare Walt Disney-era Oswald One-Sheet at Hake’s Geppi’s Entertainment Auctions announces the addition of a very rare one-sheet featuring the early Walt Disney creation Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to the offerings in their January Hake's auction.
News-Antique.com - Dec 11,2007 - Geppi’s Entertainment Auctions, which last week made known that our Hake’s Americana & Collectibles unit would feature hundreds of Disneyana items in its auction closing January 29-31, 2008, has announced the addition of a very rare one-sheet featuring the early Walt Disney creation Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to the offerings in the event.
Disney enthusiasts will quickly recognize the historic importance and intrinsic value of the only known copy of the 1927 theatrical poster from the cartoon short Great Guns. There are a mere handful of Disney-era Oswald movie posters in private hands, and this treasured one-sheet is one of the rarest. Not only is it a full-size, full-color poster featuring the character, but it also promotes the specific cartoon, Great Guns, rather than the character or cartoon series.
“We were very happy to have such a spectacular assemblage of rare and one-of-a-kind Disneyana in our January auction even before adding this incredible piece to our selection,” said Alex Winter, General Manager of Hake’s Americana & Collectibles. “Now it really features almost every era of Disney’s work!”
After continuing at Universal for years under others including Woody Woodpecker creator Walter Lantz , the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit remained very familiar to seasoned collectors, pop culture enthusiasts and media historians over the years.
First introduced in 1927, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was created by Walt Disney after his earlier efforts, the Alice comedies (such as Alice’s Wonderland and Alice in the Jungle), had run their course. His first trip into the public eye was in Trolley Troubles, which was actually the second Oswald cartoon produced (the earlier one was rejected Universal, their studio). He quickly became a success. In 1928, when Disney asked to increase the production budget, producer Charles Mintz not only cut the budget, he reminded Disney of who actually owned the character.
Frustrated by the situation, Disney used his disappointment as motivation combined with Ub Iwerks’ talent and came up with another character to build his own company around, Mickey Mouse. Mickey, of course, became the most recognized character in the world, but he might never have existed without the events surrounding Oswald. Disney had long maintained his dream of re-acquiring the rights to the rabbit, but passed away long before The Walt Disney Company was able to actually complete a deal for the character in February 2006 (trading him for, among other things, the services of sportscaster Al Michaels).
Since then, original Disney-era Oswald artifacts have seen a tremendous upsurge in interest, something that should continue as the company re-introduces the character to the public.
The auction can be previewed online in early January at www.Hakes.com. For additional information, contact Alex Winter, General Manager, at (866)404-9800 ext. 1632 or (717) 434-1632 or email walex@hakes.com.
