On Feb. 9, 2006, Disney let Al Michaels leave ESPN for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. In return, NBC Universal handed over the rights to Oswald, the cartoon rabbit Walt Disney created in 1927 and lost in a contract dispute. Bob Iger asked for him personally.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Walt Disney’s first star. He was also the character Walt lost, in February 1928, to a distributor who owned the rights and most of Walt’s animators.
Walt went home and drew a mouse.
Seventy-eight years later, on Feb. 9, 2006, Disney got the rabbit back. The price was a play-by-play announcer.
Who is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?
Walt’s character before Mickey. Oswald debuted in Trolley Troubles on Sept. 5, 1927, made for distributor Charles Mintz and released through Universal.
Walt and Ub Iwerks made 26 Oswald shorts, per Disney, and the rabbit became the first Disney character to get merchandise: a candy bar, a stencil set, a pin.
Then Walt went to New York in early 1928 to renew the deal. Mintz told him Universal owned Oswald outright, that Mintz had already signed most of Walt’s animators away, and that Walt could keep working for less money or walk.
Walt walked. Iwerks stayed with him. On the train home, the story goes, Mickey Mouse got invented.
How did Disney get Oswald back from Universal?
Through ESPN. In early 2006 Al Michaels, the longtime voice of Monday Night Football, wanted out of his ABC and ESPN contract so he could rejoin John Madden at NBC for Sunday Night Football.
Disney CEO Bob Iger saw an opening. ESPN president George Bodenheimer later told ESPN The Magazine that Iger’s instruction was, roughly: I’d let Michaels go if you can get us the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from NBC.
Bodenheimer had to ask who Oswald was. So did NBC’s Dick Ebersol.
The deal closed Feb. 9, 2006. Disney’s press release put it plainly: Iger said “the fun and mischievous Oswald is back where he belongs.“
What did ESPN actually get in the Al Michaels trade?
More than a rabbit, though the rabbit is the headline. Per Disney’s own release, ESPN also received Friday coverage of the Ryder Cup through 2014, expanded Olympic highlights rights through 2012, and promotional and highlights rights around NBC’s Sunday night games through 2011.
Wikinews reported extra sweeteners, including Kentucky Derby and Notre Dame football highlights. Those aren’t in Disney’s release, so file them as reported.
Michaels, for his part, took it well. His widely quoted line: “Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice. I’m going to be a trivia answer someday.”
He was right. You’re reading the trivia.
What did the Disney family say about Oswald’s return?
Diane Disney Miller, Walt’s daughter, is quoted in the release: “Having Oswald around again is going to be a lot of fun.“ It’s the only family reaction on the record, and it’s enough. The character her father lost before she was born came home while she was alive to see it.
Where is Oswald now?
Everywhere Disney can put him. He co-starred in the video game Epic Mickey in 2010, which was remade as Epic Mickey: Rebrushed on Sept. 24, 2024.
He started meeting guests at Tokyo Disneyland in April 2014 and made his U.S. park debut on Sept. 14, 2014 on Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure, where a gas-station-themed shop called Oswald’s still sells his merch.
On Dec. 1, 2022, for Disney’s 100th anniversary, Walt Disney Animation Studios released a new hand-drawn Oswald short directed by Eric Goldberg, the first Disney-made Oswald cartoon since 1928. Goldberg’s take on the character: “Oswald is such a plucky scamp.“
Is there an Oswald movie coming?
Yes. At D23 in August 2026, Disney announced Oswald, a live-action and animation hybrid film from Jon Favreau, premiering on Disney+ on Feb. 17, 2027. The cast includes Kathryn Hahn, Al Madrigal, Albert Brooks and Ravi Cabot-Conyers.
Disney’s announcement doesn’t call it a centennial project, but the math does: Oswald turns 100 on Sept. 5, 2027.
A few more Oswald facts
He’s a rabbit with detachable limbs. Early Oswald cartoons had him pull off his own foot for luck and use his ears as propellers. Mickey inherited the rubber-hose body and lost the ears.
Walt’s 26 Oswald shorts survive in part; some are lost. Disney has restored several for home release since 2006.
Michaels called Sunday Night Football on NBC for 16 seasons after the trade. Oswald got a movie. Both did fine.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
The Walt Disney Company (Feb. 9, 2006 press release), the deal terms, the 26 shorts and the Iger and Diane Disney Miller quotes
The Walt Disney Company (Sept. 2023 Oswald anniversary post and Aug. 2026 D23 showcase recap), the Trolley Troubles debut, the trade summary and the 2027 film
D23 (Oswald A-to-Z entry and the 2022 short feature), the merchandise history and the Eric Goldberg quote
The Walt Disney Family Museum, the 1928 Mintz meeting and Ub Iwerks staying
ESPN The Magazine (May 2015, via AIPT), the Bodenheimer and Ebersol accounts
Wikinews (Feb. 2006), the additional reported deal terms
Inside the Magic (Sept. 2014), the DCA meet-and-greet debut
Variety (Dec. 2022), the Oswald short release
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