Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a character developed by the Disney Studio in 1927 and was Disney's first successful cartoon character. Oswald became the star of a silent series that was distributed by Universal Pictures. Oswald was the first Disney character merchandised on consumer products and thus played an historic role in Disneyana. Dean's were commissioned by Disney to produce an Oswald in 1933. As a result of his success Mickey Mouse was created.