Empty Socks: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Disney, 1927) – Incomplete

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents an incomplete version of "Empty Socks," a classic Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from December 12, 1927, created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—offering a haunting glimpse into early animation’s Christmas legacy. The silent film, Walt Disney’s first Christmas-themed short, follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he plays Santa Claus, visiting his girlfriend Ortensia (also known as Sadie) at an orphanage, using his horse as a reindeer, and distributing gifts to kittens, only to face slapstick chaos when the kittens escape and cause an explosion. Originally 5:30 minutes long, the surviving fragment—discovered in Norway’s National Library in 2014, missing 30 to 60 seconds—captures key moments like Oswald donning a Santa beard, the horse’s antics, and the orphanage mayhem, but lacks the full narrative, ending abruptly. Set against simple, whimsical backgrounds typical of the era, this preserved piece—long thought lost, with only 25 seconds previously known at New York’s Museum of Modern Art—grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a rare, fleeting peek at Disney’s festive origins frozen in time.